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ROBERT   KENNON    HARGROVE,   D.D., 

One  of  the  Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 


A  HISTORY 


OF 


METHODISM  IN  ALABAMA 


BY  THE  REV.  ANSON  WEST,  D.D. 


<•  I 


Printed  for  the  Author, 

Publishing  House  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 

Barbee  &  Smith,  Agents,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

1803. 


m 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1893, 

By  Anson  West, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


n 


PEEFACE. 


Having  come  to  the  end  of  the  task,  self-imposed,  of  writing  a  History  of 
Methodism  in  Alabama,  it  is  but  conformity  to  custom  to  write  a  Preface  to 
the  book.    It  is  impossible  to  detail  here  the  difficulties  encountered  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  work.    No  traveler  ever  passed  over  the  ground  before. 
Neither  road  nor  trace  existed,  not  even  a  footstep  could  be  found,  except  in 
one  instance,  at  one  point,  a  track  of  the  Rev.  John  G.  Jones,  D.D.,  and  in  an- 
other instance,  at  one  other  point,  the  track  of  the  Rev.  John  B.  McFerrin,  D.D. 
The  temerity  which  induced  the  undertaking,  as  the  way  has  been  so  ob- 
scure and  interminable,  has  been  regretted  many  the  time.    If  years  enough 
were  remaining  to  the  poor  wanderer  who  has  rambled  over  the  ground,  to 
go  again,  the  journey  could  be  made  to  better  advantage,  but  there  is  no  time 
now  for  further  and  other  excursion.    The  work  such  as  it  is,  and  as  it  is, 
must  be  stereotyped.    It  is  with  unfeigned  sadness  of  heart,  real  pain,  that 
the  work  is  resigned.    It  has  been  a  work  which  has  burdened  above  meas- 
ure, and  yet  the  end  is  reached  and  the  surcease  accepted  with  the  sorrow 
akin  to  the  sorrow  experienced  upon  bidding  a  last  good-bye  to  fi-iends  and 
kindred  dear.    Much  labor,  no  one  will  ever  know  how  much,  has  been  ex- 
pended in  getting  at  facts  and  arriving  at  truth,  so  as  to  give  the  real  history 
in  every  case.    Days  have  been  given  to  tracing  very  small  matters  in  order 
that  the  statements  made  be  accurate  and  correct.    While  there  may  have 
been  an  occasional  blunder  along  the  dark  and  devious  way,  wherever  the 
history  is  given  it  is  given  correctly.    That  the  book  has  defects  is  only  too 
well  known.    If  any  one  can  and  will  write  a  better  History,  let  it  be  done. 
Many  things  in  the  book  could  have  been  left  out,  and  many  things  out 
could  have  been  put  in.    There  is  room  and  there  is  material  for  another 
History  covering  the  same  time  traversed  by  this.    Alabamians  are  neglect- 
ful of  their  own  history.    The  plan  of  this  book  is  to  begin  with  the  begin- 
ning, and  write  the  history  as  it  begins,  develops,  enlarges,  and  goes  on,  and 
give  the  history  everywhere  in  the  order  of  time,  both  in  the  opening  and 
the  progress.    In  the  plan  thus  pursued,  the  history  is  given  from  1808  to 
1818.    During  that  time  there  were  only  two  appointments  in  the  State. 
Then  the  history  is  given  from  1818  to  1832.    At  the  close  of  that  time  the 
Alabama  Conference  was  organized.    Then  in  the  order  of  the  design  the 
history  is  given  from  1832  to  1845.    Then  it  was  that  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  commenced.    Finally,  in  the  on-going 
of  the  plan  the  history  from  1845  to  1865  is  given.    Then  the  emancipation 
of  the  slaves  was  consummated,  and  a  new  order  of  things  inaugurated. 
There  this  History  closes.    That  which  is  written  about  an  itinerant  preacher 
is,  as  a  general  thing,  introduced  where  and  when  his  work  in  the  State  ter- 
minated.   That  accounts  for  the  fact  that  nothing  is  said  about  many  prom- 
inent preachers.    Their  term  of  service  extended  beyond  the  time  where 

(3) 


300J47 


Hisforij  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


this  History  closes.  What  is  written  about  a  layman  is,  generally,  introduced 
in  connection  with  the  place  where  he  did  most  of  his  work,  or  in  connec- 
tion with  the  enterprise  in  which  he  was  prominent.  ^  .  t 
The  works,  some  in  print  and  some  in  manuscript,  which  have  been  of 
service  in  the  preparation  of  this  History  may  be  mentioned ^as  follows: 

"The  General  Minutes  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Churcli. 
\;The  General  Minutes  of  the  :Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 
w^Asbury's  Journal."     (3  Vols.) 

"  Dow's  Works."  „        -r  ti-  i    ♦♦ 

«  The  Historv  of  Alabama."    (2  Vols.)    By  Albert  James  Pickett. 
"  Methodism'  in  Mississippi."     (1  Vol.)    John  G.  Jones.  ^ 

"  History  of  Methodism  in  Tennessee."     (3  Vols.)    John  B.  McFernn. 
Journal  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 
Journal  of  the  Georgia  Conference. 
Advocate  and  Journal,  1825-1830. 

Southern  Christian  Advocate,  1843-1852.  „  „    ,         t     r-     ^ff« 

Quarteriy  Conference  Records  of  Franklin,  Greene,  Talladega,  La  Fayett^^ 
Wills  Valley,  and  Jasper  Circuits,  and  Greenesborough  and  Athens  Stations. 
Church  Registers  Tuskaloosa  and  Greenesborough  Stations. 
Manuscript  Journal  of  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Ramsey. 
Manuscript  Journal  of  the  Rev.  E.  Heam. 
Manuscript  Journal  of  the  Rev.  William  Wier. 
Manuscript  Journal  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Curry.  ^  „,     , 

iSIanuscript  "  History  of  Methodism  in  Florence."    W.  B.  Wood. 
"  Life  and  Times  of  the  Rev.  John  Brooks." 
"  History  of  Alabama."     Willis  Brewer. 

"  Public  Men  in  Alabama."    William  Garrett. 

"Life  of  Bishop  Capers."    W.  M.  Wightman.  ^^    m  «  t^.u 

-  History  of  Clarke  County,  Alabama,  and  Its  Surroundings.      T.  il.  liali. 

"  Biographical  Sketches  of  Itinerant  Ministers." 
^History  of  North  Alabama."    Smith. 

"  History  of  Methodism  in  Texas."    H.  S.  Thrall. 

"  History  of  Methodism."    Stevens. 

"  History  of  Methodist  Episcopal  Church."    Stevens. 

" History  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky."    Redford.  „  ,r  -d  -ni 

...^tiaistory  of  the  Churches  of  theCity  of  Montgomery,  Alabama.    I\I.P.  Blue. 
^  Letters  of  the  Rev.  R.  H.  Rivers.    Alabama  Christian  Advocate. 

Letters  of  the  Rev.  John  DuBois.    Alabama  Chnstian  Advocate. 

"  History  of  Methodism  in  Georgia  and  Florida."    Smith. 
^,-i^istory  of  Methodist  Protestant  Church."    Paris. 
^    "  Williams'  History  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church." 

«  History  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church."    Brown. 

Stray  Copies  Minutes  of  Alabama  Annual  Conference  Methodist  Protest- 
ant Church. 

.^iiSelma:  Her  Institutions  and  Men."    Hardy. 
'"    Manuscript  Sketches  of  Preachers  of  Alabama  Conference. 

5»  Baptists  in  Alabama."    Holcombe. 
Methodist  Magazine.    (6  Vols.) 


Preface, 


Men  and  women  too  numerous  to  mention  have  conferred  special  favors 
and  rendered  valuable  services.  The  favors  and  services  have  been  highly 
appreciated,  and  the  persons  who  so  generously  assisted  are  thought  of  with 
delight    May  they  all  attain  eternal  rest  I  Anson  West. 

Alabama,  January  25,  1&J3, 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Alabama — Characteristics — Savage  Tribes — French  and  Spaniards- 
Firrit  White  Settlements 


CHAPTER  II. 
Tombigbee  Environments — Lorenzo  and  Peggy  Dow 

CHAPTER  III. 

Tombecbee  Mission  First  Place  to  Which  a  Preacher  was  Sent  in 
Alabama — Matthew  P.  Sturdevant — Biirdge  —  Kennon  —  Ford- 
Houston— Quinn — NoUey— Shrock — Powell— Tecumseh  —  War  — 
Sellers— Byrd — James — Owens— He  wett— Fleming— Lott 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Noted  Places— Burr  Arrested— Noted  Characters— Toulmin— Walk- 
er — Ramsey  —  Dean  —  French  —  Easleys  —  Bishop  George  —  Gil- 
mores — Mississippi  Conference 


Paom 


13-26 


27-34 


35-80 


81-105 


CHAPTER  V.  • 

Along  Tennessee  River— First  White  Settlers— Hunt— Ford— Bouch- 
er—Stringfield— Thompson— Other  Noted  Persons— Noted  Places 
— Methodist  Societies  Early— Baptists— G win n Missionary— Socie- 
ties and  Members  of  Flint  Circuit — Richland  Circuit— Brooks  and 
His  Adventures 106-118 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Creek  Indians  Dispossessed— Settlers  Enter— Hearn  Reviewing  and 
Organizing  — Places  and  Persons  —  Sterling  C.  Brown  in  New 
Field— Six  New  Charges  at  Close  of  the  Year 119-127 

CHAPTER  VII.    . 

New  Appointments— Preachers— Societies— Places— Persons  —  Inci- 
dents— Porter — Paine — Cotaco — Limestone  — Shoal  —  Cahawba  — 
Stringfield— Nixon— Drake— Lambuth— Burrows  —  Tuskaloosa  — 
Hargrove— Buttahatchee  — First  Meeting  House  —  Tombecbee — 
Foster— Alabama  Circuit— Talley  —  Mrs.  Bledsoe— McPherson — 
Mims— Andrew— Capel— Methodists  —  Baptists 128-194 

(7) 


8 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Pages 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Jackson  Circuit -Preachers,  Places,  and  Societies— Conecuh  Circuit 
—Places  and  Persons— Cedar  Creek  Circuit— Camp  Meetings- 
Streams— Places  and  Persons-Franklin  Circuit— Quarterly  Con- 
ferences—Places and  Persons—  Parsonage  Problem— Camp  Meet- 
ing Revivals-PubUc  Collectionts— Exhorters 195-238 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Huntsville— Preachers— Monte  Sano— Annual  Conference  Session- 
Indians— Church  Deed 239-248 

CHAPTER  X. 

Mobile -Alexander  Talley-Church  Deed-Pensacola  and  Mobile 
Attached-Death  of  Cook-First  Society  in  Mobile-First  Effort 
to  Build  House  of  Worship— The  Preachers— Sunday  School— In- 
dians— Bee  Hive 


249-264 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Territory  Provided  for  by  the  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  Confer- 
ences—Chattahoochee,  Pea  River,  and  Escambia— Camp  Meetings, 
Societies,  Places,  Persons,  and  Preachers 265-286 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Jones's  Valley  Circuit— Societies— Taylors  and  Tarrants— Lawrence 
Circuit— Societies— Members,  Persons,  Preachers,  and  Incidents 
—New  River  Circuit— Its  Situation— Ledbetter 287-304 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Mississippi  Conference  in  session  at  Tuskaloosa— Noted  Persons— 
Preachers— Controversy  on  the  Mysteries  of  Freemasons— Three 
Other  Sessions  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  at  Tuskaloosa— Col- 
ored Members  at  Tuskaloosa 305-333 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Marengo  Circuit— Places  and  Preachers— Tuscumbia— A  House  of 
Worship— A  Session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference— Religious  In- 
fluence-Sunday School  Interest— Paint  Rock  Circuit-Town  of 
Claiborne  on  the  Alabama— Florence  on  the  Tennessee— Cypress 
Circuit— Courtland  and  Athens— New  Philadelphia— Montgomery 
—First  Preachers— Slow  Work— Greene  Circuit— Greenesborough 
—Members  and  Trustees 334-358 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Various  Conferences  Which  Held  Jurisdiction  in  Alabama— Dis- 
tricts—Presiding  Elders— Conference  Boundaries 359-365 


Contents. 


9 


Paqkb 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Missions  to  the  Indians — School  for  the  Creek  Indians — When  and 
Where  Established— By  Whom  Managed— What  was  Taught— 
What  Achieved — Commotions — Difficulties — Special  Occasions- 
Capers,  Smith,  Hammill,  and  Hill — Methodist  AVomen — Discon- 
tinued— Mission  to  Cherokees — The  Line  between  Civilized  and 
Savage — Richard  Neely  and  Richard  Riley — Work  Expands — 
Misssonaries  Multiply — Places — Societies —  Members — Preachers 
— Exhorters — Schools  and  Scholars — Character  of  Cherokee  Chris- 
tians— Georgia  Imprisoned  and  Punished  Men  for  Preaching 
the  Gospel  to  the  Cherokee  Indians 366-403 


CHAPTER  XVIL 

Methodist  Protestant  Church — Agitations—Channels  of  Agitation 
— Committees — Memorials — Responses  —  Agitation  from  the  Be- 
ginning Till  This  Secession  Culminated — The  Men  Engaged  in 
the  Revolt  in  Alabama — Where  and  When  Organized — The  Men 
Who  Opposed  the  Disruption 404-427 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Education — Institutions  under  Control  of  the  Conferences  in  1828 
— Standing  Committee  of  Tennessee  Conference  for  Founding  a 
College — La  Grange  College  Founded — Commissioners — Agents 
— Trustees — Professors — Officers — Students  —  Incidents  —  Remov- 
al   428-445 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Alabama  Conference  Organized  —  Various  Sessions  —  Incidents  — 
Sketches— The  Business  and  Progress  from  1832  to  1845 


446-461 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Cession  of  Territory — Talladega  Mission — Quarterly  Conferences — 
Societies — Places —  Preachers—  Persons  —  Incidents  —  Sketches — 
Jacksonville  Circuit — Preachers  and  Members  —  Talladega  and 
Mardisville — Incidents 462-490 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Chattahoochee  Mission — Clayton  Mission — Uchee  Mission— Talla- 
poosa— Trwinton  and  Glennville  —  Russell  Circuit  —  Tuskegee  — 
Auburn — La  Fayette  Circuit— Randolph  and  Tallapoosa— Enon  — 
Settlements,  Societies,  Places,  Preachers,  and  Persons  in  All  These 
Fields  of  Operation 491-515 

CHAPTER  XXn. 

Ceded  Territory — Wills  Creek  Mission — Leading  Men — Prominent 
Places 516-521 


IQ  History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 

CHAPTER  XXIII.  p^^^^ 

Tenne=see  Vallcy-Tuscumbia-Florence-La  Grange-Sketches  of  ^^^^^^ 

Noted  Persons 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Town  of  Marion-Preachers-Noted  Members-Mount  Zion-Selrna 
-Various  Societies  in  Dallas  County-Various  Societies  m  A\  il- 
cox  County-Camp  Meeting -Norsvvorthy-CahawbaC.rcuit- 
Woodville-Linden  Circuit-Bishop  Keener-Sprmg  Hill  Circuit  ^^^^^^^ 

— Demopolis 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Walker  Mission- Jasper-New  Lexington-Quarterly  Conferences, 
and  Places-Greene  Circuit-Men  and  Places-Eutiiw-Greenes- 
boroucrhStation-Conferences-Preachers-Men-Hou.es-Debt3 

—  \  Member  Expelled  Who  Had  Never  Been  Convicted-Camp 
Meetinc^.  a  Noted  One-Task aloosa-Noted  Meeting-Noted  Men 
-Tombecbee  Circuit-A  Horse  at  the  Altar-Claiborne-Gosport  ^^_^^^ 

— Jackson 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Mobile-New  Charges-Montgomery-Wetumpka-Sketches 578-597 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Work  among  Colored  People-Missionaries-Difficulties-Incidents  598-608 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Centenary  Institute-Centenary  Year-Observance-Persons 609-621 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
La  Grange  College-Agents-Officers-Professors-Students'-Debts 
^     -Efforts-Removal-Opening  at  Florence-Change  of  Name...  622-6o0 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

School  for  Girls  Projected -Trustees -Buildings -Officers -Pro- 

631-6i>3 

fessora  

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Crisis  1844— Action  of  Official  Bodies  in  Alabama— Action  of  the 
Alabama  Conference 634-6o2 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

District.-?  in  Alabama  in  Bounds  of  Tennessee  Conference-Pastoral 

Charges-Sketches 653-657 

CHAPTER  XXXIIL 
Bascomb    Institute  at  Huntaville  658-660 


Contents.  11 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

rAQKg 

Alabama  Conference  Sessions  from  1846  to  1863,  When  It  Was  Di- 
vided into  the  Montgomery  and  Mobile  Conferences— Mobile — Ca- 
hawba — Tuskaloosa  —  Missionary  Anniversaries  —  Missionaries — 
Montgomery  —  Crawford  Circuit  —  Greenesborough  —  Mil  burn  — 
Neely— Marion— Cedar  Bluff  Ciroiit,  and  Thomas  P.  Crymes  — 
Turrentine— Talladega— Education— Jackson  ville —  Eutaw  —  Tus- 
kegee—Selma— Bequests— Union  Springs— Eufaula— Montgomery 
— Greenesborough— Auburn— Columbus — Two  Conferences 661-708 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Ethiopia— Preachers  Who  Served  Colored  Missions— Scenes— Num- 
ber Colored  Members  in  Alabama 709-713 

CHAPTER  XXXVL 

Polemics— The  Methodists  Had  to  Contend  with  Every  Sect  in  the 
State— The  Attacks— The  Defense— The  Parties  and  Persons  in 
Debate — Anecdotes 714-725 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Wesleyan  University— Centenary  Institute— Educational  Conven- 
tion—Oak Bowery  Female  Institute— Tuskegee  Female  College — 
School  at  Talladega— Southern  University— East  Alabama  Male 
College 726-739 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Methodist  Protestant  Church- Pastoral  Charges— Preachers— Lay- 
men—Sketches— Churches  and  Parsonages  — Samaritan  Fund  — 
Attempt  at  Schools— Inefficiency— Literary  Work 740-7.=^f^ 


HISTORY  OF  METHODISM  IN  ALABAMA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  State  of  Alabama:  Its  Geography,  Indian  Tribes,  and 

White  Inhabitants. 

ALABAMA  lies  between  the  thirtieth  and  thirty-fifth  de- 
grees of  north  latitude  and  between  the  eighty-fifth  and 
eighty-ninth  degrees  of  west  longitude.  For  situation,  being 
within  these  parallels  of  latitude  and  meridians  of  longitude,  it 
is  one  of  the  very  choicest  parts  of  the  globe.  Being  sufficient- 
ly distant  from  equator  and  pole  to  exempt  it  from  extremes  of 
temperature,  to  adapt  it  to  the  greatest  variety  of  products,  and 
to  the  largest  measure  of  man's  success  and  comfort,  it  is  wor- 
thy of  all  preference.  It  is  a  State  of  grand  dimensions,  of  ex- 
tensive territory.  It  has  an  area  of  fifty-two  thousand,  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  square  miles.  At  the  most  contracted  point  its 
width  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  at  the  most  extended 
points  its  width  is  two  hundred  and  five  miles,  and  its  greatest 
length  is  three  hundred  and  thirty-two  miles. 

Alabama  has  a  surface  diversified  by  mountains,  hills,  and 
valleys.  In  the  northern  portion,  including  very  nearly  half 
the  State,  there  are  mountains  and  high  ridges,  while  in  the 
southern  part  it  is  more  level,  and  the  face  of  the  country  is 
much  smoother.  From  the  northern  to  the  southern  hmit  of 
the  State  its  surface  gradually  declines  toward  the  Gulf. 

•The  State  has  a  short  coast  line,  and  one  of  the  deepest  bays 
on  the  Mexican  Gulf.  The  southern  border  of  the  State  is 
fanned  by  the  breezes  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  its  northern 
portion  is  traversed  by  the  Appalachian  Mountains.  Every- 
where  throughout  the  wide-extended  territory  of  this  magnifi- 
cent State,  springs  break  forth,  and  streams  flow  on.  Alabama 
is  without  exception,  the  best-watered  country  in  the  world. 

(13) 


14 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Tennessee  River  lies,  like  a  huge  serpent,  across  her  bosom. 
The  Tallapoosa,  the  C9osa,  the  Alabama,  the  Cahawba,  the  War- 
rior, the  Tombigbee,  and  the  Mobile  Kivers  run,  like  giants, 
among  her  hills  and  through  her  valleys.  The  Chattahoochee 
Eiver  washes  her  border,  and  the  Choctawhatchee,  the  Pea,  the 
Conecuh,  the  Sepulga,  the  Escambia,  the  Little,  the  Tensaw,  the 
Sipsey,  the  North,  the  Elk,  the  Flint,  and  the  Paint  Hock  rivers, 
with  splendid  creeks  too  numerous  to  mention,  refresh  her  wide- 
extended  soil. 

The  soil  of  this  State  is  as  varied  as  its  surface.  There  are 
clay  and  sand,  rock  and  gravel.  There  are  mountains  of  rock, 
ridges  of  sand,  and  plains  of  prairie.  There  are  the  stiff  soil, 
the  loose  soil,  the  black  soil,  the  red  soil,  and  the  white  soil. 
These  various  soils  are  interspersd  more  or  less  in  all  parts  of 
the  State.  Much  of  the  land  is  exceedingly  rich,  and  every- 
where it  is  productive,  yielding  abundant  crops,  and  handsome- 
ly remunerating  the  toil  of  the  husbandman. 

Throughout  her  territory  are  seen  magnificent  forests,  where 
the  greatest  number  of  trees  abound,  such  as  the  ash,  the  alder, 
the  bay,  the  beech,  the  birch,  the  buckeye,  the  ce(]ar,  the  cherry, 
the  chestnut,  the  chinquapin,  the  china,  the  cypress,  the  elm,  i\\Q 
gum,  the  hickory,  the  holly,  the  juniper,  the  lind,  the  locust,  the 
magnolia,  the  maple,  the  mulberry,  the  myrtle,  the  oak,  the  pal- 
metto, the  persimmon,  the  pine,  the  poplar,  the  sassafras,  the 
sycamore,  the  walnut,  and  the  willow.  In  every  place  where 
these  forest  trees  tower  in  their  loftiness  and  stateliness  there 
grow  in  admirable  profusion  and  in  great  variety  grasses,  ferns, 
and  flowers.  A  section  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  Ala- 
bama woods  presents  in  its  botanical  growth  a  scene  which  for 
variety,  combination,  beauty,  and  fragrance  excels  any  and  every 
garden  which  art,  taste,  and  wealth  have  yet  displayed. 

Everywhere  throughout  this  magnificent  State  bushes,  trees, 
shrubs,  and  vines  bear  in  great  abundance  their  own  peculiar 
fruits;  and  everywhere,  for  the  gratification,  life,  and  health  of 
her  population,  there  grow  in  great  variety  such  things  as  pears, 
peaches,  plums,  apples,  cherries,  nuts,  berries,  grapes,  and 
melons.  A  benevolent  providence  has  greatly  enriched  Al- 
abama in  the  extended  line  of  products  adapted  to  her  climate, 
and  grown  in  her  soil  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  man.  All  the 
cereals  (Indian  corn,  wheat,  oats,  barley,  rye,  rice,  and  millet)  are 


The  State  of  Alabama, 


15 


grown  here  in  great  perfection.  In  the  southern  part  of  the 
State  the  sugar  cane  grows  well  and  yields  abundantly.  These 
products,  the  cereals  and  the  sugar  cane,  supply  material  for 
food.  Cotton  is  grown  extensively,  and  flax  and  hemp  will 
grow  and  yield  well  when  cultivated,  and  these  supply  material 
for  making  all  sorts  of  cloth.  The  indigo  grows  successfully. 
The  State  abounds  with  plants  noted  for  their  medicinal  prop- 
erties. Tobacco  and  the  poppy  grow  admirably,  and  their  nar- 
cotic properties  are  well  understood.  The  Falma  Christi  also 
grows  well,  and  its  medicinal  nature  is  well  attested. 

The  gold  deposits  in  this  State  are  extensive  and  rich.  There 
are  also  deposits  of  silver  and  copper.  There  are  beds  of  mar- 
ble. The  coal,  iron,  and  lime  are  inexhaustible.  These  materi- 
als will  last  commensurate  with  time  itself. 

While  there  is  not  in  all  her  borders  a  cave  equal  to  the  cele- 
brated Mammoth  Cave  of  Kentucky,  and  while  there  is  not 
within  her  bounds  a  waterfall  equal  to  that  of  the  world-re- 
nowned Niagara,  yet  everywhere  upon  her  mountains  and  in 
her  valleys  and  by  her  springs  and  along  her  streams  there 
are  magnificent  view^s,  beautiful  scenes,  and  lovely  landscapes, 
the  whole  most  charming,  inspiring,  and  elevating.    ^  ^ 

Her  natural  conditions  and  resources  make  it  possible  for  her 
to  be,  as  a  place  of  habitation  for  man,  equal  to  the  highest 
ideal  in  the  mind,  and  the  day  may  soon  dawn  when  she  will  fall 
but  little  short  of  a  real  paradise.  As  a  country  it  is  equal  to 
the  country  to  the  border  of  which  the  children  of  Israel  were 
led  by  Moses,  and  in  which  they  finally  settled.  **  For  the  Lord 
thy  God  bringeth  thee  into  a  good  land,  a  land  of  brooks  of 
water,  of  fountains  and  depths  that  spring  out  of  valleys  and 
hills,  a  land  of  wheat,  and  barley,  and  vines,  and  fig  trees,  and 
pomegranates;  a  land  of  oil-olive,  and  honey;  a  land  wherein 
thou  shalt  eat  bread  without  scarceness,  thou  shalt  not  lack  any- 
thing in  it;  a  land  whose  stones  are  iron,  and  out  of  whose  hills 
thou  mayest  dig  brass.  AVhen  thou  hast  eaten  and  art  full,  then 
thou  shalt  bless  the  Lord  thy  God  for  the  good  land  he  hath 
given  thee."     (Deut.  viii.  7-10.) 

Alabama  was  once  an  unbroken  wilderness,  abounding  with 
the  indigenous  and  spontaneous.  When,  after  the  discovery  of 
America  by  Columbus,  it  was  first  traversed  by  men  from  the 
civilized  nations,  it  was  inhabited  only  by  beasts  and  birds  na- 


16 


History  of  Methodism  iyi  Alabama. 


tive  to  the  forests,  and  by  tribes  of  meD  of  savage  natures,  of 
superstitious  sentiments,  of  rude  customs,  and  of  vulgar  habits. 
When  those  acquainted  with  the  achievements  of  civilization 
first  visited  and  obtained  a  knowledge  of  the  country  now  in- 
cluded within  the  limits  of  Alabama,  they  found  upon  her  soil 
tribes  called  Coosas,  Tallases,  Mobilians,  and  Choctaws.  The 
Cherokees  were  at  that  time  occupying  a  part  of  the  State, 
though  they  were  called  by  the  name  of  Chalaques.  The  Choc- 
taws and  Cherokees  survived  all  attacks  and  adversities,  but  as 
time  passed  and  events  followed  different  tribes  were  found 
upon  the  soil  of  Alabama.  Tribes  went  and  tribes  came, 
tribes  rose  and  tribes  fell,  tribes  supplanted  tribes  and  tribes 
absorbed  tribes,  tribes  were  established  and  tribes  were  lost. 

The  Alabamas  were  driven  hither  and  thither,  from  point  to 
point.  Now  they  are  on  the  Missouri  Biver,  then  on  the  Yazoo 
River,  and  finally  they  reach  and  settle  on  the  river  to  which 
they  give  their  own  name:  the  Alabama.  The  Muscogees,  a  mi- 
gratory and  aggressive  tribe,  emigrated  from  point  to  point, 
first  from  Mexico  to  Red  River,  then  to  the  Ohio  River;  and 
finally,  in  the  course  of  their  rambling  and  usurpation,  they  sup- 
plant the  Alabamas  and  take  possession  of  the  country  on  the 
Alabama  River  and  on  farther  east.  The  Alabamas  were  al- 
lowed by  the  Muscogees  to  return  to  their  homes  and  towns  on 
the  Alabama  River,  but  in  a  state  of  subordination.  From  the 
Ohio  River  came  the  Tookabatchas,  and  obtained  a  settlement  on 
the  Tallapoosa  River.  The  Tuskegees  reached  and  obtained  a 
habitation  between  the  Coosa  and  Tallapoosa  Rivers,  immediate- 
ly above  the  junction.  The  Ozeailles  settled  on  the  plains 
through  which  runs  the  magnificent  Hatchee  Chubbee  Creek,  a 
few  miles  above  the  grounds  of  the  Tuskegees.  A  remnant  of 
the  Natchez  tribe,  which  escaped  from  the  city  of  Natchez,  on 
the  Mississippi  River,  settled  on  the  Coosa  River  about  the  Tal- 
ladega Creek.  The  Uchees  settled  on  the  creeks  which  bear 
the  same  name  and  which  empty  into  the  Chattahoochee  River. 
The  Alabamas,  the  Tookabatchas,  the  Tuskegees,  the  Ozeailles, 
the  Natchez,  and  the  Uchees  were  dominated  by  the  Musco- 
gees, confederated  in  their  government,  and  subordinated  to 
their  laws  and  interests.  These  tribes,  thus  allied,  were  called 
by  the  general  name  of  Creeks. 

In  addition  to  the  powerful  Creek  nation  there  were  three 


The  State  of  Alabama. 


17 


other  powerful  Indian  tribes  which  had  at  the  same  time 
homes  and  hunting  grounds  in  Alabama.  These  were  the  Choc- 
taws, the  Chickasaws,  and  the  Cherokees.  These  tribes  ha^  rec- 
ognized boundaries,  established  by  claim  and  acknowledged 
among  them.  Boundaries  were  matters  of  oft-recurring  dis- 
putes, and  the  various  tribes  ever  and  anon  trespassed  upon 
the  hunting  grounds  of  each  other. 

It  is  outside  the  scope  of  this  History  to  treat  of  these  tribes 
except  as  citizens  of  the  territory  within  Alabama.  It  is  there- 
fore unnecessary  for  the  purpose  of  this  History  to  give  here  a 
minute  description  of  the  entire  boundaries  of  these  several  In- 
dian tribes.  It  is  only  necessary  to  state  approximately  the 
boundaries  which  determined  and  exhibited  the  location  of 
these  several  nations  in  what  is  now  Alabama.  The  southern 
boundary  of  the  Choctaw  nation  where  it  touched  Alabama  was 
the  thirty-first  degree  of  north  latitude,  and  the  eastern  bound- 
ary was  on  the  ridge  dividing  the  waters  running  into  the  Ala- 
bama River  from  those  running  into  the  Tombigbee  River. 
The  present  Suggsville,  Choctaw  Corner,  McKinley,  and  Union 
Town  are  on  this  ridge  and  along  this  line.  This  eastern  line 
of  this  Choctaw  nation  extended  in  a  northern  direction  and 
terminated  where  it  reached  the  boundary  of  the  Chickasaw  and 
Cherokee  nations,  somewhere  near  the  head  waters  of  Big  Bear 
Creek;  and  here,  near  the  head  waters  of  Big  Bear  Creek,  com- 
menced the  northern  boundary  of  the  Choctaws:  the  line  be- 
tween them  and  the  Chickasaws,  which  boundary  crossed  the 
line  of  the  present  States  of  Alabama  and  Mississippi  not  more 
than  a  few  miles  from  where  the  west  branch  of  the  Butta- 
hatchee  River  crosses  the  line  between  the  two  States.  All  that 
part  of  Alabama  inclosed  by  this  boundary  line  here  above 
named  was  claimed  and  occupied  by  the  Choctaws. 

The  northern  boundary  of  the  Choctaws  was  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  Chickasaws.  The  southern  point  of  the  east- 
ern boundary  of  the  Chickasaws  was  about  the  head  waters  of 
Big  Bear  Creek,  and  this  boundary  extended  into  what  is  now 
the  State  of  Tennessee  and  crossed  the  Tennessee  River,  pos- 
sibly, at  Muscle  Shoals.  There  was  a  region  touching  this  line 
about  the  Tennessee  River  and  the  Muscle  Shoals  which  was 
claimed  by  both  the  Chickasaws  and  the  Cherokees,  and  the 
United  States  in  her  treaties  proposed  to  satisfy  both  tribes  for 


18 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


claims  iu  lands  along  this  disputed  line.  All  this  part  of  Ala- 
bama in  the  northwest  corner  inclosed  by  this  Chickasaw  bound- 
ary here  above  named  was  claimed  and  occupied  by  this  tribe. 

The  Cherokee  boundary  in  Alabama  ran  northwest  and  south- 
east, and  crossing  the  Tennessee  Eiver  near  the  lower  end  of 
Muscle  Shoals,  passed  along  near  the  head  waters  of  Big  Bear 
Creek  and  along  the  ridge  dividing  the  waters  running  into  the 
Tennessee  Eiver  from  those  running  into  the  Tombigbee  Biver, 
and  along  to  the  mouth  of  Wills  Creek,  and  along  near  the  present 
Cross  Plains,  on  into  Georgia.  There  were  disputes  about  where 
this  line  between  the  Cherokees  and  Creeks  ran.  The  Chero- 
kees  claimed  that  this  line  was  farther  south  and  west  than  the 
points  above  named,  and  the  United  States,  settling  the  ques- 
tion of  this  boundary  with  the  Cherokees,  agreed  to  a  boundary 
crossing  the  Coosa  Biver  at  the  lower  end  of  Ten  Islands  and 
running  in  a  straight  line  to  Flat  Bock,  on  Big  Bear  Creek, 
where  the  boundary  intersected  the  Chickasaw  line.  Turkey 
Town,  on  the  Coosa  Biver  about  eight  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
Wills  Creek,  was  a  Cherokee  town;  and  Tallahatchee,  about  two 
miles  northwest  of  the  present  town  of  Alexandria,  in  Calhoun 
XDounty,  was  a  Creek  town.  All  that  part  of  Alabama  north 
and  east  of  this  line  here  above  mentioned  was  the  land  of  the 
Cherokees. 

To  the  Creeks  belonged  all  the  State  not  owned  and  occu- 
pied by  the  Choctaws,  the  Chickasaws,  and  the  Cherokees.  The 
territory  of  this  nation  extended  as  far  north  as  to  the  pres- 
ent Blount  County,  and  as  far  west  as  Union  Town  and  Suggs- 
ville,  as  far  south  as  the  State  of  Alabama  reaches  on  the  thir- 
ty-first degree  of  north  latitude,  and  east  to  the  limit  of  the 
State,  and  on  far  out  into  Georgia. 

It  may  be  well  to  add  that  the  Choctaws  had  considerable  ter- 
ritory in  Mississippi,  and  the  Chickasaws  had  large  territory  in 
what  is  now  the  States  of  Mississippi  and  Tennessee,  and  the 
territory  of  the  Cherokees  extended  into  Georgia,  North  Caro- 
lina, and  Tennessee. 

Upon  the  establishment  of  the  United  States  Government, 
said  government  treated  with  the  Indian  tribes  which  were 
within  territory  claimed  by  said  government  and  in  proximity 
to  the  settlements  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States.  In  1785, 
1786,  and  .1790  .this  ^United  States  Government  made  treaties 


The  State  of  Alabama. 


19 


with  the  Cherokees,  the  Choctaws,  the  Chickasaws,  and  the 
Creeks,  and  in  said  treaties  the  boundaries  of  these  tribes  were 
fixed  and  designated,  and  the  boundaries  thus  indicated  were  as 
the  boundaries  which  are  here  given.  (United  States  Statutes 
at  Large,  Yol.  YIL,  Indian  Treaties.) 

Throughout  the  lovely  lands  of  this  magnificent  Alabama 
country  these  savage  tribes  had  numerous  towns,  some  of  them 
of  large  populations,  of  great  importance,  and  extensive  influ- 
ence. These  w^ere  too  numerous  to  mention,  but  a  few  of  the 
most  noted  may  be  named.  Long  Island  and  Nickajack  on  the 
Tennessee  Biver,  Turkey  Town  and  Wills  Town  between  the 
Coosa  and  Tennessee  Biverswere  towns  of  the  Cherokees;  Abe- 
couchee  on  the  Talladega  Creek,  Coosa,  Little  Tallassee,  and 
Hickory  Ground  on  the  Coosa  Biver,  Tallassee  and  Tooka- 
batchee  on  the  Tallapoosa  Biver,  Coosawda  and  Ecunchate  on 
the  Alabama  Biver,  and  Coweta  on  the  Chattahoochee  Biver 
were  towns  of  the  Creeks;  Cabusto  on  the  Warrior  Biver  was  a 

Choctaw  town. 

Little  by  little  these  savage  tribes  ceded  their  lands  to  the 
United  States,  and  at  last,  by  treaty,  the  entire  claim  of  these 
aborigines  to  Alabama  soil  was  extinguished.     Not  until  time 
had  brought  it  far  into  the  present  century  was  this  beautiful 
and  lovely  Alabama  entirely  free  from  the  occupancy  of  savages. 
To  make  the  statement  complete  it  is  necessary  to  add  that  on 
September  20, 1830,  the  Choctaws,  by  treaty,  ceded  to  the  United 
States  the  entire  country  they  owned  and  possessed  east  of  the 
Mississippi  Biver.     In  a  treaty  made  March  24, 1832,  the  Creek 
tribe  ceded  to  the  United  States  all  their  land  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Biver.     In  a  treaty  made  October  20,  1832,  the  Chicka- 
saw nation  ceded  to  the  United  States  all  the  land  which  they 
owned  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi  Biver.     In  a  treaty 
made  December  29,  1835,  to  which  was  attached  a  Supplement- 
ary Article  by  treaty  March  1,  1836,  the  Cherokee  nation  ceded, 
relinquished,  and  conveyed  to  the  United  States  all  the  land 
owned,  claimed,  or  possessed  by  them  east  of  the  Mississippi 
Biver.     (United   States   Statutes    at  Large,  Vol.  VIL,  Indian 
Treaties.)     This  extinguished  the  last  claim  of  the  Indian  na- 
tions to  the  land  of  Alabama. 

In  the   treaty  made  with  the  Chickasaws  it  was  stipulated 
that  they  were  to  seek  homes  west  of  the  Mississippi  Biver,  and 


20 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


certain  reservations  were  allowed  them  until  they  removed  to 
their  new  country.  The  treaty  made  with  the  Creeks  March 
2-4,  1832,  allowed  ninety  principal  chiefs  to  select  each  one  a 
section  of  land,  and  every  other  head  of  a  Creek  family  to  select 
one  half  section  of  land,  on  which  they  were  to  be  permitted  to 
remain  for  five  years,  if  said  land  was  not  sooner  disposed  of  by 
said  occupants.  In  the  treaty  made  with  the  Cherokees  it  was 
stipulated  and  agreed  that  they  should  remove  to  their  new 
home  west  of  the  Mississippi  Kiver  within  two  years  from  the 
ratification  of  said  treaty.  (United  States  Statutes  at  Large, 
Vol.  VII.,  Indian  Treaties.) 

By  the  close  of  1837  the  last  of  these  tribes  was  removed  be- 
yond the  Mississippi  Kiver.  Alabama  is  no  longer  menaced 
and  downtrodden  by  savages.  It  was  a  joyous  day  and  the 
consummation  of  a  glorious  achievement  was  reached  when  this 
lovely  land  was  redeemed  from  the  dominion  of  savages.  It  is 
a  matter  of  profound  regret  that  this  goodly  land  was  allowed 
to  remain  so  long  under  the  blight  and  waste  of  savage  cruelty 
and  snperstition. 

So  far  as  research  and  record  have  furnished  information 
Hernando  De  Soto,  a  native  of  Spain,  and  his  troops,  perhaps, 
near  a  thousand  strong,  were  the  first  civilized  persons  who  ever 
set  foot  on  Alabama  soil.  A  brief  statement  of  De  Soto's  jour- 
ney, and  a  bare  naming  of  the  path  along  which  he  went  on  this 
invasion  and  search,  and  nothing  more,  may  be  attempted.  De 
Soto  was  an  athletic  man,  and  a  bold  and  ambitious  adventurer. 
He  thirsted  for  gold  and  longed  for  conquest.  His  expedition, 
which  was  provided  for  on  a  grand  scale,  was  gotten  up  to  search 
for  gold  and  to  make  conquests. 

About  the  first  of  July,  1540,  forty-eight  years  after  Colum- 
bus discovered  America,  De  Soto  with  his  army  of  invasion  en- 
tered the  territory  of  the  present  Alabama  about  where  the 
Coosa  Eiver  reaches  the  border  of  the  State.  From  this  point 
he  made  a  march  across  the  entire  territory  of  the  State.  He 
passed  over  and  left  behind  him  more  gold  than  he  is  reported 
to  have  found  and  carried  away,  and  he  achieved  no  conquest, 
he  established  no  colony.  He  reached,  with  a  magnificent  fleet, 
Tampa  Bay,  where  he  went  ashore  May  30, 1539.  He  had  with 
him  cows  and  mules;  horses,  hogs,  and  hounds;  bows,  cannons, 
chains,  guns,  handcuffs,  and  shields;  assayists  and  crucibles; 


The  State  of  Alabama. 


'21 


priests,  vestments,  and  sacramental  flour  and  wine.     In  a  word, 
he  had  everything  which  could  be  conceived  necessary  for  the 
purposes  of  the  expedition  inaugurated.     From  Tampa  Bay  he 
went  across  the  country  over  the  Ockmulgee,  Oconee,  and  Oge- 
chee  Eivers,  and  on  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Savannah  Eiver, 
and  from  here  he  went  a  west  course  until  he  reached  tlie  Oos- 
tanaula  Eiver.     He  marched  down  the  west  bank  of  this  river  to 
its  junction  with  the  Etowah  Eiver.  From  here  he  went  down  the 
western  bank  of  the  Coosa  Eiver,  entering  the  territory  of  the 
present  Alabama  as  above  stated.     Of  his  baitings  and  tarry- 
ings,  conflicts  and  maneuvers  from  the  time  he  landed  at  Tampa 
Bay  until  he  reached  the  country  now  called  Alabama  no  note 
is  made  here  in  this  work     Beaching  the  town  of  Costa,  which 
was  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Coosa  Eiver  and  between  the  pres^ 
ent  State  line  and  the  mouth  of  Wills  Creek,  where  he  found 
fifteen   hundred   armed  Indian  warriors,  De   Soto  halted  and 
sought  and  obtained  an  audience  with  the   chief  of  the  town. 
His  powers  of  strategy  were  called  into  requisition  to  prevent  a 
revengeful  outbreak  and  a  bloody  engagement.     It  was  the  law 
of  the  Indians  of  America  to  avenge  all  injuries  and  resist  all 

encroachments. 

After  tarrying  at  this  town  seven  days  he  crossed  the  Coosa 
to  the  eastern  bank.  From  here  he  marched  down  the  river, 
and  stopped  at  the  end  of  the  first  day's  journey  at  the  town  of 
Talle,  which  was  on  the  bank  of  the  Coosa  Eiver.  He  tarried 
here  two  days,  receiving  at  the  hands  of  the  savage  inhabitants 
kind  treatment.  Continuing  down  the  Coosa  Eiver,  passing 
many  towns,  villages,  and  fields,  after  a  lapse  of  fourteen 
days  from  the  time  he  left  Talle  he  entered  with  a  sort  of  ova- 
tion the  town  of  Coosa,  the  capital  of  the  Coosa  province.  This 
town  was  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Coosa  Eiver,  and  between 
the  Talladega  and  the  Tallassehatchee  Creeks. 

This  writer  has  stood  on  the  very  spot  where  once  this  large 
and  populous  town  of  this  powerful  and  prosperous  Indian  tribe 
flourished.  The  Talladega  and  the  Tallassehatchee  Creeks,  two 
magnificent  streams,  rising  a  long  way  from  each  other,  converge 
and  empty  into  the  Coosa  Eiver  scarcely  a  mile  apart,  and  here 
between  these  creeks  is  an  elevated  plateau,  a  most  beautiful 
and  admirable  situation  for  an  Indian  town.  Nature  did  her 
utmost  in  fitting  this  place  for  the  capital  of  the  Coosa  province. 


22 


History  of  MetJwdism  in  Alabama. 


After  a  sojourn  at  the  capital  of  the  Coosa  province  for  twen- 
ty-five days  De  Soto  proceeded  on  his  journey,  keeping  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Coosa  River.  After  the  lapse  of  twenty-nine 
days  from  the  time  he  resumed  his  march  he  reached  the  town 
of  Tallassee,  which  was  in  a  noted  bend  of  the  Tallapoosa  River 
and  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  opposite  where  the  Chehaw 
Creek  empties  into  the  river.  De  Soto  remained  at  Tallassee 
twenty  days.  He  then  crossed  the  Tallapoosa  River  to  the  east- 
ern side,  and  went  down  that  river,  passing  many  towns  on  the 
line  of  his  march,  until  he  reached  the  Alabama  River.  He 
continued  down  the  Alabama  River  on  the  eastern  side  until 
he  reached  about  the  mouth  of  Pine  Barren  Creek,  and  then 
crossed  to  the  western  side  of  the  river,  and  marched  from  there 
down  on  the  western  side  until  he  reached  a  beautiful  plain  and 
a  prominent  bluff  where  a  small  creek  with  a  small  lake  by  its 
side  empties  into  the  river.  Here  at  this  bluff  on  this  plain 
stood  the  town  of  Maubila.  De  Soto  with  his  accompanying 
forces  entered  this  town,  whereupon  the  preparations  of  war  by 
the  Indians  were  discovered,  and  in  a  short  interval  a  terrible 
tight  had  commenced  between  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  and 
the  Spanish  invaders,  a  battle  which  continued  with  fury  and 
desperation  for  nine  hours.  The  town  and  the  camp  equipage, 
baggage,  clothes,  medicines,  books,  flour,  and  wine,  and  other 
commodities  of  the  Spaniards  which  had  been  brought  into  the 
town  on  the  entrance  of  it  in  the  morning,  were  consumed  by  the 
flames.  Hundreds  of  Indians  were  killed.  Forty-five  horses 
belonging  to  the  Spaniards  had  been  killed.  Eighty-two  Span- 
iards were  killed,  and  all  of  them  that  survived  were  wounded, 
except  the  priests.  De  Soto  himself  was  dejected,  and  his  men 
were  demoralized.  De  Soto  had  moved  forward  on  this  entire 
march  from  Tampa  Bay  with  the  purpose  of  going  to  Ochus,  or 
Pensacola  Bay,  where  his  fleet  with  supplies  for  his  expedition 
awaited  him.  But  the  condition  of  affairs  after  this  terrible 
battle  determined  him  to  abandon  the  journey  to  Pensacola 
Bay,  and  he  struck  out  through  the  country  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection. He  crossed  the  Warrior  River  at  the  Indian  town  of 
Cabusto.  A  large  force  of  armed  warriors  opposed  his  march; 
but  he  pressed  his  way,  and  in  spite  of  obstacles  continued  to 
move  forward.  He  went  out  of  the  present  State  of  Alabama  a 
few  miles  northwest  of  the  mouth  of  Coal  Fire  Creek.     He  con- 


The  State  of  Alabama, 


23 


sumed  about  five  months  in  the  march  across  Alabama  Disas- 
ter crowded  on  the  whole  of  his  path.  He  went  on  into  Arkan^ 
sas,  returned  to  the  Mississippi  River,  and  finally  sickened  and 
died,  and  his  comrades  put  his  body  in  a  strong  box  and  m  the 
darkness  of  the  night  dropped  it  into  the  Mississippi  River. 
The  men  of  his  expedition  who  were  left,  about  three  hundred 
constructed  rude  boats  and  floated  down  the  Mississippi  and  out 
into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  reached  the  shores  of  Mexico. 

Alabama  has  been  discovered  and  traversed  by  men  from  a 
civilized  country.  Men,  both  Indians  and  Europeans,  have 
been  killed  in  cruel  and  bloody  engagements.  Men  m  priestly 
orders  have  exercised  their  holy  offices  in  the  administration  of 
holy  things  in  the  territory  of  Alabama  amidst  savage  sur- 
roundings  One  negro,  who  claimed  to  be  a  Christian  and  one 
Scotchman,  together  with  a  few  hogs  and  a  few  cows,  have  been 
left  at  Coosa  town.  The  hogs  and  cows  increased,  and  stocked 
this  part  of  the  country.  The  Scotchman  and  the  negro  propa- 
^ated  by  Indian  women.  Small  achievements  and  meager  re- 
sults indeed  for  such  expenditure  of  means  and  such  sacrifice 

"^  For  fifty-five  and  four-tenths  centuries  there  is  naught  of  rec- 
ord concerning  this  fair  land  of  Alabama.     Through  the  roll  of 
these  years,  and  the  lapse  of  these  centuries  no  event  is  chron- 
icled by  observant  and  ready  writer.    Upon  all  there  is  the  seal  of 
oblivion.    At  length  Hernando  De  Soto  and  his  associates  in 
adventure  spend  five  brief  and  eventful  months  in  marching 
through  her  territory,  and  the  scribes  who  are  with  the  expedi- 
tion put  to  record  the  incidents  of  the  journey     Then,  after 
this  record,  there  ensues  a  profound  silence  concerning  this 
State  for  more  than  a  century  and  a  half.     During  this  time,  so 
far  as  can  be  ascertained,  no  civilized  foot  touched  her  soil,  and 
savages,  though  they  may  make  history,  never  write  Histories. 
The  flight  of  time  is  ever  rapid,  the  march  of  men  is  ever  slow 
In  rivalry  for  the  Indian  trade  and  in  prosecution  of  rival 
conquests,  different  nations  made  settlements  in  America.    The 
first  settlement  in  Alabama  by  civilized  man  so  far  as  any  rec- 
ord extant  gives  information,  was  made  in  1702.    In  that  year 
the  French,  under  the  direction  of  a  man  named  Bienville,  built 
a  warehouse  on  Dauphin  Island,  and  also  erected  a  fort,  ware- 
house, and  other  public  buildings  at  the  mouth  of  Dog  Eiver, 


24 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  State  of  Alabama, 


25 


and  named  this  place  Mobile.     For  nine  years  this  place  was 
the  seat  of  government  of  the  French  province  of  Louisana. 

In  1711  the  town  at  the  mouth  of  Dog  River  was  abandoned, 
though  the  fort  there  was  garrisoned  and  continued  as  a  fort, 
and  a  town  of  the  same  name  was  founded  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Mobile  Eiver,  and  on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Mobile. 
After  the  abandonment  of  the  settlement  at  the  mouth  of 
Dog  Kiver,  the  seat  of  government  for  the  province  of  Louisi- 
ana was  permanently  established  at  Mobile,  on  Mobile  River. 
(Pickett's  "History  of  Alabama.")  It  is  said  to  be  a  fact 
that  the  tirst  marriages  ever  celebrated  by  Christian  ceremonies 
on  the  soil  of  Alabama  were  celebrated  at  the  town  at  the  mouth 
of  Dog  River,  and  that  the  first  child  born  to  civilized  parents 
in  the  State  was  born  at  the  same  place. 

In  addition  to  their  settlements  on  Dauphin  Island  and  at 
the  mouths  of  Dog  and  Mobile  Rivers,  the  French  established 
settlements  within  the  present  Alabama  on  the  Coosa  and  Tom- 
bigbee  Rivers.     In  1714  they  erected  Fort  Toulouse  at  the  point 
where  the  Coosa  and  Tallapoosa  Rivers  approach  each  other  four 
miles  above  their  junction.     The  Tombigbee  and  the  AVarrior 
Rivers  form  a  junction.     About  thirty-five  miles  by  the  course  of 
the  river  above  this  junction  two  creeks  approach  and  empty  into 
the  Tombigbee  at  the  same  place.     Here  at  the  mouths  of  these 
two  creeks,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Tombigbee  River,  in  1735, 
the  French  erected  Fort  Tombigbee,  and  occupied  the  country. 
The  reign  of  the  French  in  Alabama  terminated  in  less  than  a 
century.     Their  first  settlement,  as  has  already  been  seen,  was 
made  in  1702,  and  they  surrendered  this  country  to  the  British 
in  1763.     This  territory  now  embraced  in  Alabama  fell  by  con- 
quest to  the  Spaniards  in  1781,  and  was'' confirmed  to  them  by 
treaty  with  Great  Britain  in  1783.     The  Spaniards  occupied,  in 
a  measure,  this  country  until  1795.     In  that  year,  in  a  treaty 
made  between  the  Agent  of  the  United  States  and  the  King  of 
Spain,  all  of  Alabama  claimed  by  the  Spaniards  lying  north  of 
the  thirty-first  degree  of  north  latitude  was  surrendered  to  the 
United  States.     That  part  of  the  State  south  of  this  line  was  oc- 
cupied by  the  Spaniards  until  1813,  and  was  rescued  from  them 
then  by  military  force. 

In  1777  a  number  of  French  families  resided  at  Tensaw,  loca- 
ted on  the  river  of  that  name,  and  in  that  year  a  party  of  Geor- 


gians settled  on  the  Alabama  River  in  what  is  now  Baldwin 

County.  1  •     17    1 

In  1792,  when  the  Spaniards  had  troops  quartered  m  ±  ort 
Charlotte,  Fort  St.  Stephens,  and  Fort  Tombigbee,  the  largest 
settlement  in  what  is  now  Alabama  was  at  Mobile.  The  next 
largest  at  this  time  was  on  the  Tensaw  River,  and  the  next  in  size 
was,  per4iaps,  the  one  on  the  Tombigbee.  At  this  time  there 
was  a  settlement  of  mixed  bloods  on  Little  River.  At  this  pe- 
riod a  few  white  persons  resided  in  the  section  of  country  trav- 
f  ersed  by  the  Catoma  and  Oakfuskee  Creeks,  and  white  mec,  who 
I  were  traders  with  the  Indians,  or  who  were  adventurers,  or  who 

were  fugitives,  were  scattered  more  or  less  over  the  entire  State. 
By  1796  a  comparatively  large  number  of  Georgians  had  em- 
igrated and  settled  on  the  Tombigbee.  Travelers  had  become 
sufficiently  numerous  to  justify  the  erection  of  a  ferry,  and  m 
1797  a  Mr.  Hollinger  established  a  ferry  across  the  Tombigbee 
River,  and  a  Mr.  Mims  had  established  one  across  the  Alaba- 
ma  River.  The  road  from  one  of  these  ferries  to  the  other  went 
across  Nannahubba  Island.     This  was  progress. 

On  May  10,  1798,  Mississippi  Territory,  which  extended  from 
the  Mississippi  River  to  the  Chattahoochee  River,  was  organ- 
ized by  an  act  of  Congress.  The  settlements  in  that  part  of 
the  territory  now  in  Alabama  were  without  laws,  civil  courts,  or 

officers  until  1800.  i    -,  •     .  i 

As  early  as  1806  white  men  with  their  families  settled  m  the 
bend  of  the  Tennessee  River,  in  what  is  now  Madison  County, 
and  new  settlers  continued,  in  the  years  immediately  following, 
to  move  into  this  section  in  increased  numbers. 

In  the  years  from  1702  to  1800  many  white  men  from  various 
countries  and  climes  took  up  their  abode  in  the  region  now  in- 
eluded  in  Alabama,  and  married  Indian  women,  and  their  de- 
scendants continue  till  this  day. 

There  were  some  negroes  among  these  settlers  in  the  years 
mentioned.  The  French  introduced  them  into  this  country,  and 
the  American  settlers  brought  them  along  with  them.  ^ 

Here  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  of  the  Chris- 
tian era  Alabama  presents  a  spectacle  and  a  problem.  From 
the  beginning  of  creation  on  for  fifty-seven  centuries,  so  far  as 
history  <nves  information,  her  soil  has  been  inhabited  only  by 
Indians^  only  by  savages.     Then  for  a  century  conquest  has 


26 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


been  attempted  by  foreigners,  and  only  attempted,  not  achieved. 
During  this  time  four  different  nations  have  engaged  in  the 
strife,  and  have  supplanted  each  other,  but  have  not  suppressed 
the  powerful  savages.     At  the  expiration  of  this  century  of  ef- 
fort at  subjugation  and  conquest  Alabama  is  still  a  wilderness, 
thronged  and  crowded  with  savage  warriors,  with  a  few  foreign- 
ers and  mixed  bloods  in  straggling  settlements  here  and  there. 
Notwithstanding  one  or  two  houses  of  worship  were  erected  first 
and  last,  and  a  few  priests  now  and  then  erected  the  cross  and 
administered  the  Christian  sacraments,  there  is  at  this  period  a 
total  destitution  of  churches,  ministers,  and  religious  ceremonies. 
Notwithstanding  Alabama  is  a  part  of  a  territory  of  the  United 
States,  the  magistrate  is  not  in  the  land,  and  the  law  is  without 
authority  and  without  administration. 


iainwWi.feinia-r'gsai.-;«^ 


CHAPTEE  II. 

The  First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 

THOSE  who  first  settled  in  the  Tombigbee  country  settled 
on  the  hunting   grounds   of  the  Choctaw  nation,  and  as 
these  settlers  lived  on  the  lands  of  the  Indians  they  had  to  sub- 
mit to  the  laws  of  the  Indians  and  conform  more  or  less  to  sav- 
age customs.     A  vast  wilderness  without  roads,  bridges,  or  fer- 
ries, and  filled  with  savages,  lay  between  the  settlements  on  the 
Tombigbee  and   the  civilized  States.     Not  until  1805  did  the 
Choctaw  nation  cede  to  the  United  States  that  part  of  their  ter- 
ritory occupied  by  the  Tombigbee  settlements,  and  even  then 
and  for  many  years  afterward  this  Choctaw  nation  and  other 
tribes  were  round  about  them,  environing  them  with  the  perils 
and  disadvantages  of  savage  occupancy.    The  administration  of 
civil  laws  is  greatly  embarrassed  in  a  frontier  country,  and  the 
customs  of  refined  and  civilized  society  are  more  or  less  ignored 
in  such  a  region.     Civil  laws  and  customs  cannot  obtain  recog- 
nition in  a  savage   nation.     But  when  the  lands  which  were 
claimed  by  the  Indians  were  ceded  to  the  United  States,  and  the 
Indian  claims  to  the  land  were  extinguished,  and  the  Indians 
receded  from  the  soil,  the  white  settlements  on  the  Tombigbee 
enlarged,  the  administration  of  law  commenced,  and  civil  inter- 
ests advanced.     When  these  settlements  were  sufficiently   de- 
veloped and  enlarged  to  be  heard  of  in  the  States  whence  the 
settlers  thereof  came,  and  their  surroundings  guaranteed  access 
to  them,  access  even  under  difficulties,  the  heralds  of  the  cross 
found  them,  and  the  voice  of  the  messengers  of  peace  was  heard 
in  the  wilderness. 

The  first  Protestant  preacher  to  preach  in  any  part  of  what 
is  now  Alabama  claimed  to  be  a  Methodist  preacher,  and  affili- 
ated with  the  Methodists,  though  at  the  time  he  did  this  preach- 
ing he  was  not  in  any  way  amenable  to  the  Methodists,  nor 
were  they  responsible  for  him  in  anything  whatsoever.  This 
preacher  was  the  Eev.  Lorenzo  Dow.  In  May,  1803,  Kev.  Mr. 
Dow  preached  to  the  settlers  in  the  Tombigbee  and  the  Tensaw 


28 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


settlements.  This  was  the  first  preaching  ever  done  in  Alabama 
except  by  Komish  priests.  After  describing  his  difficult  and 
dangerous  journey  of  about  four  hundred  miles  through  the 
Creek  nation  from  Georgia  to  Tombigbee,  and  telling  about 
reaching  the  first  house  in  a  settlement  on  the  Alabama  River, 
Mr.  Dow,  in  his  journal,  says:  "The  company  [with  whom  he 
had  traveled  through  the  Creek  nation]  supposed  that  they 
could  save  thirty  or  forty  miles'  travel  by  swimming  across  the 
Alabama  River  and  fording  a  swamp,  which  they  attempted  to 
do,  and  got  detained  by  rain  two  days;  but  I  left  them,  and  went 
down  the  river  ten  miles,  and  stayed  with  a  half-breed  Indian, 
who  charged  me  a  dollar  and  a  half  for  the  night.  I  then  left 
an  appointment  for  Sunday  in  the  Tensaw  settlement,  and  went 
over  the  Alabama  by  the  Cut-off,  to  the  west  side  of  Tombiijbee, 
through  a  cauebrake  or  swamp,  seven  miles,  and  found  a  thick 
settlement,  and  then  a  scattered  one  seventy  miles  long,  through 
which  I  sent  a  string  of  appointments,  and  afterward  fulfilled 
them,  and  the  fruit  I  expect  to  see  at  a  future  day. 

"The  inhabitants  are  mostly  English,  but  are  like  sheep 
without  a  shepherd.  Whilst  under  the  Spanish  government,  it 
was  a  place  of  refuge  for  bad  men;  but  of  late,  since  it  fell  to 
us,  seems  to  be  in  a  hopeful  way,  and  there  is  still  room  for 
great  amendment.  A  collection  was  offered  to  me,  but  I  did 
not  feel  free  to  accept  it;  and  I  left  the  settlement,  procured 
some  corn,  and  had  not  a  cent  left.  Three  of  my  traveling 
companions  fell  in  with  me  again,  and  accompanied  me  through 
the  Choctaw  nation,  to  the  Natchez  settlement,  which  we  reached 
in  six  days  and  a  half,  being  about  eight  hundred  miles  from 
Georgia. "     (Pages  163,  164. ) 

In  his  return  to  the  North  from  his  second  tour  to  the  Missis- 
sippi Mr.  Dow  again  preached  to  the  Tombigbee  settlements. 
In  this  journey  he  was  going  in  the  direction  of  Georgia,  and  he 
reached  the  settlements  on  the  Tombigbee  December  27,  1804. 
He  tarried  some  days,  and  preached  to  the  people.  In  his 
journal  he  says:  "We  started  betimes,  and  came  to  the  first 
house  in  the  Tombigbee  settlement,  within  four  miles  of  Fort 
St.  Stephens,  where  there  is  but  one  family,  but  it  will  be  a  place 
of  fame  in  time.  We  had  met  the  man  of  the  house  where  we 
stayed,  who  told  us  to  call.  His  wife  made  a  heavy  charge.  We 
paid  her,  and  S.  M.  said,  'Tell  your  husband  never  any  more  to 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


29 


invite  travelers  to  be  welcome  for  his  wife  to  extort.     The  river 
was  high,  and  swamp  not  fordable,  which  necessitated  us  to  go 
down  the  river  about  seventy  miles  to  the  Cut-off,  which  is  a 
channel  from  the  Tombigbee  to  the  Alabama  River,  about  seven 
miles  from  their  junction,  where  they  form  the  Mobile,     ihe 
island  contains  about  sixty  thousand  acres,  which  are  common  y 
overflowed  by  the  spring  flood,  as  Egypt  is  by  the  Nile.     I  held 
meeting  during  the  six  days  of  tarrying  in  the  sett  ement,  and 
took  my  departure  for  Georgia,  but  was  necessitated  to  keep 
on  the  dividing  ridge,  between  the  streams,  to  prevent  being 
intercepted  by' creeks.     There  were  ferries  at  the  above  rivers. 
In  the  settlement  there  was  not  a  preacher  of  any  society. 

(Pages  220, 221.)  ^     ,  .  ,  ,    '  „t 

No  doubt  Mr.  Dow  preached  in  this  Tombigbee  country  at 
different  times  as  he  passed  through  it  during  the  years  from 
1803  to  1812,  though  no  specific  mention  is  made  by  him  in  his 
Journal  of  his  preaching  there  except  on  the  two  occasions 
above  given.     He  passed  through  this  country  at  least  seven 
times  of  which  he  makes  no  mention.     Peggy  Dow,  his  wife,  in 
her  writings,  "Vicissitudes,"  gives  an  account  of  a  trip  which 
she  made  with  him,  passing  through  the  Tombigbee  settlements 
in  November,  1811,  from  Natchez,  Mississippi,  to  Milledgeville 
Geor-ia,  in  which  account,  speaking  of  camping  out  one  night 
in  the  w-ilderness  some  forty  miles  from  Pearl  Eiver  she  says: 
"Yet  to  consider  we  were  in  a  lonely  desert,  uninhabited  by 
anv  creature  but  wild  beasts  and  savages,  made  me  feel  very 
much  alarmed,  and  I  slept  but  little,  while  Lorenzo  was  quite 
happy  and  composed,  as  he  observed  he  had  never  been  so  well 
pleased  with  his  situation  in  traveling  through  this  wild  unfre- 
quented  part  of  the  country  before;  and  this  was  the  tenth  time 
that  he  had  passed  through  it,  in  the  space  of  nine  or  t«n  years! 
(Pa-e  648.)     Still  giving  account  of  the  trip  through  tins  coun- 
try and  telling  of  crossing  the  Chickasawha  Kiver.  by  the  as- 
sistance of  a  pilot,  late  in  the  night,  pushing    or  a  house  at 
which  to  rest,  Peggy  says:  "It  was  perhaps  11  o  clock  a   n  gM 
We  came  to  the  house.    The  family  was  gone  to  bed,  but  the 
woman  got  up,  and  although  she  was  balf  Indian,  ^^e  treated 
me  with  more  attention  than  many  would  have  done  that  had 
been  educated  among  the  more  refined  inhabitants  o   the  earth. 
I  felt  quite  comfortable,  and  slept  sweetly  through  the  remain- 


30 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


ing  part  of  the  night.  In  the  morning  we  started  again,  being 
then  thirty  miles  from  the  settlements  of  Tombigbee.  We 
passed  through  some  delightful  country  that  day.  About  2  or 
3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  the  first  house  inhab- 
ited by  white  people.  It  made  my  heart  rejoice  to  meet  again 
those  that  spoke  a  language  which  I  understood,  and  above  all, 
to  find  some  that  loved  the  Lord.  Lorenzo  held  several  meet- 
ings in  this  neighborhood  that  were  profitable,  I  trust,  to  some." 
(Pages  649,  650.) 

Lorenzo  Dow  was  born  October  16,  1777,  in  Coventry,  Tol- 
land  County,  Connecticut.     He  was  descended  from  English  an- 
cestors.    He  was   the  subject   of  early  religious  impressions. 
Before  he  was  four  years  old  he,  to  use  his  own  words,  "mused 
upon  God,  heaven,  and  hell."     He  had,  under  conviction  for 
sin,  while    in  search  of  justification  and  regeneration,  a  long 
struggle  and  a  terrible  agony;  but  at  last  he  reached  a  percept 
tible  change,  in  which  his  soul  "flowed  out  in  love  to  God,  to 
his  ways,  to  his  people,  and  to  all  mankind."     He  united  with  a 
Society  of  Methodists,  being  received  into  said  Society  by  the 
Rev.  G.  Roberts.     All  this  occurred  by  the  time  he  was  fifteen 
years  old.     He  claimed  Hope  Hull  as  his  spiritual  father,  thouc^h 
he  never  spoke  to  Hull  until  after  he  had  been  preaching  some 
time. 

He  struggled  hard  and  long  against  the  conviction  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  preach.     At  last,  however,  having  reviewed  the  entire 
question,  he  yielded  to  the  conviction  that  God  had  called  him 
to  the  Christian  ministry.     He  then  sought  the  sanction  of  the 
Methodist  people  to  preach  among  them,  but  he  met  with  strong 
opposition,  first  from  his  own  father,  and  then  from  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Church.     When  he  had   made  up  his  mind  and 
sought  to  obtain  a  license  to  preach  and  to  join  the  itinerancy, 
the  preachers  in  charge  of  affairs  discouraged  him  in  his  under- 
taking and  persuaded  him  to  desist;  in  fact,  they  at  first  sent 
him  away  rejected.   But  still  he  said:  « I  feel  the  worth  of  souls  to 
be  near  my  heart,  and  my  duty  still  to  be  to  preach  the  gospel, 
with  a  determination  to  do  so,  God  being  my  helper."     He  con- 
tinued to  press  his  claim  for  ministerial  prerogatives,  and  was 
finally  admitted  on  trial  in  the  traveling  connection  at  Gran- 
ville, September  18,  1798,  and  his  name  was  printed  in  the  Min- 
utes, and  he  received  a  written  license  from  Francis  Asbury, 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 

— — ■ — 


31 


and  was  appointed  junior  preacher  on  Cambridge  Circuit,  Tm- 
otliy  Dewy  being  preacher  in  charge.  His  written  hcense  from 
Bishop  Asbury  only  authorized  him  to  preach  on  the  Cam- 
bridge Circuit,  to  which  he  had  been  appointed;  so  that  when 
he  left  that  Circuit  his  license  was  null  and  void. 

The  Conference  in  the  bounds  of  which  he  had  an  appoint- 
ment met,  at  the  close  of  his  first  year,  in  New  York  June  19. 
1799.     He  had  done  a  full  year's  work,  but  he  did  not  attend 
this  session  of  the  Conference.    Being  in  a  state  of  health  which 
he  thought  threatened  a  speedy  exit  from  the  stage  of  life  with- 
out relief,  he  wrote  to  the  Conference  a  statement  of  his  condi- 
tion, and  asked  permission  to  go  to  sea.     Notwithstanding  his 
ill  health  and  precarious  tenure  of  life,  while  the  other  preach- 
ers were  in  attendance  upon  the  session  of  the  Conference,  he 
was  traveling  from  twenty-five  to  fifty-five  miles  and  preaching 
from  five  to  six  times  a  day.     The  Conference  did  not  grant 
him  permission,  as  he  had  requested,  to  go  to  sea  for  his  health, 
but  continued  him  on  trial,  and  appointed  him  in  charge  of  the 
Essex  Circuit,  on  the  borders  of  Canada.     Some  of  the  appoint- 
ments of  this  Circuit  were  in  Canada.     He  went  to  the  Circuit, 
and  was  remarkably  active,  enthusiastic,  and  zealous  for  three 
or  four  months;  but  in  October,  against  the  advice  and  entreaty 
of  all  the  preachers  consulted  on  the  subject,  he  left  and  went 
to  Europe.     He  consumed  about  twenty  months  in  this  trip  to 
Europe,  preaching  incessantly  while  on  that  continent  return- 
ing only  in  time  for  the  session  of  the  Conference,  June  16, 
1801     Notwithstanding  one  session  of  the  Conference  had  in- 
tervened in  his  absence,  and  notwithstanding  he  had  left  his 
work  without  authority  and  against  the  advice  of  all  concerned, 
he  was  there  and  then  restored  to  the  relation  to  the  Conference 
which  he  had  when  he  left  for  Europe,  continued  on  trial,  and 
appointed  junior  preacher  on  the  Duchess  and  Columbia  Cir- 
cuit    He  went  also  to  this  Circuit,  but  left  it  before  the  year 
was' out,  and  made  a  tour  to  Georgia.     At  the  Conference  ses- 
sion  June  1, 1802,  his  name  was  dropped  from  the  Minutes.    Me 
was  no  longer  related  in  any  way  to  an  Annual  Conference 

At  one  time  this  man,  Lorenzo  Dow,  wished  above  all  things 
to  be  received  and  assigned  work  as  a  preacher  under  the  regu- 
lations of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  was  greatly  dis- 
satisfied because  he  was  rejected.     Then,  when  he  was  received 


32 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


and  put  to  work  under  the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Cliurch,  he  was  greatly  depressed,  and  because  those  who  were 
over  him  in  the  offices  of  the  Church  would  not  consent  for  him 
to  leave  the  work  assigned  him  he  was  discontented,  not  to  say 
displeased.     The  Circuits  to  which  he  was  sent  were  large,  but 
they  were  not  sufficiently  expansive  to  correspond  with  the  field 
seen  m  his  dreams,  and  depicted  in  his  fancy.     They  were  large, 
but  in  his  conception  they  were  too  contracted  to  lay  under  con^ 
tribution  his  indomitable  energy  and  to  guarantee  work  com- 
mensurate  with  the  requisitions  laid  upon  him.     In  a  word,  he 
held  the  conclusion  that  on  a  Circuit  he  was  not  in  his  "right 
sphere."     He  had  it  in  mind  to  "  travel  extensively,"  to  "  travel 
the  continent  at  large."     Hence  he  was  not  carefd  to  maintain 
the  relation  with  the  Conference  which  he  had  previously  sought 
so  eagerly  and  at  last  attained  with  such  difficulty.     He  now 
utterly  despised  that  which  once  he  most  highly  prized.     He 
claimed,  now  that  his  connection  with  the  Conference  was  sev- 
ered, to  be  a  Methodist,  preaching  a  universal  atonement  and 
a  free  salvation,  with  the  continent  for  his  field.    As  such  he 
traversed  the  land  and  passed  through  what  is  now  Alabama, 
and  preached  occasionally  as  he  went  in  the  Tombigbee  settle^ 
ments. 

The  ministry  of  Lorenzo  Dow  to  the  settlements  on  the  Tom- 
bigbee  was  accidental,  irregular,  occasional,  only  a  sermon  now 
and  then  preached  in  passing  to  and  fro  on  contingent  trips 
through  the  land.     All  the  preaching  he  did  in  these  settlements 
in  all  the  years  in  which  he  occasionally  passed  through  this 
wilderness  was  not  sufficient  in  quantity,  even  under  favorable 
circumstances,  to  produce  any  perceptible  results.     And  none 
were  reported.     He  had  never  been  ordained  to  the  ministry, 
and  he  was  without  authority  from  any  Church  to  administer 
the  sacraments  or  to  organize  Societies.     He  was  at  the  time 
he  preached  about  the  Tombigbee,  and  so  continued  all  his  life, 
without  any  Church  alliance  or  allegiance,  though  in  doctrinal 
principles  he  was  a  Methodist.     While  at  one  time  he  baptized, 
by  request,  twelve  persons  in  what,  perhaps,  is  now  Louisiana,' 
he  seems  never  to  have  thought  at  any  time  during  his  wander- 
ing ministry  of  organizing  a  Society,  or  of  making  any  effort  for 
the  edification  of  any  body  of  believers.     He  seems  never  to 
have  thought  of  the  advantages  of  organized  forces  and  of  con- 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


33 


cert  of  action.  He  was  irregular  and  uncertain.  Peggy,  giv- 
ing  an  account  of  her  first  meeting  with  him,  says,  "He  was  a 
singular  character,"  and  he  himself  says  that  he  "was  mostly 
known  by  the  name  of  crazy  Dow."  ,    .     ^t,  + 

To  come  to  the  facts  in  the  case  and  the  truth  m  the  mat- 
ter, Lorenzo  Dow  was  inefficient.     He  was  a  force,  but  an  mef- 
ficient  force.     He  was  a  force,  but  an  uncertain  and  an  unreliable 
force.    His  ministry  through  life  was  of  doubtful  utility,  was  very 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  a  failure.     He  was  not  successful  m  any- 
thing nor  in  any  respect.     His  knowledge  was  limited,  and 
what  he  had  he  could  not  apply  to  useful  ends.     He  was  not  a 
wise  man.     While  he  was  not  crazy  in  the  sense  that  he  was  in- 
capable of  discerning  right  and  wrong,  and  was  not  destitute  of 
responsibility,  yet  in  judgment  he  was  defective,  and  he  was 
without  that  necessary  element  of  character,  tenacity  of  pur- 
pose.    He  was  restless  and  unsteady.     He  was  a  dreamer.     He 
was  restive  under  restraint,  visionary  in  all  his  plans,  impulsive 
in  all  his  movements,  fickle  in  all  his  undertakings,  contracted 
in  his  range  of  thought,  and  seems  to  have  had  but  one  ambi- 
tion   and  that  to  travel  at  will  and  ramble  at  large.     He  was, 
contradictory  as  it  may  seem,  both  sanguine  and  despondent. 
He  was  at  the  same  time  unduly  hopeful  and  painfully  morbid. 
He  was  always  looking  for  some  wonderful  achievements  where 
there  were  no  adequate  causes  or  efficient  means,  and  he  was 
so  despondent  and  morbid  that  he  always  thought  himself  sick 
and  nearly  at  the  point  of  death,  whereas  he  had  the  power  of 
physical  endurance  possessed  by  very  few  men.     He  was,  be- 
cause of  his  temperament  and  make-up,  disqualified  for  suc- 
cess in  life's  great  work.     He   was,   as  many  of  his  breth- 
ren  believed,  and  as  the  sequel  proved,  incapable   of  mak- 
ing  a   successful   preacher.     Jesse    Lee    so    thought,  and    so 
said,  and  he  was  right.     His  judgment  in  the  case  has  been 
vindicated.     Jesse  Lee  always  opposed  his  admission  into  the 
Conference.     When,  after  several  efforts,  he  was  finally  admitted 
on  trial-  "Then  said  S.  Hutchinson  to  J.  Lee  Hhis  is  the  crazy 
man  you  have  been  trying  to  kill  so  much.' "    But  Jesse  Lee 
was  no  murderer.     He  never  tried  to  kill  the  man  Lorenzo  Dow. 
It  was  not  his  purpose  in  any  wise  to  injure  him.     The  Kev.  Jes- 
se Lee  was  a  man  with  a  Christian  heart,  who  loved  justice  and 
mercy,  full  of  human  sympathy  and  true  love;  but  he  was  a  man 
3 


34 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


of  sound  judgment  and  correct  discernment,  and  "  that  had  un- 
derstanding of  the  times,  to  know  what  Israel  ought  to  do." 

The  very  features  of  Lorenzo  Dow  indicated  his  character, 
they  were  both  rough  and  delicate,  and  as  a  whole  his  face  was 
smooth  and  effeminate,  while  yet  there  were  in  that  face  the 
very  marks  of  indomitable  energy.  He  parted  his  hair  in  the 
middle,  and  wore  it  hanging  down  on  his  neck  and  shoulders. 
His  face  was  radiant  with  expressions  of  kindness.  He  was  a 
rough  man,  he  was  an  honest,  truthful,  and  candid  man,  with 
generous  impulses  and  kindly  feelings.  He  had  in  him  the  im- 
pulses imparted  to  him  by  an  endowment  of  Christian  grace. 
He  was  a  man  of  Christian  experience.  He  was  a  Christian. 
He  was  Lorenzo  Dow.  He  died  February  2,  1834,  in  George- 
town, District  of  Columbia,  and  was  buried  in  a  graveyard  then 
near  Washington,  now  in  the  city.  It  is  said  his  remains  were 
taken  up  and  reinterred  in  Oak  Hill  Cemetery,  on  the  borders 
of  Georgetown. 

Men  who  cannot  move  in  the  ordinary  channels  of  the  Chris- 
tian ministry  will  never  be  efficient  in  the  divine  cause,  nor  very 
successful  in  any  good  enterprise. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

The  First  Woek  of  Methodism  in  Alabama  (Continued). 

THE  South  Carolina  Conference  began  their  meeting  accord- 
ing to  appointment  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  on  Mon- 
day  the  28th  of  December,  1807,  Francis  Asbury,  Bishop,  Lewis 
Myers,  Secretary;  and  closed,   near  dark,   by   prayer,  Satur- 
day January  2,  1808.     The  dates  here  given  are  the  true  dates 
of  this  session  of  this  Conference,  Bishop  Asbury's  Journal  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding.     The  large  field  belonging  prop- 
erly to  the  South  Carolina  Conference  and  the  regions  far  be- 
yond it  were  reviewed,  and  the  work  was  recast,  and  a  list  of 
appointments,  to  which  preachers  were  assigned,  was  made  out 
according  to  the  demands  of  the  times.     In  this  list  of  appoints 
ments,  made  at  this  time,  there  was  one  which  hitherto  had  not 
existed     It  was  put  down  as  one  of  the  appointments  of  the 
Oconee  District,  though  it  lay  far  out  in  the  wilderness,  many, 
many  leagues   away  from   all  the  other  appointments  of  the 
Oconee  District  and  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference.     This 
new  and  isolated  appointment  was  the  Tombigbee,  then  written 
Tombecbee.     The  bishop  presiding  called  for  volunteers  to  go 
to  this   appointment.     Only  one  man  volunteered,  and  he  was 
accepted,  and  assigned  to  the  place.     The  Journal  of  the  Con- 
ference says:  "Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  volunteered  his  services 
to  Bigbee  as  a  missionary,  was  received  and  elected  to  the  elder- 
ship."    He  was  ordained  elder  in  Bethel  Church  January  2, 
1808     This  appointment,  made  for  the  year  1808,  stands,  as  the 
official  record  shows,  Tombecbee,  Mattlmc  P.  Sturdevant. 

And  what  was  Tombigbee  at  this  time  when  Matthew  P.  Stur- 
devant was  appointed  to  it?  It  was  a  section  of  country  upon 
the  Tombigbee  Eiver  about  seventy  or  eighty  miles  long,  be- 
ginning about  Tensaw  Lake  and  the  junction  of  the  Tombig- 
bee and  Alabama  Rivers,  and  extending  as  far  up  as  Fort  St. 
Stephens,  and  up  to  Faluktabunnee,  four  miles  north  of  Wood's 
Bluff  sparsely  settled  with  families  of  several  nationalities, 
mostly  English.     The  farthest  house  west  in  this  settlement,  oc- 

(35) 


/ 


i-^ 


36 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


37 


cupied  by  English-speaking  citizens,  was  only  four  miles  from 
Fort  St.  Stephens.  On  the  east  the  settlements  could  not 
have  extended  farther  than  Suggsville  and  Choctaw  Corner,  for 
at  that  time  the  Indians  had  not  ceded  to  the  United  States  their 
lands  farther  east  than  the  Choctaw  boundary.  The  citizens  of 
this  wilderness  settlement  were  of  varied  character;  the  society 
was  wild  and  wicked,  and  there  was  not  much  to  restrain  vice  or 
to  encourage  virtue  and  morality.  In  this  section,  at  the  time 
Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  wag  appointed  to  it  as  a  preacher,  there 
were  neither  churches  nor  preachers.  Nothing  was  organized. 
There  was  not  at  that  time  a  road  leading  to  this  wilderness  set- 
tlement from  any  direction.  Nothing  more  than  a  horse  path,  a 
trail,  led  to  that  region  from  any  quarter.  The  Indians,  sav- 
ages that  they  were,  owned  and  occupied  the  country  on  all 
sides.  The  Creek  Nation  was  on  the  very  border  of  this  settle- 
ment, and  owned  and  hunted  on  all  the  land  as  far  east  as  the 
Oconee  Kiver,  thirteen  days'  travel,  as  Lorenzo  Dow  found  it, 
from  this  settlement.  On  the  very  borders  of  this  settlement 
west  was  an  unbroken  wilderness  to  the  Natchez  country,  to 
travel  across  which  required  six  or  eight  days,  where  the  Choc- 
taw Indians  roamed  in  savage  life.  Eough  huts  built  of  boards, 
rude  cabins  made  of  logs  with  puncheon  or  dirt  floors,  constitu- 
ted the  homes  of  most  of  the  citizens.  The  fields  in  cultivation 
were  but  scanty  clearings.  The  lands  occupied  were  held  by 
different  sorts  of  tenure;  French  reservations,  British  claims, 
Spanish  grants,  Indian  titles,  "  Deadenings,  "  and  *'  Settlements  " 
constituted  the  basis  of  individual  land  claims.  How  tangled 
and  precarious  were  rights  and  titles!  and  how  conducive  was 
this  tangled  and  precarious  state  to  drift  and  change  on  the  part 
of  these  settlers!  The  mills  were  rude  and  few.  Tools  and 
utensils  were  scarce.  The  articles  of  food  were  few,  simple,  and 
coarse.  The  household  goods  in  many  cases  were  scanty,  the 
entire  possessions  meager.  Some  had  come  to  the  country  with 
no  more  than  one  ox  could  draw  in  a  rolling  hogshead.  All  had 
brought  their  goods  in  rolling  hogsheads  or  on  packhorses. 
The  settlers  themselves  were  adventurers.  Many  of  them  were 
Tories  and  criminals  who  had  resorted  to  this  section  as  a  re- 
treat from  the  penalties  of  their  crimes.  Many  of  them  had 
come  into  this  region  to  be  free  from  law  and  order.  There  was 
not  a  Society  organized,  or  anything  else  done  in  the  way  of 


laying  the  foundations  of  a  Church.     There  was  here  and  there 
a  person  who  had  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and 
here  and  there  a  person  who  had  been  a  member  of  some  other 
Church,  where  he  came  from,  but  nothing  in  that  country  in- 
duced a  renewal  of  Church  relation  or  a  recognition  of  Christian 
worship.     There  had  not  been  a  Church  of  any  name  or  order 
established  there  at  that  time.     Under  Spanish  rule  the  Catho- 
lic Church,  or  the  Church  of  the  Pope,  built  and  used  a  church 
and  parsonage  at  Fort   St.   Stephens;   but  both   church   and 
parsonage  had  been  abandoned,  and  Mr.  Pickett  states,  in  his 
"  History  of  Alabama/'  that  in  1805  "  the  parsonage  of  the  old 
Spanish  church  was  used  as  a  skin  house  "  in  the  interest  of  "  the 
factory  of   the  United    States,  located  at  St.  Stephens. "     In 
1808  Josiah  Jones,  a  Baptist,  settled  on  Bassett's  Creek,  in  the 
Tombigbee  country,  and  he  found  there  William  Cochran,  a  li- 
censed Baptist  preacher.     The  Kev.  Hosea  Holcombe,  in  his 
"History  of  the  Baptists  in  Alabama,"  says:     "Flint  Kiver,  a 
few  miles  northeast  of   Huntsville,  without  doubt  the  oldest 
Church  in  Alabama,  was  constituted  on  Flint  Kiver,  from  which 
it  takes  its  name,  at  the  house  of  James  Deaton,  on  the  2d  of 
October,  1808."  (Page  107.)   Then,  telling  of  the  organization  of 
Bassett's  Creek  Church,  which  is  in  the  Tombigbee  country,  he 
gives  the  following:  "On  the  31st  of  March,  1810,  the  breth- 
ren, having  consulted  each  other  on  the  subject,  concluded  to 
unite  themselves  together;  and  were  constituted  a  Church  by 
our  beloved  brother  James  Courtney."  (Page  156. )  So,  according 
to  the  testimony  of  this  Baptist  historian,  there  was  not  a  Church 
of  any  sort  organized  in  any  part  of  what  is  now  the  State  of 
Alabama  until  more  than  eight  months  after  Matthew  P.  Stur- 
devant  had  commenced  his  ministry  in  the  Tombigbee  country, 
and  there  was  not  a  Baptist  Church  organized  in  the  Tombig- 
bee section  until  two  years  and  three  months  after  he  had  com- 
menced his  ministry  there,  and  it  was  not  earlier  than  his  ap. 
pointment  to  and  his   arrival  in   that   country   that   "several 
Baptists"  and  "a  licensed  preacher"  were  found  on  the  Tom- 
bigbee.    The  Kev.  T.  H.  Ball,  A.M.,  a  Baptist  preacher,  has 
wdtten  a  History  of   "  Clarke  County,  Alabama,  and  Its  Sur- 
roundings," in  which  he  gives  a  sketch  of  the  commencement  of 
Methodist  Church  work  in  that  section  of  country.     His  account 
is  very  defective,  and  is   absolutely  incorrect.     He  doubtless 


38 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


did  not  have  the  records  from  which  to  derive  information  on  the 
subject.  He  labored  under  misapprehensions,  and  he  made 
mistakes,  not  intentionally,  but  from  lack  of  correct  informa- 
tion. He  says  nothing  about  the  ministry  of  the  Kev.  Matthew 
P.  Sturdevant,  the  Kev.  Michael  Burdge,  and  the  Rev.  John  W. 
Kennon.  Had  the  Eev.  Mr.  Ball  possessed  the  records  which 
show  that  the  Rev.  Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  was  appointed  to  Tom- 
bigbee,  and  labored  there  for  1808  and  1809,  and  that  the  Rev. 
Michael  Burdge  was  appointed  there,  and  labored  in  that  field 
for  1809  and  1810,  and  that  the  Rev.  John  W.  Kennon  was  ap- 
pointed to  that  place,  and  labored  there  for  1810  and  1811,  he 
would  have  been  informed  more  fully,  and  he  would,  no  doubt, 
have  made  his  statements  to  harmonize  with  the  facts.  The 
correction  of  his  inaccuracies  and  his  misstatements,  which 
crept  in  through  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  subject  and  the  ab- 
sence of  the  records,  is  very  necessary.     Hence  the  allusion  here 

to  his  work. 

At  the  time  Bishop  Asbury  called  for  volunteers  to  preach  in 
the  Tombigbee  settlements,  and  Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  re- 
sponded to'' the  call,  a  wilderness  of  more  than  four  hundred 
miles'  extent,  filled  with  savages,  had  to  be  traversed,  a  horse 
path,  hard  to  find  and  hard  to  follow,  had  to  be  traveled,  rivers 
and  creeks,  without  ferries  and  without  bridges,  had  to  be 
crossed,  to  reach  said  settlements.  Then  there  was  only  an  oc- 
casional house  of  entertainment  on  the  way,  and  that  of  the 
rudest  sort.  Travelers  on  this  route  often  lay  out  at  night, 
pinched  by  cold,  drenched  by  rain,  and  were  constantly  in  danger 
of  being  scalped  by  savages.  With  this  state  of  things  exist- 
ing and^with  this  prospect  before  him,  Matthew  P.  Sturdevant 
stood  up  by  himself  and  volunteered  to  go  to  Tombigbee!  It 
required  complete  self-abnegation,  perfect  consecration  to  the 
cause,  and  dauntless  courage,  to  undertake  a  work  thus  envi- 
roned. Sturdevant  went  to  that  country  as  an  embassador  for 
Christ  There  he  preached,  suffered,  and  endured.  Not  many 
of  the  points  at  which  he  preached  in  this  country  are  now 
known.  At  what  particular  places  he  found  lodgings,  how  often 
he  was  received  and  how  often  he  was  rejected  as  a  minister  of 
the  grace  of  God,  and  what  special  incidents  occurred  m  the 
prosecution  of  his  divine  mission  on  this  historic  ground,  no 
record,  to  which  access  is  now  had,  attempts  to  tell.     It  is  cer- 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


39 


tain  he  traversed  the  broad  wilderness  and  threaded  the  narrow 
trail  between  the  Oconee  and  the  Tombigbee  Rivers.    It  is  cer- 
tain  he  endured  cold,  hunger,  and  fatigue,  and  braved  immi- 
nent dangers  on  the  way.     It  is  certain  that  in  the  country  on 
both  sides  of  the   Tombigbee   and   about   Lake   Tensaw   he 
preached  the  gospel  and  bore  the  reproach  of  Christ.    The  man- 
ifest  results  of  this  first  year's  work  were  not  equal  to  the  sac- 
rifices he  had  made  and  the  consuming  labors  he  had  performed, 
but  they  were  equal  to  the  field,  its  capacity  being  judged  by 
its  state  and  surroundings.     Who  breaks  new  land  must  work 
and  wait.     Small  is  the  crop  gathered  by  the  farmer  the  year  of 
deadening  the  trees  and  clearing  away  the  thicket.     Sturdevant 
had  little  to  cheer  his  heart  and  animate  his  faith.     In  what  a 
field  did  he  labor  I     A  field,  a  little  slip  of  country  in  the  midst 
of  savages,  in  which  after  a  hard  year's  work  and  close  scrutiny 
he  can  find  only  a  few,  if  any,  whom  he  can  report  as  having 
any  vital  connection  with  the  Church  of  God  !     Not  a  Society 
organized,  not  a  member  enrolled  !    A  field  in  which  rudeness 
and  lewdness  abound,  and  in  which  scoffers  and  strikers  hold 
sway!     Could  the  surroundings  of  Moses  as  he  sat  down  by  a 
well  in  the  land  of  Midian,  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  or  the 
condition  of  Jacob  with  his  head  pillowed  on  a  stone  m  the 
lonely  way  have  tried  the  faith,  the  endurance,  and  the  fidelity 
of  one  more  than  the  surroundings  of  Matthew  P.  Sturdevant 
on  Tombigbee?     Not  a  preacher  did  he  see  from  January  to  the 
next  December  unless  he  happened  to  meet  Gorham  or  Coch- 
ran  Baptist  preachers,  who  pitched  their  tents  in  that  wilder- 
ness settlement  perhaps  some  time  during  that  very  year.     The 
Rev.  Josiah   Randle   was  the  presiding  elder  on  the  Oconee 
District,  in  which  the  Tombigbee  appointment  was  put  down  for 
the  year  1808,  but  neither  Randle  nor  any  other  presiding  eld- 
er of  the  Oconee  District  of  the   South   Carolina   Conference 
ever  visited  this  far-off  appointment.     None  of  these  presiding 
elders  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference  were  expected  to  visit 
it     Nothing  could  be  more  absurd  than  to  expect  a  presiding 
elder  to  make  a  visit  to  a  work  which  lay  on  the  other  side  of 
a  perilous  wilderness  which  it  took  thirteen  days  to  cross.     It 
would  be  much  easier  now  in  1888  for  the  presiding  elder  on 
the  Oconee  River  in  Georgia  to  attend  a  Quarterly  Conference 
in  the  mountains  of  Colorado  than  it  would  have  been  for  Jo- 


40 


Hi  story  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


41 


siah  Kandle  to  have  attended  a  Quarterly  Conference  on  Tom- 
bigbee  in  1808.  Dr.  Lovick  Pierce  was  the  presiding  elder  of 
the  Oconee  District,  with  Tombigbee  put  down  in  said  District 
for  1809,  and  he  stated  in  a  letter  to  the  author  of  these  pages 
that  he  "was  never  there,"  and  that  "Los  Angeles  would  be  a 
neighborhood  place  now  compared  with  Tombecbee  then." 

But  the  first  licks  have  been  struck,  the  little  clearing  has  been 
made.  The  brave  and  zealous  man  has  closed  his  first  year's 
work  in  this  immense  wilderness,  and  he  has  closed  with  heart 
and  hope. 

A  session  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  commenced  on  Monday,  December  26,  1808, 
at  Liberty  Chapel,  Georgia,  about  two  days'  travel  from  Augusta. 
A  camp-meeting  was  held  in  connection  with  this  session  of  the 
Conference,  and  they  had  sermons,  exhortations,  songs,  and 
prayers  with  little  intermission.  On  this  occasion  there  were 
from  two  to  three  thousand  persons  assembled.  There  were 
tenters  on  the  ground  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  home. 
Of  traveling  and  local  preachers  together  there  were  present 
about  three  hundred.  There  were  present  from  sixty  to  seventy 
preachers  who  belonged  to  the  Conference.  Bishop  Asbury 
presided  over  the  business  of  the  Conference.  Bishop  McKen- 
dree  was  also  present.  At  this  time  these  two  bishops  were 
traveling  together,  "riding  in  a  poor  thirty-dollar  chaise,  in 
partnership."  This  style  of  traveling  harmonized  with  the  ca- 
pacity of  their  purses,  if  not  with  the  dignity  of  their  office.  Ti- 
tles and  dignities  are  often  found  associated  with  straitened 
circumstances.  These  two  bishops  were  of  those  who,  being 
"poor,"  were  "yet  making  many  rich." 

It  was  to  this  session  of  this  Conference,  held  within  two 
days'  travel  of  Augusta,  Georgia,  that  the  Kev.  Matthew  P.  Stur- 
devant  had  to  make  the  report  of  his  first  year's  work  in  the 
wilderness  on  Tombigbee. 

See  this  consecrated  man  who  is  to  make  this  report  from  this 
settlement  in  the  midst  of  savages!  Physically  he  was  not  of 
robust  mold,  but  was  of  rather  feeble  form;  and  he  had  been 
worn  by  travel  and  toil,  bronzed  by  the  sun,  and  roughened  by 
exposure  and  hardship.  His  equipage  and  attire  attested  the 
fact  that  he  had  traversed  the  uncleared  wilderness,  that  he  had 
been  the  denizen  of  the  forest,  and  that  he  had  been  the  associ- 


ate of  frontier  settlers.  He  had  no  legion  of  souls  converted  to 
God  about  which  to  tell  and  over  which  to  rejoice,  but  he  had, 
nevertheless,  a  thrilling  narrative  to  recite.  He  told,  with  the 
calmness  of  a  hero  and  with  the  impassioned  eloquence  of  a 
consecrated  genius,  of  the  perils  he  had  met,  of  the  buffetings, 
privations,  and  sufferings  he  had  endured,  of  the  traveling  he 
had  done,  of  the  labors  he  had  performed.  He  told,  in  minute 
detail,  the  romantic  story  of  how  he  had  crossed  floods,  swam 
rivers  and  creeks,  camped  in  the  wilderness,  slept  on  the  ground, 
endured  hunger  and  thirst,  and  heard,  in  unpleasant  proximity, 
the  howl  of  the  wolf,  the  thud  and  growl  of  the  bear,  the  scream 
of  the  panther,  and  the  significant  whoop  of  the  savage  Indian; 
and  how  he  had  witnessed,  to  the  vexing  of  his  soul,  the  carous- 
als of  the  savage  tribes  about  him,  and  the  no  less  wicked  ca- 
rousals of  the  American  settlers  to  whom  he  tendered  a  message 
of  the  gospel;  he  told  also  how  there  were  brought  to  him  nar- 
ratives of  brutal  murders  committed  by  lewd  fellows  among  the 
American  settlers,  and  of  captures  and  scalpings  by  the  savage 
Indians  roaming  hard  by!  Behold  this  man  and  his  work!  God 
has  looked  upon  the  same.  This  man  had  a  field  to  report  all 
his  own,  a  field  which  he  had  consecrated  to  God  by  his  tears 
and  toils,  by  his  prayers  and  praises.  He  reported  a  field  which 
was  to  him  dear  and  grand  and  full  of  promise  for  the  future, 
by  reason  of  what  it  was  in  itself,  and  by  reason  of  what  he  had 
done  and  suffered  in  and  for  it  as  an  embassador  of  the  cross. 
His  sufferings  and  labors  were  a  pledge,  an  earnest,  of  a  future 
harvest  of  good. 

This  appointment  thus  reported  was  continued  for  another 
year,  and  Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  was  reappointed  to  it.  This 
time  he  is  put  down  as  missionary,  with  Michael  Burdge  as 
preacher  in  charge.  Bishop  Asbury,  speaking  of  what  was  done 
at  the  session  of  the  Conference  above  referred  to,  says:  "We 
appointed  three  missionaries:  one  for  Tombigbee,  one  to  Ash- 
ley and  Savannah  and  the  country  between,  and  one  to  labor  be- 
tween Santee  and  Cooper  Kivers." 

For  the  year  1809  Tombigbee  had  two  preachers  instead  of  one 
as  the  year  before.  This  itself  was  progress.  This  meant  that 
in  the  judgment  of  those  having  the  oversight  there  were  pos- 
sibilities in  that  country,  and  the  most  was  to  be  made  of  them. 
This  meant  that  more  labor  was  to  be  bestowed  on  this  field,  and 


CI 


42 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


43 


that  it  was  to  be  improved  and  enlarged  as  materials,  facilities, 
and  opportunities  authorized.     Michael  Burdge,  an  elder,  who 
could  be  had  for  the  appointment,  was  thought  a  suitable  person 
to  put  in  charge  to  lead  in  conserving  and  developing  what  had 
been  attained  the  year  just  closed.     Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  was 
the  very  man  for  the  place  assigned  him.     He  had  learned  much 
of  the  held  already,  and  understood  the  entire  situation  as  no 
one  else  could.     He  was  the  man  to  push  the  conquest  in  the 
far-off  and  outlying  regions,  and  he  was  retained  here  to  hold 
and  extend  the  field  in  which  he  had,  the  year  just  closed,  la- 
bored so  faithfully  and  endured  so  heroically.     What  had  been 
gained  was  to  be  maintained,  and  the  conquest  extended.    Should 
new  settlements  be  established  in  the  surrounding  regions,  these 
men  were  to  move  upon  them  and  claim  them  for  their  Lord 
and  King.     Improvement  and  enlargement  were  provided  for  in 
the  assignment  of  these  two  preachers.     These  two  men  were  to 
work  together.     Where  a  beginning  had  been  made  was  the  cen- 
ter where  they  were  to  work,  and  from  which  they  were  to  ex- 
tend the  field  as  far  out  as  settlements  and  souls  could  be  found. 
The  missionary  was  to  have  a  claim  on  and  a  support  from  funds 
other  than  those  contributed  for  quarterage. 

Just  about  the  period  when  Sturdevant  and  Burdge  had  had 
time  to  cross  the  wide  and  perilous  wilderness  intervening  be- 
tween Liberty  Chapel,  Georgia,  and  the  Tombigbee,  and  make  an 
inspection  of  the  field  assigned  them,  a  letter  was  sent  from  said 
field  to  Bishop  Asbury.     This  letter  no  doubt  gave  an  account 
of  the  hazardous  journey  these  preachers  had  made,  and  of 
their   final    arrival    at   their    destination,    and    of    the    pros- 
pect for  the  year  before  them.     Bishop   Asbury  makes  the 
following  entry  in  his  Journal:  "1809,  April  1.     We  came  safe 
into  the'city  of  Philadelphia.     I  found  letters  from  Savannah, 
Tombigbee,  Mississippi,   Ohio,  and  also  from  the  eastward." 
These  letters  from  Savannah,  Tombigbee,  and  Mississippi  were 
from  mission  fields.     Tombigbee,  with  its  two  preachers,  con- 
stituted a  post,  a  post  of  dangers  and  of  prospects,  about  which 
clustered  immense  interests,  and  one  which  claimed  the  atten- 
tion of  even   the    aged  and   saintly   Bishop   Asbury.     These 
preachers  sought  the  advancement  of  the  interests  involved,  as 
well  as  relief  *from  their  own  isolation,  by  communicating,  by 
letter,  with  the  wise  and  experienced  General  Superintendent  of 


the  Church.     On  through  the  year  these  two  devoted  men  toiled 
at  their  work,  and  they  had  good  success.     No  record  at  hand 
speaks  of  their  privations  and  perils,  of  their  agitations,  agonies, 
and  hardships  during  the  year,  but  the  net  result  of  their  min- 
istry is  on  record.     No  house  of  worship,  stuccoed  and  frescoed, 
did  they  have.     Not  one  did  they  build.     Not  even  a  pole  cabin 
had  been  erected  as  a  place  of  worship.     The  preaching  had  to 
be  done  in  the  cabins  of  the  settlers,  under  the  trees  of  the  for- 
est,, and  anywhere  the  frontier  settlers  could  be  assembled.     The 
hunter,  in  his  hunting  attire,  was  conspicuous  in  the  meetings 
on  the  Tombigbee.     In  the  journey  of  the  chase  he  laid  down 
his  gun  and  game  at  the  root  of  the  tree,  and  gave  audience  to 
the  message  delivered  by  the  preacher  sheltered  by  the  boughs 
of  the  same  tree.     Kude  and  rough  was  everything.     The  Annu- 
al Conference  was  appointed  to  meet,  and  did  meet,  in  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina,  December  23, 1809.  To  this  Conference  there 
and  then  assembled  Burdge  and  Sturdevant  made  official  report 
of  the  work  of  the  year.     While  they  had  no  houses  of  worship, 
no  schools  of  any  sort,  and  no  contributions  for  benevolent  en- 
terprises to  report,  they  reported  seventy-one  white  and  fifteen 
colored  members  in  Society  on  Tombigbee.     This  was  an  en- 
couraging advance  made  in  two  years  in  the  wild  woods.     For 
the  place  and  times  this  was  preeminent  success.     The  white 
members  were  equal  in  number  to  the  Sanhedrin,  or  the  great 
Jewish  Council,  and  the  colored  members  numbered  enough  to 
fill  up  from  beginning  to  end  the  Apostolic  College,  and  have 
one  in  the  place  of  Matthias,  another  in  the  place  of  Paul,  and 
still  another  in  the  place  of  Apollos,  provided  all  were  men. 
It  is   history,  it  is  a  fact,   not  to  be   denied  nor  disguised, 
that  from  its  very  beginning  in  Alabama,  Methodism  in  said 
State  has  been  connected  with  the  colored  race,  with  African 
slaves.     The  very  first  list  of  the  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Alabama  had  in  it  the 
names  of  fifteen  colored  persons,  of  fifteen   slaves.     Fanatics 
may  approve  or  deride  as  seemeth  to  them  good,  but  it  must 
be  recorded  as  the   truth  of  history  and  in  eulogy  of  their 
philanthropy  and   fidelity  to  their  divine  mission  that  Stur- 
devant and  Burdge,  the  first  Methodist  preachers  appointed 
to  preach  in  Alabama,  did,  instead  of  spending  their  strength 
in  a  fruitless   rage   for  emancipation,  give   to  the  slaves  on 


44 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


the  Tombigbee  the  gospel  and  ordinances  of  the  Christian 
Church,  which  brought  to  said  slaves  the  liberty  of  the  sons  of 
God  and  which  fitted  them  for  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in 
light.  As  God  has  ordained,  the  dispensations  of  the  gospel  are 
to  men  of  all  classes  and  conditions.  Methodism  in  Alabama 
brought  into  the  membership  and  fellowship  of  the  Church 
masters  and  slaves  together.  She  commenced  in  the  State  that 
way,  and  her  success  here  has  been  phenomenal.  God  has  ap- 
proved. There  was  not  a  time  from  the  taking  in  of  the  first 
members  in  1809  to  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  in  1865  that 
the  Methodist  Church  in  Alabama  did  not,  under  her  ministry, 
have  slaves  as  members  of  her  communion.  Whatever  may  be 
said  of  slavery  per  se,  this  is  a  matter  of  congratulation. 

The  natural  limit  of  human  endurance,  as  well  as  the  legally 
fixed  limit  of  the  term  of  ministerial  service,  disallowed  the  re- 
turn of  Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  to  Tombigbee  after  the  second 
year.  Two  years  was  then  the  length  of  ministerial  service  as 
limited  by  law.  As  he  was  worn  and  exhausted  by  the  burdens 
and  privations  of  the  two  years  amidst  savage  surroundings,  and 
as  he  needed  relief  from  the  fearful  strain  imposed  by  the  situ- 
ation, it  was  a  moral  necessity  as  well  as  a  legal  requirement 
that  he  go  elsewhere.  His  ministry  on  the  Tombigbee  ended 
with  the  close  of  1809. 

The  financial  support  which  Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  received 
during  his  ministry  on  Tombigbee  was  small  indeed.  What  he 
received  from  the  people  of  that  country  was  not  worth  count- 
ing. When  he  was  appointed  to  that  work,  there  were  no  Soci- 
eties there,  and  mauy  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  region  were  not 
even  willing  to  hear  the  gospel,  and  could  not  be  expected  to 
provide  the  necessaries  of  life  for  those  who  preached  it.  At 
that  time  the  Discipline  provided  for  making,  on  the  Circuits 
where  congregations  were  established  and  there  were  those  able 
and  willing  to  contribute,  an  annual  and  a  quarterly  collection 
for  raising  supplies  for  the  propagation  of  the  gospel  and  for 
making  up  the  deficiencies  of  the  salaries  of  the  preachers. 
The  Discipline  also  further  provided  for  voluntary  contributions 
from  friends  of  the  Church  to  what  was  called  *'  The  Chartered 
Fund,"  for  the  same  general  purposes,  including  as  beneficiaries 
the  "superannuated  and  worn-out  preachers  and  the  widows 
and  orphans  of  preachers."     Under  the  provisions  herein  enu- 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


45 


merated  Brother  Sturdevant  received  something  for  defraying 
his  expenses  while  he  preached  the  gospel  on  the  "Bigbee" 
Mission.     On  the  morning  of  December  30,  1807,  "Matthew  P. 
Sturdevant  volunteered  his  services  to  Bigbee  as  a  missionary, 
was  accepted,  and  elected  to  the  eldership,"  and  on  Saturday, 
Jauuary  2,  1808,  the  last  day  of  the  session  of  the  Conference, 
the  day  they  "  closed  near  dark,  by  prayer,"  the  Conference 
"  Committee  of  Charity,"  in  the  disposition  of  the  funds  in  hand 
for  deficient  preachers,  missionaries,  and  other  claimants,  "  gave 
to  the  missionary  to  Tombigbee  $100."     At  the  close  of  his  first 
year  on   that  work,  on  December  30,   1808,  that   Conference 
"  Committee  of  Charity,"  in  disposing  of  the  funds  raised  and 
set  apart  for  deficiencies  in  salaries,  distributed  to  the  "mission- 
ary to  Tombigbee  $80.51  J."     At  the  close  of  his  second  and  last 
year  on  Tombigbee,  on  the  morning  of  December  27,  1809,  the 
"  Committee  of  Charity  "  which  took  account  of  receipts  and  de- 
ficiencies distributed  to  "Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  $74.14."  These 
items  are  on  record  in  the  Journal  of  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference, and  have  been  taken  from  the  official  documents.     At 
the  time  Sturdevant  was  employed  in  preaching  on  the  Tombig- 
bee the  Discipline,  in  a  statute  on  the  subject,  said:  "The  an- 
nual allowance  of  the  traveling  preachers  shall  be  eighty  dollars 
and  their  traveling  expenses."     From  the  amounts  of  his  de- 
ficiencies which  had  to  be  paid  oat  of  the  funds  at  the  Confer- 
ences it  is  certain  Brother  Sturdevant  received  very  little  from 
the  Tombigbee  settlers,  and  that  his  traveling  expenses  were 

heavy  for  those  times. 

The  Virginia  Conference  met  at  Edmund  Taylor's,  Caswell 
Circuit,  Granville  County,  North  Carolina,  March  1,  1805.  At 
this  time  and  place  the  name  of  Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  appears 
in  official  recommendation  to  and  in  official  recognition  by  the 
Virginia  Conference.  Here  at  this  time  he  was  admitted  on  trial 
into*"  the  traveling  connection.  For  this  year  1805  he  was  ap- 
pointed junior  preacher  on  Orange  Circuit,  Kichmond  District, 
with  Edward  Henley  in  charge  of  the  Circuit,  and  Stith  Mead, 
presiding  elder  of  the  District.  For  1806  he  w^as  junior 
preacher'^on  Tar  Eiver  Circuit,  New  Berne  District,  in  North  Car- 
olina, with  Samuel  Garrard  in  charge  of  the  Circuit,  and  Philip 
Bruce,  presiding  elder  of  the  District.  The  Virginia  Confer- 
ence met  at  New^Berne,  North  Carolina,  February  2, 1807.     Here 


46 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  was  received  into  full  connection,  or- 
dained a  deacon,  and  was  for  this  year  appointed  junior  preach- 
er on  Onoree  Circuit,  Seleuda  District,  South  Carolina  Confer- 
ence, with  W.  M.  Kennedy  in  charge  of  the  Circuit,  and  Lewis 
Myers  presiding  elder  of  the  District.  At  the  end  of  this  Con- 
ference year,  which  was  the  time  he  was  first  appointed  to  Tom- 
bigbee,  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  Brother  Sturdevant,  as  has 
already  been  stated,  was  elected  and  ordained  an  elder.  He  had 
been  deacon  only  one  ecclesiastical  year,  and,  according  to  regu- 
lar course,  could  not  have  been  ordained  an  elder  before  the  close 
of  another  year,  but,  as  he  was  going  a  missionary  to  Tombigbee, 
the  Discipline  provided  that  he  might  be  elected  and  ordained 
an  elder  for  that  work.  At  the  expiration  of  his  two  years  on 
Tombigbee  he  was  appointed  for  the  year  1810  to  Fayetteville, 
North  Carolina.  For  1811  he  was  preacher  in  charge  of  the 
Sparta  Circuit,  Sparta  District,  in  Georgia,  with  J.  B.  Glenn  as 
junior  preacher,  and  Joseph  Tarpley  as  presiding  elder  of  the 
District.  At  the  end  of  1811  Sturdevant  located.  The  Journal 
for  the  day's  proceedings,  December  26,  1811,  says:  "M.  P. 
Sturdevant  desired  a  location,  which  was  granted."  For  1813 
he  was  again  in  the  Virginia  Conference,  and  was  preacher  in 
charire  of  the  Franklin  Circuit,  Yadkin  District,  with  John  C. 
Taylor  as  junior  preacher,  and  William  Jean,  presiding  elder 
of  the  District.  At  the  end  of  this  Conference  year  the  Yir- 
dnia  Conference  met  at  Norfolk  February  10,  1814,  and  here 
Brother  Sturdevant  again  located.  This  ended  his  itinerant  life 
and  labors.  He  was  ^n  itinerant  preacher  eight  years  in  all. 
During  his  itinerant  ministry  he  preached  in  Virginia,  North 
Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  what  afterward  became 
Alabama.  His  ministry  extended  from  Orange  County  in  Vir- 
ginia to  Tombigbee  in  the  wilderness.  In  what  a  wide  and 
great  field  did  this  man  preach  the  everlasting  gospel ! 

The  Kev.  Matthew  Parham  Sturdevant  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  and  he  was  quite  young  when  he  commenced  preach- 
ing. It  is  said  that  his  parents  were  opposed  to  his  joining  the 
Methodists.  He  married  Miss  Agnes  Kent,  of  Halifax  County, 
Virginia,  about  the  time  he  located.  He  and  his  wife  had  six 
sons  and  five  daughters,  who  lived  to  be  grown,  but  are  now  (Sep- 
tember, 1888)  all  dead  except  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  T. 
Freeman,  who  is  now  sixty-eight  years  old  and  lives  with  her  hus- 


\ 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


47 


band,  Edwin  H.  Freeman,  at  Pearsville,  Bedford  County,  Virgin- 
ia. The  exact  time  when  Brother  Sturdevant  died  has  not  been 
ascertained.  His  obituary  was  written  at  the  time  of  his  death 
by  one  of  his  intimate  friends,  AVilliam  S.  Murrell,  of  Nelson. 
County,  Virginia,  but  said  obituary  has  been  lost.  The  family 
records  were  destroyed  in  a  fire.  Brother  Sturdevant  lived  to  old 
age,  and  died  at  his  own  little  home  in  Nelson  County,  Virginia. 
His  wife  survived  him  several  years,  and  died  at  the  same  home. 
He  continued  to  work  as  a  local  preacher  as  long  as  he  lived, 
and  was  very  useful  to  the  Church,  especially  in  revival  meet- 
ings. He  maintained  a  good  name  to  the  last,  and  died  in  the 
faith  of  the  gospel  and  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Church.  He 
had  charge  of  the  poorhouse  in  Amherst  County,  Virginia,  as 
steward  for  a  number  of  years,  but  taught  a  school  through 
many  of  the  years  of  his  life  after  he  married  and  retired  from 
the  work  of  the  itinerant  ministry. 

From  the  Rev.  Thomas  S.  Campbell,  a  member  of  the  North 
Carolina  Conference,  a  refined,  consecrated,  sweet-spirited,  and 
saintly  man,  an  able  and  evangelical  preacher,  one  of  long  serv- 
ice in  the  Church,  who  lived  a  few  years  in  Alabama,  and  a 
nephew  of  Alexander  Sale,  of  precious  memory,  the  following 
statements  concerning  Matthew  P.  Sturdevant  are  here  given: 
"About  the  first  missionary  ever  sent  to  Alabama  by  the  Meth- 
odists was  Matthew  P.  Sturdevant.  It  so  happened  that  he  came 
to  live  in  my  father's  neighborhood  in  1826.  I  knew  him  well  in 
my  early  years,  and  have  heard  him  relate  with  thrilling  inter- 
est his  travels,  labors,  hardships,  trials,  perils,  sufferings,  and 
successes  on  the  '  Bigbee,'  as  he  called  his  mission.  When  the 
bishop  proposed  to  establish  the  mission,  he  called  for  volun- 
teers, and  Brother  Sturdevant  only  of  all  volunteered.  He  was 
full  of  the  divine  Spirit,  and  labored  zealously.  He  was  a  man 
of  moderate  intelligence,  with  some  genius,  considerable  fancy, 
burning  zeal,  impassioned  address;  wanting  in  energy  and  tact 
in  business  matters,  but  yet  of  unquestioned  piety.  He  lived 
several  years  in  my  father's  neighborhood,  and  within  a  short 
distance  of  our  church.  He  was  a  feeble  man,  unable  to  do 
much  work.  He  was  never  robust.  His  health  had  been  greatly 
impaired  by  his  itinerant  labors,  especially  the  hardships  of 
Tombigbee  mission.  He  had  a  large  family  and  was  very  poor. 
He  had  been  living  several  years  in  the  county.     The  commis- 


48 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


sioners  of  the  poorhouse  offered  him  the  position  of  steward, 
which  he  filled  with  fidelity  for  several  years.  He  took  the  po- 
sition in  1826,  and  was  there  w^hen  I  left  and  joined  the  Confer- 
ence in  1831.  After  leaving  the  place  of  steward  he  left,  for 
what  cause  I  know  not,  the  neighborhood  and  county,  removing 
to  Nelson  County,  Virginia,  adjoining  Amherst  There  he 
died,  but  when  I  do  not  recollect." 

Brother  Sturdevant's  preaching  was  much  in  the  line  of  warn- 
ing sinners  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  He  had  a  strong 
voice,  was  a  great  singer,  able  in  prayer,  and  powerful  in  exhor- 
tation. He  w^ent  through  a  long  life  without  a  blemish  upon 
his  moral  character.  Consecrated  in  his  youth,  laborious  and 
useful  through  life,  and  triumphant  in  death,  he  went  from  his 
sufferings  here  and  entered  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord. 

For  1810  the  appointment  stood:  Tombecbee,  Michael  Bnrdge, 
John  W.  Kennon.     At  the  Conference  held  at  Columbia,  South 
Carolina,  at  the  close  of  this  ecclesiastical  year,  commencing  on 
December  22, 1810,  and  adjourning  sine  die  the  28th  of  the  same 
month,  the  report  from  Tombigbee  was  one  hundred  and  two  white 
members  and  fourteen  colored  members  in  Society.    This  was  an  in- 
crease for  the  year  of  thirty-one  white  members  and  a  decrease  of 
one  colored  member.     In  the  Journal  of  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference is  found  a  record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  day,  Decem- 
ber 28.     Among  other  items  on  record  is  the  report  of   the 
"Committee  of  Charity"  on  receipts  and  deficiencies,  and  in 
thi^   report   are  the   following  items:  "John  W.  Kennon,  de- 
ficient, $54.50.  Eeceived  $45.00."  "M.  Burdge,  deficient,  $135.00. 
Keceived  $116.00."     The  record,  here  given,  of  the  deficiencies 
of  these  preachers  and  the  amounts  which  the  Conference  paid 
them,  shows  that  the  Kev.  John  W.  Kennon  received  for  the 
year  from  the  denizens  of  Tombigbee  $25.50  and  his  traveling 
expenses,  and  that  the  Kev.  Michael  Burdge  received  for  the 
year  from  the  Tombigbee  settlers  $25.00  and  his  traveling  ex- 
penses.    Kennon  received  just  the  same  proportion  of  his  allow- 
ance that  Burdge  did.     The  number  of  members  in  Society  and 
the  receipts  and  deficiencies  in  salaries  here  given  are  all  the 
items  reported   and  recorded  from  Tombigbee  for  this  year. 
The  incidents  of  the  year  are  all  ingulfed  in  oblivion.     This 
year  closed    the    ministry  of  Michael   Burdge   in   Alabama. 
He  had  now  been  two  years  in  charge  of  Tombigbee,  and  the 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


49 


law  limiting  the  term  of  ministerial  service  contravened  his  re- 
turn. 

The  Kev.  Michael  Burdge  was  that  type  of  man  often  met  wi4:h 
and  from  whose  career  something  may  be  learned.   Ever  and  anon 
improprieties  marked  his  life.     There  are  no  documents  now  in 
sight  from  which  to  ascertain  when  and  where  he  was  born,  when 
and  where  he  joined  the  Charch,  when  and  where  he.  was  li- 
censed to  preach.     He  first  appears  at  the  session  of  the  Confer- 
ence held  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  March,  1788.  Here  he 
was  admitted  on  trial.     At  the  close  of  this  year  he  is  reported  as 
received  into  full  connection.     In  Charleston,  in  February,  1790, 
he  was  ordained  deacon.     In  Charleston,  in  February,  1792,  he 
was  ordained  elder,  and  located.     He  had  traveled  four  years, 
all  his  appointments  being  in  South  Carolina.     He  next  appears 
at  the  session  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference  held  at  Charles- 
ton, commencing  December  28, 1807,  and  closing  sine  die  January 
2, 1808.     In  the  record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  day  for  Decem- 
ber 30  is  the  following  entry  concerning  him:  "Michael  Burdge 
was  recommended  by  a  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference  held  at 
Betterton  s  Meeting  House,  Union  Circuit,  but  was  not  admitted. 
It  was  voted  that  the  presiding  elder  may  employ  him,  uaing 
caution  and  prudence."     At  the  next  session  of  the  Conference, 
held  at  Liberty  Chapel,  Georgia,  beginning  December  26,  1808, 
and  closing  the  31st  of  the  same  month,  he  appears  again.    In  the 
proceedings  of  the  afternoon  of  December  28,  the  Journal  records 
this  item:  "Michael  Burdge,  who  was  rejected  last  Conference, 
was  recommended  by  the  members  of  a  Quarterly  Conference 
held  in  Lincoln  Circuit,  November  12, 1808,  and,  after  very  much 
having  been  said  about  his  former  improprieties,  was  admitted 
on  trial  by  a  majority  of  18  against  15."     In  the  Journal  of  the 
proceedings  for  December  30,  is  this  remarkable  item:  "  Michael 
Burdge  was  called  in  to  give  some  explanation  relative  to  his 
backsliding,  a  lawsuit  wdiich  he  had  wath  David  Kumph  some 
years  ago,  and  to  his  restoration  to  the  favor  of  God."     This  is 
all  that  is  now  known  of  him  up  to  the  time  he  was  sent  to  Tom- 
bigbee.    The  next  day  he  was  read  out  to  Tombigbee.     This  was 
the  first  work  assigned  him  upon  his  reception  on  trial  in  the 
Conference.     He  did  not  attend  the  session  of  the  Conference 
at  the  close  of  his  first  year  on  Tombigbee.     He  made  a  report 
to  the  Conference  by  letter.     The  session  of  the  Conference  was 


50 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


51 


held  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  December  23-29, 1809.    The 
Journal  gives  the  proceedings  for  the  morning  of  December  2(), 
and  says:  "Brother  Michael  Burdge's  letter  was  read.     He  is 
continued  on  trial.     Conference  appointed  Lovick  Pierce  and  W. 
M.  Kennedy  to  write  a  letter  to  Brother  Burdge  to  give  him  in- 
formation according  to  request  in  his  letter  concerning  the  char- 
acter of  Angus  McDonald  and  his  relation  to  us."     Angus  Mc 
Donald  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  South  Carolina  Conference 
at  its   session  in  Sparta,  Georgia,  commencing  December  29, 
1806;  was  continued  on  trial  at  the  next  session ;  and  at  the  session 
held  at  Liberty  Chapel,  Georgia,  he  was,  according  to  the  Jour- 
nal of  the  Conference,  on  Thursday,  December  29,  1808,  grant- 
ed an  "honorable  location."     It  seems  that  for  reasons  Brother 
Burdge  on  the  Tombigbee  wished  to  know  the  character  Angus 
McDonald  maintained  in  the  estimation  of  the  Methodists  and 
the  relations  he  really  sustained  to  them.     Probably  McDonald 
after  his  location  had  emigrated  to  Tombigbee,  and  it  was  nec- 
essary to  have  an  accurate  knowledge  of  his  character  and  rela- 
tions in  order  to  know  whether  to  recognize  and  use  him  as  a 
Methodist  preacher  in  the  local  ranks,  and  hence  the  letter  of 
inquiry  by  Burdge  and  the  letter  of  response  by  the  Conference 
through  their  committee. 

The  South  Carolina  Conference  met  at  Columbia,  South  Caro- 
lina, on  Saturday,  December  22, 1810.  Michael  Burdge  and  John 
W.  Kennon  were  both  present  all  the  way  from  Tombigbee.  The 
Journal  of  the  Conference,  making  mention  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  afternoon  session  of  December  24, 1810,  says:  "  M.  Burdge 
was  admitted  into  full  connection." 

For  1811  Michael  Burdge  was  appointed  to  the  Bladon  Cir- 
cuit, Camden  District,  with  Daniel  Asbury  presiding  elder. 
For  1812  he  was  junior  preacher  on  the  Keewee  Circuit,  Edisto 
District,  with  James  Elizabeth  Glenn  in  charge  of  the  Circuit 
and  William  M.  Kennedy,  presiding  elder.  For  1813  he  was  on 
the  Warren  Circuit,  Ogeechee  District,  with  Elijah  Byrd,  help- 
er, and  Lewis  Myers,  presiding  elder.  For  1814  he  served  the 
Onoree  Circuit,  Broad  Kiver  District,  with  West  Harris,  helper, 
and  Hilliard  Judge,  presiding  elder.  For  1815  his  name  does 
not  appear  in  the  list  of  appointments.  At  the  session  of  the 
South  Carolina  Conference,  in  the  afternoon  of  December  27 
1814,. ae  is  learned  from  the  Journal  of  the  Conference  for  that 


day,  "  M.  Burdge  was  examined  and  a  recommendation  granted 
him'  as  he  wished  to  remove  to  a  Conference  more  convenient' 
to  his  family."    This  severed  his  connection  with  the  South  Caro- 
lina Conference,  and  with  the  recommendation  furnished  him 
be  connected  himself  with  the  Genesee  Conference.     For  1816 
and  for  1817  he  was  on  Tioga  Circuit,  Susquehanna  District, 
with  Marmaduke  Pearce,  presiding  elder.     What  a  combination 
of  euphonious  names  is  found  here!     For  1818  he  was  in  charge 
of  Broome  Circuit,  Chenango  District,  with  Peter  Baker,  helper, 
and  Charles  Giles,  presiding  elder.     This  year  closed  his  career 
as  a  preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  least  no 
deponent  hath  appeared  to  the  contrary.     It  seems  that  during 
this  and  the  preceding  year  he  was  environed  by  difficulties,  and 
entangled  by  improprieties,  and  suspected  of  immoralities,  and 
harassed  by  ecclesiastical  prosecutions,  and  in  the  end  was  con- 
victed and  deposed  from  his  high  office.     The  Genesee  Confer- 
ence held  its  session  at  Vienna,  Ontario  County,  New  York,  July 
1-8, 1819.     At  this  session  of  this  Conference  Michael  Burdge, 
who  had  been  a  traveling  preacher  fourteen  years,  and  who  had 
had  the  oversight  of  the  souls  of  men  through  all  these  years, 
was  deposed  from  the  Christian  ministry.  .  The  General  Minutes 
state  that  he  was  expelled,  but  do  not  state  the  cause  of  his  ex- 
pulsion.   Upon  inquiry  made  through  J.  M.  Buckley,  D.D.,  the 
following  information  has  been  kindly  furnished  by  the  Rev.  C. 
AV.  Winciiester,  the  present  Secretary  of  the  Genesee  Conference: 

«  Batayia,  N.  Y.,  August  27,  1888. 

"  Mr.  Anson  W^est. 

"Dear  Sir:  Your  letter  to  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Buckley  asking  about 
the  Rev.  Michael  Burdge  has  been  placed  in  my  hands.  I  find 
in  the  Journal  of  the  Genesee  Conference  held  at  Vienna  (now 
Phelps),  New  York,  July  1-8,  the  following  entry:  'Voted  that 
Conference  exonerat^'  M.  Burdge  from  the  complaints  brought 
against  him  at  last  Conference.'  That  bears  date  July  6.  Un- 
der date  of  July  7,  I  find  the  following:  'In  the  examination  of 
character  it  appeared  that  certain  charges  had  been  alleged 
against  M.  Burdge— that  a  committee  called  by  the  presiding 
elder  of  the  Chenango  District  had  judged  him  guilty  of  im- 
moral and  imprudent  conduct,  and  had  accordingly  suspended 
him;  whereupon  the  Conference  proceeded  upon  his  trial.  Va- 
rious papers  in  evidence  on  the  case,  were  read.     Voted  that  the 


52 


Historij  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


63 


charges  be  taken  up  separately.  After  a  careful  and  deliberate 
•examiaation  of  evidence  and  circumstances,  voted  that  the  evi- 
dence is  not  sufficient  to  criminate  him  on  the  charge  of  immor- 
ality; 2d,  voted  that  he  is  guilty  of  imprudence.  Conference 
adjourned.'  Under  date  of  July  8  I  find  the  following:  'The 
Conference  voted  that  Michael  Burdge  be  divested  of  his  minis- 
terial authority  and  that  he  be  retained  as  a  private  member.' 
This  is  all  the  record  of  the  case  which  has  been  preserved. 
Just  what  the  charges  and  specifications  were  does  not  appear. 
-  Yours  sincerely,  C.  W.  Winchester, 

"Secretary  of  Genesee  Conference." 

On  account  of  "his  former  imprudences   and  backsliding," 
the  men  charged  with  settling  the  question  of  his  admission  into 
the  itinerant  ministry  had  grave  apprehensions  that  he  would 
bring  reproach  upon  the  common  cause  by  his  evil  blunderings 
in  case  he  was  admitted,  and  the  sequel  proved  that  the  fears 
entertained  by  the  fifteen  who  voted  against  his-  reception  into 
the  Conference  were  only  too  well  founded.     He,  the  second 
man  sent  to  the  Tombigbee,  that  hard  and  difficult  field  in  the 
wilderness  amidst  savages,  was  at  last  "  divested  of  his  ministe- 
rial authority  "  upon  a  verdict  of  being  "  guilty  of  imprudence.  " 
In  after  years  he  was  a  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Genesee  Annual  Conference 
of  that  Church.     He  represented  that  Conference  in  the  General 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  which  met  in 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  May,  1838.     AYhat  finally  became  of 
him  is  not  now  known,  and  there  are  no  means  of  ascertaining. 
For  1811  the  appointment  made  was  Tombecbee,  John  W.  Ken- 
non,  John  S.  Ford.    The  Annual  Conference  at  the  close  of  this  ec- 
clesiastical year  was  held  at  Camden,  South  Carolina,  December 
21-27, 1811.     To  this  Conference  Kennon  and  Ford  reported  for 
Tombigbee  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  white  members  and 
fourteen  colored  members.     There  was  no  change  in  the  number 
of  colored  members.     AVhether  these  were  the  same  colored 
members  had  the  previous  year,  or  whether  new  members  had 
been  added  and  some  of  the  former  members  had  been  lost  from 
the  roll  by  death  and  otherwise  there  are  now  no  means  of  as- 
certaining.    There  was  a  net  increase  for  the  year  of  twenty- 
four  white  members.     For  the  limits  and  surroundings  of  the 
field  this  was  a  decided  advance  and  indicated  solid  interests  in 


the  work  of  the  Church.     The  financial  report  indicated  a  fear- 
ful  falling  off  for  the  year.     Though  the  contributions  the  year 
before  were  very  meager,  there  was  for  this  year  ^  falling-oa  ot 
more  than  half.     The  report  in  the  Journal  is  "  John  W.  Ken- 
non deficient  $75.00,"  "  John  S.  Ford  deficient  ^60  oO.       1  ins 
report  of  deficiencies  shows  that  Kennon  received  from   the 
people  of  Tombigbee  for  the  year  $5  and  his  traveling  expenses, 
and  that  Ford  received  from  them  for  the  year  $19.50  and   us 
traveling  expenses.     The  Conference,  out  of  the  funds  provided 
for  meeting  as  far  as  possible  the  deficiencies  of  the  preacliers, 
made  up  to  Kennon  and  Ford  a  part  of  their  allowance.     From 
said  funds   Kennon    ^'received  $65.00,"   and   Ford   "received 
$50  50  "     This  made  their  receipts  for  the  year  equal.     1  his  vvas 
Kennon's  second  year  on  Tombigbee  and  closed  his  work  finally 
as  a  preacher  in  what  is  now  Alabama. 

The  sketch  of  the  Rev.  John  W.  Kennon  must  be  short.     He 
was  recommended  for  admission  on  trial  into  the  traveling  con- 
nection by  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Hopewell  Meeting 
House,  Sparta  Circuit,  in  Georgia,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  De- 
cember 29,  1806,  at  Sparta,  Georgia,  he  was  received  on  trial  by 
the  South  Carolina  Conference.     Here  he  was  appointed  junior 
preacher  on  the  Great  Pee  Dee  Circuit,  Camden  District.     At 
the  next  session  of  the  Conference  he  was  continued  on  trial,  • 
and  was  appointed  one  of  three  preachers  on  the  Onoree  Circuit 
The  Annual  Conference  was  held  at  Liberty  Chapel,  Georgia, 
December  26-31,  1808.     Here,  according  to  the  Journal,  on  the 
morning  of  December  26,  "John  AV.  Kennon  and  others  were 
examined  on  the  subject  of  slavery  and  the  Conference  was  sat- 
isfied with  their  sentiments."     On  the  same  day  was  "  John  W. 
Kennon  admitted  into  full  connection  and  elected  to  deacon  s 
office  "     Here  for  1809  he  was  appointed  to  St.  Mary's  Circuit, 
Oconee  District.     At  the  Conference  at  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina December  23-29, 1809,  at  which  Bishops  Asbury  and  McKen- 
dree  were  both  present,  on  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  the  month 
*'  John  W   Kennon  was  nominated  a  missionary  and  elected  to 
the  eldership  according  to  our  Discipline  in  that  case."  ^  Only 
one  year  had  he  been  a  deacon,  and,  according  to  the  Discipline, 
he  could  not  be  elected  and  ordained  an  elder  until  he  had  been 
a  deacon  two  years,  except  in  case  of  being  appointed  a  mission- 
ary    The  next  day  after  his  election  to  the  "eldership,    having 


54 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


been  ordained  in  the  meantime,  he  was  sent  forth  a  missionary 
to  Tombigbee,  where,  as  has  ah'eady  been  stated,  he  remained 
two  years.  At  the  end  of  his  term  on  Tombigbee  he  was  ap- 
pointed for  the  year  1812  to  Claiborne  Circuit,  Mississippi  Dis- 
trict, Western  Conference.  The  name  of  the  Western  Conference 
disappeared,  and  the  name  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  came  into 
the  list  of  Conferences.  The  Tennessee  Conference  met  for  the 
first  time  at  Fountain  Head,  Tennessee,  near  the  line  between 
that  State  and  Kentucky,  November,  1812.  Here  John  W.  Ken- 
non  located.  This  ended  his  itinerant  career.  He  settled  in 
Mississippi  not  far  from  the  southern  border  of  his  last  Circuit 
which  he  served  as  preacher  in  charge.  Here,  amidst  his  own 
domestic  surroundings  and  temporal  engagements,  he  lived  a  few 
brief  years  and  died.     To  the  end  he  honored  his  religion. 

A  son  of  his,  born  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  he  left  Tom- 
bigbee, Eobert  W.  Kennon,  became  a  preacher,  and  was  admitted 
on  trial  in  the  Mississippi  Conference  at  the  session  in  Natchez, 
Mississippi,  December  6, 1837.  In  due  course  of  Discipline  he 
was  received  into  full  connection  in  the  Conference,  and  was  in- 
ducted into  the  sacred  orders  of  the  Christian  ministry.  Serving 
the  Church  in  the  wide  field  of  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and  Tex- 
as, in  various  capacities  as  a  minister,  teaching  and  preachino- 
for  thirty-four  years,  and  making  full  proof  of  his  ministry,  he 
died  a  member  of  the  Texas  Conference,  January  23,  1881. 

The  year  1811  was  the  last  year  Tombigbee  was  put  down  in 
connection  with  the  South  Carolina  Conference.  At  the  close 
of  this  year  it  was  transferred  to  the  Western  Conference,  and 
appeared  for  that  year  in  the  list  of  appointments  of  that  Con- 
ference. Now  look  at  the  sum  total  as  it  was  when  turned  over 
to  the  Western  Conference.  There  were  one  hundred  and  forty 
members  of  white  and  colored  together.  For  the  year  the  work 
had  contributed  all  told  twenty-four  dollars  and  fifty  cents  and 
the  traveling  expenses  of  the  preachers.  This  and  nothing 
more. 

All  the  preachers  who  went  to  Tombigbee  by  appointment 
from  the  South  Carolina  Conference  previous  to  1811  had  to 
thread  their  way  through  the  Indian  country  along  an  Indian 
trail  from  Fort  Hawkins,  where  Macon,  Georgia,  now  stands,  to 
Mims'  Ferry,  on  the  Alabama  River.  This  Indian  trail  went  by 
Fort  Mitchell,  on  the  Chattahoochee  River,  nine  miles  below 


/ 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


55 


Columbus,  though  Fort  Mitchell  was  not  there  then,  and  by 
what  is  known  as  Warrior  Stand,  and  eight  miles  south  of  the 
present  city  of  Montgomery,  and  by  a  place  called  Burnt  Corn 
in  Conecuh  County.  Not  until  1811  were  steps  taken  to  open  a 
road  through  the  wilderness  traversed  by  said  trail.  In  that 
year  the  United  States,  having  obtained  the  consent  of  some  of 
the  chiefs  of  the  Creek  nation,  cut  out  a  road  from  Mims'  Ferry, 
on  the  Alabama  River,  to  Fort  Mitchell,  on  the  Chattahoochee 
River  As  the  savages  were  still  owners  and  occupants  ot  this 
wilderness  country  from  side  to  side,  the  cutting  out  of  this  road 
did  not  remove  the  perils  of  the  route,  but  only  made  the  way 
easier  found  and  followed.  ,o-.n    ^      i      rr 

By  the  official  record  the  appointment  for  1812  stands:   Tom- 
becbee,  William  Houston,  Isaac  Quinn.     This  is  strictly  correct. 
These  men  were  there,  and  they  were  faithful  and  efficient  work- 
ers     They  were  at  Natchez  and  AVilkinson,  on  the  Mississippi 
River  the  year  before.     But  there  is  another  statement  to  be 
added  to  make  known  the  entire  provision  for  the  prosecution  of 
the  work  on  Tombigbee  for  this  year.     There  was  sent  to  this 
field  for  this  year  one  other  preacher,  one  sent  as  a  missionary. 
Bishop  Asbury  was  impressed  with  the  importance  of  the 
Natchez  country  and  the  Tombigbee  settlements,  and  he  was 
constantly  searching  for  men  for  these  fields.     There  was  a  lack 
of  ministerial  service  in  these  countries  lying  among  the  sav- 
ages     The  bishop  was  on  the  alert,  ever  trying  to  supply  that 
lack'  and  at  the  session  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  held  at 
Camden,  South  Carolina,  December  21-27   1811,  he  transferred 
from  that  Conference  to  the  Western  Conference  Lewis  Hobbs 
and  Thomas  Griffin,  and  put  Hobbs  on  the  Wilkinson  and  Griffin 
on  the  Washataw  Circuit,  in  the  Natchez  country^    At  the  same 
time  he  sent  forth  two  other  members  of  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  into  the  wilderness  toward  the  setting  sun,  not  trans- 
ferring them,  bat  sending  them  out  as  missionaries.     These  two 
men  thus  sent  forth  for  the  year  1812  were  Richmond  Nolley 
Rnd  Drewrv  Powell.     The  names  of  these  two  preachers  do  not 
appear  in  the  list  of  appointments  for  this  year.     Their  names 
are  not  atlached  to  any  appointment  in  the  connection      They 
were  sent  forth  to  a  work  not  already  organized,  bounded,  and 
named;  but  they  were  sent  forth  with  the  liberty  of  missionaries 
to  work  in  the  common  field  of  the  outlying  Western  country, 


66 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Nolley  to  exercise  his  ministry  anywhere  in  the  Tombigbee 
country  that  he  might  find  souls  and  settlements  needing  the 
ministrations  of  the  gospel,  Powell  to  exercise  his  ministry  any- 
where in  Mississippi. 

Nolley,  the  missionary,  was  to  work  anywhere  in  the  Tombig- 
bee regions  that  work  might  be  needed.  He  was  sent  forth  not 
to  supply  the  place  of  Houston  and  Quinn,  the  regular  ap- 
pointees, on  Tombigbee,  not  to  supplant  them,  but  to  assist  them, 
and  to  supply  any  lack  of  service  which  might  exist,  and  to  ex- 
tend the  work  wherever  extension  was  possible.  Not  a  single 
item  is  recorded  in  the  Journal  of  the  Annual  Conference  con- 
cerning Nolley's  appointment  for  1812.  There  is  on  record  an 
item  of  appropriation  for  missionaries  to  the  Western  country, 
but  the  names  of  these  missionaries  are  not  mentioned  in  imme- 
diate connection  with  this  appropriation.  In  Xolley's  obituary, 
published  in  the  General  Minutes,  are  two  or  three  sentences 
which  contain  an  item  of  history  and  throw  light  on  some  things 
otherwise  obscure:  "In  1812,  in  compliance  with  a  request  of 
the  bishop,  he  went  on  a  mission  to  Tombigbee.  After  passing 
through  the  savage  nations,  a  wilderness  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty  miles,  swimming  deep  creeks,  and  lying  out  eleven  nights, 
he  arrived  at  the  place  of  destination."  "The  request  of  the 
bishop  *'  referred  to  in  these  lines  was  made  at  the  session  of  the 
South  Carolina  Conference  which  opened  December  21  and 
closed  December  27,  1811.  The  statements  all  indicate  as  well 
as  assert  that  his  mission  was  on  the  Tombigbee,  and  there  he 
labored  for  the  year  1812. 

Powell  was  sent  forth  by  the  bishop  with  the  same  commis- 
sion as  was  Nolley.  He  was  to  supply  any  service  needed  be- 
yond what  others  were  rendering  in  any  part  of  Mississippi 
Territory,  which  Territory  by  formal  enactment  and  technical 
assumptions  extended  from  the  Mississippi  on  the  west  to  the 
Chattahoochee  River  on  the  east.  According  to  the  Journal  of 
the  South  Carolina  Conference,  "Drewry  Powell  was  recom- 
mended by  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Rehoboth  Meeting 
House,  Union  Circuit,  November  4,  1809,  and  was  admitted  on 
trial"  by  the  South  Carolina  Conference  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  December  26,  1809.  The  proceedings  for  the  annual 
session  held  in  Camden,  South  Carolina,  December  21-27, 1811, 
are  on  record.     In  the  proceedings  for  the  first  day  the  Journal 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


57 


says:  "Drewry  Powell,  a  candidate  for  full  connection  and  dea- 
con's orders,  was  judged  unworthy  of  office,  but  admitted  (by  a 
scarce  majority)  into  full  connection."  In  the  proceedings  of 
the  last  day  of  Conference  the  Journal  says:  "The  case  of 
Drewry  Powell  was  reconsidered— his  having  been  appointed 
a  missionary  for  Mississippi,  he  was  elected  to  deacon's  orders." 
This  record  shows  officially  that  he  was  appointed  a  missionary, 
and  that  he  was  appointed  a  missionary  for  Mississippi,  and  that 
he  was  appointed  a  missionary  for  Mississippi  for  the  year  1812. 
There  is  no  conjecture  about  these  points.  The  Conference  Jour- 
nal is  authority  on  the  subject,  but  there  are  conflicting  statements 
extant  as  to  where  he  attempted  to  dispense  the  gospel  during  that 
year.  Some  have  held  that  he  preached  in  Louisiana,  but  it  is  be- 
yond doubt  that  he  stopped  with  Nolley  on  the  Tombigbee,  and 
it  is  reasonably  certain  that  in  that  sedition  he  did  what  work  he 

performed  for  that  year. 

The  South  Carolina  Conference  at  this  time  provided  by  ap- 
propriation from  their  funds  for  the  support  and  equipment  of 
these  two  men  for  the  year  1812,  as  they  had  appointed  them 
missionaries  for  that  year.  In  the  proceedings  for  the  day, 
December  26,  the  Journal  says:  "Appropriated  to  missionaries 
to  Western  country,  $175.00."  This  appropriation  was  evident. 
ly  for  Nolley  and  Powell.  They  were  the  only  missionaries  sent 
to  the  Western  country  this  year  by  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference. Hobbs  and  Griffin,  as  has  already  been  stated,  were 
sent  to  the  Natchez  country,  but  not  as  missionaries.  They  were 
transferred  and  assigned  to  Circuits  already  established  and 

named.  ,.,•.!•  •  i: 

There  was  for  the  Tombigbee  for  this  year  an  increase  of 

forces  Houston,  Quinn,  and  Nolley,  as  the  authentic  records 
show  worked  this  year,  1812,  on  the  Tombigbee,  and  Powell 
certainly  worked  round  about  there.  At  the  session  of  the  South 
Carolina  Conference  at  the  close  of  this  year,  and  which  met  in 
Charleston,  December  19,  1812,  Drewry  Powell  was  present, 
Richmond  Nolley  was  absent.  Nolley  never  returned  to  South 
Carolina  after  going  to  Tombigbee.  On  receipts  of  annual  al- 
lowance  the  Conference  Journal  shows:  *' Drewry  Powell  de- 
ficient S71  00  "  and  that  from  the  funds  of  the  Conference  for 
making  up  said  deficiency  he  "received  S5L00."  For  1813  Pow- 
ell was  on  Wateree  Circuit,  Broad   River   District.     He  was 


58 


History  of  Metliodism  in  Alabama. 


elected  elder  January  15,  1814,  and  for  1814  he  was  on  Little 
Kiver  Circuit,  Broad  Eiver  District.  At  the  session  of  the  Con- 
ference on  December  27,  1814,  the  record  says,  "  Drewry  Powell 
located."  In  1818  he  was  found  a  local  preacher  living  at  or 
near  Wilson's  Hill,  now  Montevallo,  in  Alabama. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1812,  under  the  ministry  of  Houston, 
Quinn,  Powell,  and  Nolley,  the  report  from  Tombigbee  was  one 
hundred  and  ninety-seven  white  and  fifty-four  colored  members, 
an  increase  of  seventy-one  white  and  forty  colored  members. 
The  increase  of  colored  members  was  a  fraction  over  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  per  cent,  and  the  increase  of  white  mem- 
bers was  a  fraction  over  fifty-six  per  cent.  This  was  a  very  grat- 
ifying increase,  a  glorious  work  for  one  year  in  a  country  which 
had  to  be  reached  by  "  lying  out  eleven  nights." 

This  one  year  closed  the  work  of  the  Rev.  William  Houston 
on  the  Tombigbee.  He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Western 
Conference  at  Mount  Gerizim,  Kentucky,  in  October,  1804,  and 
appointed  junior  preacher  on  Holston  Charge  in  the  Holston 
District.  For  1806  he  was  appointed  to  Lexington,  in  Cumber- 
land District.  At  Ebenezer,  NoUichuckie,  in  Tennessee,  Sep- 
tember, 1806,  he  was  admitted  into  full  connection  in  the  Con- 
ference, elected  and  ordained  deacon,  and  appointed  for  the 
next  year  to  NoUichuckie.  For  1808  he  was  appointed  to  Lex- 
ington, Kentucky  District.  At  Liberty  Hill,  Cumberland,  Ten- 
nessee, October,  1808,  he  was  ordained  an  elder,  and  appointed 
for  the  next  year  to  Cincinnati.  For  1810  he  was  appointed  to 
Natchez,  Mississippi,  and  for  1811  he  was  appointed  to  Wilkin- 
son, in  the  same  State.  For  1812,  as  has  already  been  men- 
tioned, he  was  on  Tombigbee.  At  the  end  of  this  year  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Baltimore  Conference,  and  appointed  to  Botte- 
tourt,  Greenbrier  District.  For  1814  he  was  appointed  to 
Buckingham,  in  the  same  District.  For  1815  he  was  at  Staun- 
ton, and  for  1816  at  Buckingham  again.  At  the  end  of  1816  he 
located.  In  1820  he  appeared  again  in  the  Baltimore  Confer- 
ence, and  again  located  in  1828.  Judging  from  the  appoint- 
ments to  which  he  was  assigned  and  wbich  he  served,  he  was  a 
man  of  special  attainments  and  of  marked  ability. 

The  Eev.  Isaac  Quinn  preached  but  one  year  on  Tombigbee. 
He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Baltimore  Conference  at  Balti- 
more, in  March,  1807,  and  was  appointed  to  Mad  Eiver,  in  the 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


59 


Ohio  District,  which  afterward  appeared  in  the  Western  Con- 
ference.    At  the  end  of  1808  he  was  admitted  into  full  connec- 
tion in  the  Western  Conference,  and  ordained  deacon.     At  the 
end  of  1810  he  was  ordained  elder.     He  continued  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Conference  until  the  close  of  1817,  when  he  loca- 
ted, having  preached  that  year  on  Tazewell  Circuit,  in  the  Hol- 
ston District.     He  is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  decided  talents. 
For  the  year  1813  the  appointment  stands:  Tombecbee,  Rich- 
mond Nolley,  John  Shrock.     This  was  Nolley's   second  year  on 
this  work,  as  he  was  in  that  country  as  missionary  for  the  pre- 
vious year,  as  has  already  been  noticed.     His  obituary  states: 
"  Here  he  spent  two  years  in  laboring  indefatigably  for  the  glo- 
ry of  God  and  the  good  of  souls."     The  table  in  the  General 
Minutes  for  the  year  1813  gives  the  same  number  of  members 
exactly  that  was  reported  the  year  before,  and  this  not  because 
the  number  was  exactly  the  same,  but  for  the  reason  that  the  re- 
port of  the  number  of  members  not  having  been  made,  the  re- 
port of  the  year  before  was  copied  and  published  for  this  year. 
There  is  a  i-eason  why  the  report  was  not  made. 

The  General  Conference  held  in  May,  1812,  gave  to  the  bishops 
authoi'ity  to  form  a  Conference  in  Mississippi  any  time  during 
the  next  four  years,  if  in  their  judgment  it  should  be  expedient 
to  do  so.     Under  this  given  authority  the   bishops  decided  to 
constitute  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  accordingly  appoint- 
ed the  time  and  place  for  organizing  and  holding  its  first  ses- 
sion.    It  was  to  meet  November  1,  1813,  in  the  bounds  of  the 
country  which  it  was  to  embrace.     All  the  preachers  who  were 
in  the  then  territory  which  was  to  constitute  said  Conference 
were  notified  to  meet  at  the  appointed  time  and  place.    For 
this  reason  the  appointments  in  this  section  were  not  represent- 
ed nor  reported  at  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  as 
they  had  been  the  previous  year.     The  bishops  expected  to  go 
to  the  place  of  organizing  this  Conference  from  the  session  of 
the  Tennessee  Conference,  which  was  to  be  held  at  Eees's  Chap- 
el, Tennessee,  October  1,  1813,  but  when  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence met,  at  said  time  and  place,  they  objected  to  the  bishops' 
attempting  the  contemplated  journey.     The  difficulties  and  dan- 
gers of  going  through  the  Mississippi  Territory,  which  was  at 
that  time  thronged  with  hostile  Indians  engaged  in  the  massa-  ^ 
ere  of  the  white  settlers,  made  it  expedient  for  the  bishops  to 


60 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


abandon  their  purpose  of  going  to  the  seat  of  the  new  Confer- 
ence. Bishop  Asbury  is  authority  for  the  facts  of  the  appoint- 
ment for  organizing  said  Conference  and  of  the  bishops'  desist- 
ing from  attending  the  session.  In  his  Journal  for  November 
20,  1812,  he  says:  "If  we  meet  the  Mississippi  Conference,  as 
appointed,  in  November,  1813,  we  shall  have  gone  entirely  round 
the  United  States  in  forty-two  years."  In  his  Journal  where 
he  is  giving  account  of  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference 
which  was  held  October  1-6,  1813,  he  says:  "The  Tennessee 
Conference  were  not  willing  to  let  the  bishops  go  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi Conference."  When  the  bishops  decided  not  to  go  to 
Mississippi  they  appointed  Samuel  Sellers,  who  was  at  the 
time  presiding  elder  of  the  Mississippi  District,  to  preside  in 
their  absence  over  the  new  Conference.  The  Conference  was 
held  according  to  previous  appointment,  and  all  the  preachers 
who  were  on  the  appointments  embraced  in  the  new  Conference 
for  the  year  just  closing  were  present  except  George  A.  Col- 
bert, who  located;  Samuel  S.  Lewis,  who  returned  to  the  Tennes- 
see Conference;  and  Elisha  Lott,  who  was  absent  for  some  un- 
known reason.  Something  like  a  dozen  miles  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Kiver  and  a  dozen  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Port  Gib- 
son there  was  a  Methodist  meeting  house  called  Spring  Hill.  In 
the  community  around  this  meeting  house  there  lived  a  number 
of  Methodist  families.  About  as  far  from  this  meeting  house  as 
Bethany  was  from  Jerusalem  was  the  house  and  home  of  the 
Kev.  Newet  Yick.  Here  at  this  private  dwelling  in  proximity 
to  Spring  Hill  Meeting  House  was  the  business  of  the  first  ses- 
sion of  the  Mississippi  Conference  transacted.  From  this  time, 
and  for  more  than  a  decade  and  a  half,  the  Tombigbee  appoint- 
ment was  embraced  in  the  Mississippi  Conference. 

At  the  time  of  this  first  session  of  the  Mississippi  Conference 
at  which  the  preachers  from  Tombigbee  were  present  the 
times  were  out  of  joint,  and  imminent  perils  threatened  the  in- 
habitants of  Tombigbee. 

Tecumseh,  a  member  of  a  remarkable  family,  a  man  of  fine 
physical  proportions,  an  able  statesman,  a  true  patriot,  a  saga- 
cious strategist,  an  eloquent  advocate,  a  hardy  and  courageous 
warrior,  and  an  inveterate  hater,  was  ever  devoted  to  the  inter- 
^  ests  of  the  red  children  of  the  Great  Spirit.  He  was  ever  op- 
posed to  his  people  ceding  their  lands  to  the  United  States. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


61 


He  vigorously  opposed  any  treaty  which  contained  an  article 
cedinc^o  the  American  Government  any  lands  belonging  to  and 
c  aW  by  the  Indian  tribes.     As  early  as  1806  Tecumseh  m 
augurated  measures  for  arresting  the  encroachments  of  the 
S  population  upon  Indian  domain,  and  he  made  an  energet- 
Tc  and  patriotic  effort  to  unite  the  Indian  tribes,  from  the  Lakes 
on  the  north  to  the  Gulf  on  the  south,  in  league  to  prevent  the 
exte  sion  of  the  dominion  of  the  United  States  over  the  ternto- 
:;7L  red  men,  and  to  eject  the  white  settlers   from    he 
huntinc.  grounds  of  the  free  denizens  of  the  forest.     In  1810 
and  1811  le  took  active  measures  for  forming  an  alliance  of  all 
the  tribes  for  resisting  all  treaties  which  lool.ed  to  dispossessing 
em  of  their  native  forests.     He  urged  the  P---^^;^^^^^ 
war  by  the  leagued  tribes  for  the  extermination  of  all  white  se  - 
;;::s  who,  for  L  purpose  of  establishing  tl-  -^^^^^^ 
ized  society,  had  invaded  their  territory     In  1811  ^^ -site^^^^^ 
person  the    chiefs    of  the   Cherokees,  Chickasaws,  Choctaw  s, 
SeXles  and  Creeks  to  lay  before  them  his  plans,  and  to  m- 
Sr  hem  to  join  him  in  holding  their  native  forests  in  their 
orpossession  and  under  the  dominion  of  their  own  primitive 
customs.     He  visited  the   Creek  chiefs   upon  the  Tallapoosa, 
wtre  his  father  and  mother  were  born  and  reared,  and  in  fiery 
Ipee'ies  and  with  burning  eloquence  explained  to  them  the  ad- 
vantages  of  his  project  and  the  patriotism  of  his  mission.     He 
offSiem  nhe  bundle  of  red  sticks,"  which  was  to  them  the 
Sll  of  union  for  bloody  war  in  the  defense  o   their  country 
ZdZL.     Notwithstanding  some  of  the  chiefs  were  cold  m 
fhpir  treatment  of  Tecumseh  and  opposed  to  his  projects,  he 
^reat^^^^      and  fired  the  heart  of  the  Creek  Nation,  and, 
ri  he  returned  to  his  home  in  the  region  of  the  Lakes,  m 
due  time  the  Creeks  had  on  the  war  paint,  and  were  m  open 
hostil  ty  and  were  engaged  in  a  war  for  the  extermination  o   all 
S  settlers  in  their  territory,  especially  the  settlers  on  Tombig- 
bee,  who  were  just  west  of  them.  ,    ,     .  -n 

On  June  18,  1812,  Congress  passed  an  act  declaring  war  with 
Great  Britain,  and  the  formal  proclamation  followed  the  next 
dav  The  Treaty  of  Peace  which  adjusted  the  disputes  and  ter- 
minated  this  war  between  the  two  governments  was  concluded 
Tnd  signed  on  December  24,  1814,  and  ratified  by  the  United 
States  Senate  on  February  18,  1815. 


y 


62 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


63 


Though  the  purposes  of  the  British  in  their  hostilities  against 
the  United  States,  and  the  purposes  of  the  Indians  in  their  up- 
rising and  outbreak  were  wholly  different,  and  the  war  on  the 
part  of  these  two  peoples  against  the  United  States  originated 
in  entirely  different  causes,  yet  they  sympathized  with  each 
other  and  made  common  cause  against  the  United  States.  The 
British  and  the  Spaniards  assisted  the  Indians  and  supplied 
them  with  the  munitions  of  war. 

The  war  with  the  Creek  Indians  and  the  war  with  Great  Brit- 
ain put  the  settlers  on  the  Tombigbee  in  perplexing  dilemmas, 
nnder  impending  dangers,  and  fearful  ordeals.  South  of  them 
in  Florida  were  the  Spaniards  who  entertained  a  grudge  against 
them  and  had  no  love  for  them.  North  and  northwest  of  them, 
and  in  close  proximity,  were  the  Choctaw  savages.  The  Creek 
Indians,  a  powerful  tribe  extending  to  the  Oconee  Biver,  were 
at  their  very  doors,  and  had  inaugurated  a  savage  war  against 
them,  and  were  engaged  in  the  work  of  extermination  nnder  the 
lead  of  powerful,  sagacious,  and  bloodthirsty  warriors. 

The  appearance  of  Tecumseh  among  the  tribes  in  the  South 
land  alarmed  the  fears  of  the  wdiite  settlers  and  made  them  ap- 
prehensive of  the  worst  consequences.  From  the  time  he 
came  into  the  Creek  Nation,  inciting  hostilities,  this  tribe 
menaced  the  settlers  on  Tombigbee  with  war.  The  spirit  and 
bearing  of  this  tribe  indicated  a  purpose  to  wage  unrelenting 
hostilities  against  the  white  population  who  were  settled  on  the 
borders  of  their  dominions,  and  the  attitude  of  other  tribes  was 
by  no  means  assuring  to  the  white  people.  In  this  state  of  fear 
and  apprehension  the  whites  provided,  as  best  they  could, 
means  of  defense.  Forts  for  refuge  and  protection  were  built  at 
different  points  in  the  settlements.  Among  the  first,  if  not  the 
very  first,  and  one  of  the  most  noted,  built  at  this  time  by  this 
people,  was  Fort  Mims.  It  stood  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
Lake  Tensaw,  a  little  more  than  a  mile  from  Mims's  Ferry,  on 
the  Alabama  Biver,  and  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  and 
below  the  Cut-Off.  The  alarm  produced  by  the  stirring  of  the 
spirit  of  war  by  Tecumseh  caused  the  building  of  Fort  Mims, 
and  from  the  best  authority  that  can  be  ascertained  this  fort 
was  built  while  Tecumseh  was  passing  among  the  towns  of  the 
Creek  Nation.  Pickett,  the  Alabama  historian,  fixes  the  time 
of  Tecumseh's  visit  to  the  Creek  Nation  in  October,  1812,  and 


the  time  of  building  Fort  Mims  in  the  summer  of  1813,  a  very 
short  time  before  its  capture  by  the  savages,  but  evidently  Mr. 
Pickett  made  a  mistake  in  the  dates  of  these  events.  Tecumseh 
was  in  the  South  and  in  the  Creek  Nation  on  his  mission  for 
league  and  war  in  1811,  and  Fort  Mims  was  built,  as  has  already 
been  stated,  when  he  was  going  from  Creek  town  to  Creek  town 
delivering  his  fiery  harangues.     The  evidence  on  these  points  is 

very  conclusive. 

The  first  evidence  introduced  on  the  point  is  that  connected 
with  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe.     This  engagement  was  brought 
on  by  Tecumseh's  brother,  the  Prophet,  while  Tecumseh  was 
absent  in  the  Creek  Nation,  and  this  battle  occurred  November 
7   1811.     The  History  of  the  United  States,  in  giving  account 
of  this  engagement  at  Tippecanoe  with  the  Shawnees,  states 
the  fact  that  Tecumseh  was  absent  at  the  time  in  the  South. 
The  next  testimony  on  the  subject  is  taken  from  the  "  History 
of  the  Indian  Tribes  of  North  America."     In  the  biography  of 
Menawa,  the  Creek  Chief,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Indian 
forces  at  the  battle  of  the  Horseshoe,  on  the  Tallapoosa  Biver,  it 
is  said:  "When  Tecumseh  visited  the  Southern  Indians,  about 
the  year  1811,  for  the  purpose  of  endeavoring  to  unite  them 
with  the  Northern  tribes  in  a  general  conspiracy  against  the 
whites,  the  subject  of  this  notice  was  the  second  chief  of  the 
Oakf  uskee  towns  and  had  acquired  the  name  of  Manawa,  which 
means  The  Great  Warrior."     The  same  fact  that  Tecumseh's  vis- 
it to  the  Creeks  was  "  in  1811 "  is  asserted  in  the  biography  of 
Tustennuggee  Emathla,  a  Creek  warrior,  who  "was  born  on  the 
Tallapoosa   Biver,"  and  who,  though    at   the    time    "  was    too 
voun-  to  wield   the   tomahawk,"  nevertheless  "  witnessed  the 
capture  of  Fort  Mims."     There  is  a  noted  fact  to  which  allusion 
must  be  made  which  gives  conclusive  testimony  on  the  subject, 
and  fixes  the  time  of  Tecumseh's  visit  to  the  Creek  Indians  in 
1811     A  remarkable  earthquake  which  occurred  m  1811  took 
place  exactly  on  the  day  to  produce  in  the  minds  of  the  su- 
perstitious savages  the  impression  that  it  was  the  fulfillment  of 
a  threat  which  Tecumseh  made  against  Tookabatchee,  a  Creek 
town  on  the  Tallapoosa  Biver.     In  the  biography  of  the  broth- 
er  ofTecumseh,  the  Prophet,  whose  name  was  Tenskwantawaw, 
there  is  the  following  statement  concerning  Tecumseh:  "Arriv- 
ing at  Tookabatchee,  a  Creek  town  on  the  Tallapoosa  Biver,  he 


64 


Historii  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


made  liis  way  to  the  lodge  of  the  chief  called  the  Big  Warrior. 
He  explained  his  object,  delivered  his  war  talk,  presented  a 
bundle  of  sticks,  gave  a  piece  of  wampum  and  a  war  hatchet, 
all  which  tlie  Big  Warrior  took.     When  Tecumseh,  reading  the 
spirit  and  intention  of  the  Big  Warrior,  looked  him  in  the  eye, 
and  pointing  his  finger  toward  his  face,  said:  'Your  blood  is 
white.     You  have  taken  my  talk,  and  the  sticks,  and  the  wam- 
pum, and  the  hatchet,  but  you  do  not  mean  to  fight.    I  know 
the  reason.     You  do  not  believe  the  Great  Spirit  has  sent  me. 
You  shall  know.     I  leave  Tookabatchee  directly,  and  shall  go 
straight  to  Detroit.     When  I  arrive  there  I  will  stamp  on  the 
ground  with  my  foot  and  shake  down  every  house  in  Tooka- 
batchee.'      So  saying,  he  turned  and  left  the  Big  Warrior  in  ut- 
ter amazement  at  both  his  manner  and  his  threat,  and  pursued 
his  journey.     The  Indians  were  struck  no  less  with  his  conduct 
than  was  the  Bi.^  Warrior,  and  began  to  dread  the  arrival  of  the 
day  when  the  threatened  calamity  would  befall  them.     They 
met  often  and  talked  over  this  matter,  and  counted  the  days 
carefully,  to  know  the  day  when  Tecumseh  would  reach  Detroit. 
The  morning  they  had  fixed  upon  as  the  day  of  his  arrival  at 
last  came.     A  mighty  rumbling  was  heard;  the  Indians  ran  out 
of  their  houses;   the  earth  began  to  shake;  when,  at  last,  sure 
enough,  every  house  in  Tookabatchee  was  shaken  down!     The 
exclamation  was  in  every  mouth:  '  Tecumseh  has  got  to  Detroit.' 
The  message  he  had  delivered  to  the  Big  Warrior  was  believed, 
and  many  of  the  Indians  took  their  rifles  and  prepared  for  the 
war.     The  reader  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  an  earth- 
quake had  produced  all  this;  but  he  will  be,  doubtless,  that  it 
should  happen  on  the  very  day  on  which  Tecumseh  arrived  at 
Detroit,  and  in  exact  fulfillment  of  his  threat.     It  was  the  fa- 
mous earthquake  of  New  Madrid,  on  the  Mississippi."     (Histo- 
ry of  the  Indian  Tribes  of  North  America,  p.  47. ) 

This  remarkable  event  occurred  in  December,  1811.  Eliza 
Bryan,  who  resided  in  New  Madrid,  on  the  Mississippi  Kiver, 
and  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  present  state  of  Missouri, 
wrote  a  short  account  of  this  remarkable  earthquake.  She 
says:  "On  the  16th  of  December,  1811,  about  2  o'clock  a.m., 
we  were  visited  by  a  violent  shock  of  an  earthquake,  accompan- 
ied by  a  very  awful  noise  resembling  loud  but  distant  thunder, 
but  more  hoarse  and  vibrating,  which  was  followed  in  a  few 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


65 


minutes  by  the  complete  saturation  of  the  atmosphere  wi  h  su  - 
pluls  vapor,  causing  total  darkness.     The  screams  of  the  a^ 
f Ihted  inhabitants,  running  to  and  fro,  not  knowing  where  to 
gofJr  what  to  do;  the  cries  of  the  fowls  and  ^-ts  f  e^^^^^^^^^ 
cies-  the  cracking  of  trees  falling;  and  the  roaring  of  the  Missis- 
Spi    the  current  of  which  was    retrograde  for  a  few  minutes, 
owTng,  as  is  supposed,  to  an  eruption  in  its  bed-formed  a  scene 
truly'  orrible.     From  that  time  until  about  sunrise  a  number  o 
Lhter  shocks  occurred;  at  which  time  cue  still  more  violent 
than  the  first  took  place,  with  the  same  accompaniments  as  the. 
first,  and  the  terror  which  had  been  excited  in  every  one,  and 
indeed  in  all  animal  nature  was  now,  if  possible,  doubled.     The 
inhabitants  fled  in  every  direction  to  the  country,  ^upposing    if 
it  can  be  admitted  that  their  minds  were  exercised  at  all)  that, 
there  was  less  danger  at  a  distance  from  ^^-n  -^  f ^^^^^^^^ 
In  one  person,  a  female,  the  alarm  was  so  great  that  she  fainted 
and  could  not  be  recovered."     (Dow's  Works,  p.  344  ) 

This  and  all  the  other  historical  statements  on  the  subject- 
a^ree,  and  conclusively  fix  the  time  of  Tecumseh's  visit  to  the 
Creek  Nation  in  1811,  and  his  arrival  at  Detroit  on  his  return 
from  his  tour  South  in  December  of  that  year. 

That  Fort  Mims  was  built  as  early  as  the  time  Tecumseh  was 
going  from  town  to  town  in  the  Creek  Nation  stirring  up  the 
tribe  to  war  is  proven  by  a  statement  of  Peggy  Dow     She  and 
Lorenzo,  as  has  already  been  stated,  passed  through  t^e  iom- 
bigbee  settlements  about  the  last  days  of  November  1811  and 
she  speaks  of  Fort  Mims,  at  that  time  on  the  bank  of  the  Alaba^ 
ma  Eiver      She  speaks  also  of  the  earthquake,  which  occurred 
just  after  she  reached  Milledgeville,  Georgia  on  this  trip,  in 
December.     Speaking  of  leaving  a  cabin  at  which  they  stayed 
the  night  after  they  departed  from  Saint  Stephens,  she  says: 
« In  the  morning  we   started  very  early,  saw  some  scattering 
houses,  and  at  night  we  got  to  the  Alabama  River  where  we 
staved  that  night.     The  river  is  beautiful,  almost  beyond  de- 
scription     On  its  pleasant  bank  stood  Fort  Mims,  that  has 
since  been  destroyed  by  the  savage  Creek  Indians,  with  those 
that  fled  to  it  for  protection.''     (Dow's  Works,  p.  650. )     This  is 
testimony  from  an  eye  witness,  and  is  emphatic  and  conclusive. 
The  menacing  attitude  of  these  savages  continued  through 
many  months.     As  the  months  passed  the  war  spirit  increased, 
5 


66 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


tlie  excitement  became  more  intense,  and  the  aspects  became 
more  threatening.  The  Indians  themselves  had  much  to  do  be- 
fore they  were  ready  for  decisive  measures,  for  open  outbreaks, 
and  for  death-dealing  blows.  There  were  many  of  their  own 
race  and  tribe  who  were  opposed  to  making  war  against  the 
Americans,  and  these  had  to  be  disposed  of  in  some  way.  They 
had  to  be  allied  to  the  cause  by  persuasion,  or  suppressed  by 
force.  The  whole  Indian  Nation  was  agitated.  They  had 
among  themselves,  and  against  each  other,  whisperings,  boast- 
ings, debates,  deceits,  and  envyings.  Pride  and  spite,  implaca- 
bleness,  maliciousness,  and  revenge  held  sway  amGiig  them. 
Many  who  would  not  align  themselves  with  the  war  party  were 
killed;  others  fled  to  the  white  settlements  to  escape  death  at  the 
hands  of  their  own  people. 

It  was  about  twenty-two  months  from  the  coming  of  Tecum- 
seh  on  his  mission  until  the  final  outbreak,  when  the  first  open 
and  regular  battle  was  fought  between  the  savages  and  the 
whites.  These  twenty-two  months  were  occupied  in  intensify- 
ing the  war  spirit  and  in  making  preparation  for  the  fearful 
contest.  Through  all  these  months  the  war-cloud  gathered,  the 
forces  increased,  and  the  depredations  multiplied,  until  they 
were  occurring  almost  everywhere,  and  at  last  the  culmination 
was  reached.  The  instances  of  violence  committed  on  defense- 
less persons  became  so  numerous  that  the  white  settlers  gath- 
ered into  their  rude  forts,  which  they  had  built  at  various 
points  for  refuge  and  safety,  and  then  blood  and  murder  in  fear- 
ful measure  quickly  followed.  There  were  perhaps  more  than 
a  dozen  of  these  forts,  all  of  which  were  filled  to  their  utmost 

capacity  by  refugees. 

At  a  place,  since  known  as  Burnt  Corn,  about  forty  miles  east 
of  Fort  Mims,  in  what  is  now  Conecuh  County,  in  the  latter 
part  of  July,  1813,  was  fought,  with  detriment  to  the  Indians, 
and  with  defeat  to  the  whites,  the  first  battle  of  this  bloody  war. 
Next  came  the  attack  on  Fort  Mims,  which  terminated  in  as 
horrible  butchery  of  humankind  as  was  ever  known,  perhaps, 
in  the  history  of  wars.  It  was  an  indiscriminate  killing  of  men, 
women,  and  children.  There  were  in  the  fort  at  the  time  of 
its  destruction,  counting  all,  including  about  seventy  citizen  sol- 
diers, about  four  hundred  persons,  with  an  additional  number 
of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  regular  soldiers. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


67 


When  the  sun  was  climbing  up  the  eastern  horizon  August 
30  1813  the  inmates  of  Fort  Mims  were  indulging  m  a  f ee ling 
of'secuHty,  oblivious  of  any  danger  whatsoever.  ^^^^^^ 
gate  was  standing  open,  with  an  obstruction  of  «-^f '^^^^^^^^^^^ 
way  of  its  shutting.     On  previous  days  the  inmates  had  been 
alarmed  by  messengers  bringing  the  report  that  painted  and 
a  rd  savages  were  approaching.     Through  the  very  process  o^ 
alarms   the   dwellers  in   this   fort  had  become  indifferent  to 
alarms,  and  they  would  not  now  believe  what   -y  ^^^^^^^^ 
said  concerning  lurking  and  approaching  foes.     On  this  Jy^^^ 
soldiers  were  reposing  in  listless  attitudes,  some  of  the  men 
were  engaged  in  games  of  chance,  the  young  men  and  ma  dens 
were  oSying  themselves  in  dancing  and  jollity,  the  children 
Tere  romp 'ng  and  sporting  through  the  fort,  full  of  life  and  g^. 
Unsuspectfng  as  were  the  refugees  in  the   ort,  danger  lurked 
very  nigh  them;  for  while  they  engaged  in  their  repose  games, 
Tances   and  sports,  there  lay  within  less   than  a  quarter  of  a 
S  of  the  fort,  concealed  by  ravines,  cane,  and  other  growth 
Teven  hundred  armed  and  painted  savages  fiery  with  rage,  and 
eacer  for  scalps!     These  savage  warriors  lay  impatiently  wait- 
nf  for  the  auspicious  moment  and  the  appointed  signal  when 
^h!y  were  to  pounce  upon  their  unsuspecting  victims  as  devour- 
ing adversaries.     At  last  the  hour  and  the  signal  came!    These, 
the  hour  and  the  signal,  came  not  when 

The  western  waves  of  ebbing  day 
Rolled  o'er  the  glen  their  level  way, 
but  thev  came  when  the  sun  was  at  the  meridian,  pouring  his 
rays  and  Zt  upon  field  and  forest  all  around.     Exactly  at  the 
hour  of  meridian  these  painted  fiends,  with  impetuous  spin^ 
bounded  across  ravine  and  wood,  and  with  thundering  tread  and 
dLmal  yell  rushed  upon  and  into  the  open  fort  and  began  the 
boS  work  of  extermination.     The  inmates  of  the  fort  were 
surprised,  amazed,  confused,  frightened,  and  for  the  time  they 
were  paralyzed!     They  finally  tried  to  rally  and  to  fight  but, 
rS  how  futile  were  their  efforts!     Their  screams,  cries,  tears, 
fnd  groans  were  horrible!     The  appearance  o    the  savages  as 
C  thronged  around  and  in  the  fort  was  absolutely  paralyzing 
to  even  stout  hearts.    The  shouts  with  which  they  rent  the  air, 
the  hideous  frowns  and  fiery  glances  which  they  cast  upon  their 
^ctims   demonstrated  that  they  were  maddened  savages,  bent 


68 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


on  barbarous  deeds.  Savages  that  they  were,  they  knew  noth- 
ing  of  capitulation,  they  never  asked  for  surrender,  they  never 
showed  any  quarter.  Coming  so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly 
upon  their  victims,  they  were  at  once  in  hand-to-hand  engage- 
ment with  them,  and  with  clubs  and  tomahawks,  in  the  use  of 
which  they  were  expert,  they  rapidly  dispatched  those  they  en- 
countered. With  guns  and  bows  they  opened  a  murderous  fire 
upon  the  packed  and  huddled  inmates  of  the  fort.  Soldiers, 
and  civilians,  frightened  women,  and  helpless  children  fell  in 
promiscuous  heaps  under  the  insatiable  strokes  of  the  enven- 
omed host.  When  the  savage  throng  showed  any  signs  of  de- 
sisting from  the  bloody  work,  William  Wetherford,  who  was  in 
command,  cheered  them  on  to  the  attack  with  animated  and 
fiery  speeches,  and  they  never  stopped  until  the  work  of  de- 
struction was  complete.  In  the  progress  of  the  engagement 
they  set  fire  to  the  fort,  and  it  was  finally  consumed,  and  the 
inmates,  huddled  and  packed  together,  expired  in  the  flames,  or 
if  any  escaped  from  the  flames,  it  was  to  have  their  brains  beat 
out  with  clubs.  Women  were  beat  down  and  ripped  open,  and 
children  were  slung  by  the  heels  and  their  brains  dashed  out 
against  anything  solid  enough  to  do  the  work,  and  all  were 
scalped  that  could  be  reached.  From  noon  till  5  o'clock  p.m. 
the  battle  raged.  Then  the  destruction  was  complete.  The 
fort  and  all  the  houses  connected  with  it  were  in  ruins,  burn- 
ing and  smoldering,  and  the  dead  were  lying  around,  heaps 
upon  heaps,  many  still  frying  and  crackling  in  the  burning  em- 
bers. The  ground  was  bespattered  with  brains  and  saturated 
with  blood.  All  who  had  taken  refuge  in  the  fort  and  all  the 
soldiers  who  were  there  for  its  defense  were  dead  except  a  few 
mixed  bloods  who  were  retained  as  prisoners,  and  a  few  negroes 
who  were  retained  for  slaves,  and  about  fifteen  persons  who  es- 
caped during  the  progress  of  the  engagement.  The  scene  was 
too  awful  and  too  horrible  for  even  savage  eyes  and  savage 
hearts  to  look  upon  and  contemplate.  The  destruction  was 
complete,  and  there  was  nothing  left  for  the  savages  to  do  but  to 
retire  from  the  devastated  spot,  smoke  their  pipes,  dry  the  scalps 
which  they  had  taken,  and  gloat  over  the  achievements  of  the 
day.  With  the  Indian  the  scalp  was  a  trophy,  and  at  that  time 
had  a  commercial  value. 

At  the  time  of  this  awful  carnage  at  Fort  Mims  a  limited 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


69 


party  of  revengeful  warriors  under  the  lead  of  the  energetic, 
sagacious,  and  cunning  trickster,  Josiah  Francis,  Tecumseh's 
trained  prophet,  was  prowling  through  the  region  lying  between 
the  Alabama  and  the  Tombigbee  Kivers  and  immediately  above 
their  junction,  committing  fearful  depredations,  killing  and 
scalping  the  settlers,  exciting  alarm  and  spreading  terror  every- 
where in  that  quarter.  The  depredations  and  murders  commit- 
ted and  the  alarm  excited  by  this  party  of  warriors,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  excitement  created  by  the  massacre  of  Fort  Mims 
caused  the  evacuation  of  forts,  the  migration  of  settlers,  and  the 
moving  to  other  points  of  defense  of  the  military  forces  at  com- 
mand. A  horrible  panic  ensued,  consternation  reigned.  These 
squads  of  painted  warriors  multiplied  and  enlarged.  Anon  they 
were  everywhere,  with  bow  and  club  and  rifle  and  tomahawk. 
The  forests  were  full  of  them.  They  gloated  in  blood,  multi- 
plied and  accumulated  scalps.     Battle  followed  battle  in  quick 

fiiicct^ssion. 

This  was  the  fearful  state  of  things  on  the  Tombigbee  when 
NoUey  and  Shrock  ministered  to  that  people.  Evidently  the 
conditions  for  prosecuting  the  work  of  their  ministry  were  not 
very  favorable.  Manifestly  the  perils  of  these  two  preachers  at 
this  time  were  numerous,  and  it  is  marvelous  that  they  escaped 
the  club  and  the  tomahawk.  The  presumption  is  that  they,  as 
far  as  possible,  acted  upon  the  line  indicated  by  Solomon  in  his 
Proverbs:  "  The  prudent  man  foreseeth  the  evil,  and  hideth  him- 
self '*  It  is  also  very  probable  that  they  comforted  themselves 
with  the  words  of  the  Lord,  the  Most  High:  "Thou  shalt  not 
be  afraid  for  the  terror  by  night;  nor  for  the  arrow  that  flieth 
by  day."  Through  the  weary  months  of  this  bloody  year  these 
men  of  God  had  to  seek  the  people  in  their  forts  to  minister  to 
them  the  precepts,  promises,  and  ordinances  of  the  gospel.  This 
they  did.  A  family  tradition  says  that  Uriah  Simpson  moved 
from  Tennessee  in'lSOO,  and  domiciled  himself  and  family  in 
the  wilderness  eight  or  nine  miles  northwest  of  Saint  Stephens, 
that  his  house  was  one  of  the  preaching  places  of  the  first  Meth- 
odist preachers  in  that  country,  and  that  there  was  a  fort  about 
fifteen  miles  northwest  of  Saint  Stephens  into  which  the  settlers 
of  that  section  fled  for  protection;  that  one  of  the  recollections 
of  Uriah  Simpson's  wife  was  that  she  heard  Nolley  preach  m 
said  fort  from  the  text,  "And  one  of  the  company  said  unto  him, 


70 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Master,  speak  to  my  brother,  that  he  divide  the  inheritance  with 
me  "  (Luke  xii.  13),  and  that  she  made  two  shirts  and  gave  them 
to  Nolley. 

In  the  midst  of  this  confusion  and  war  these  men  went  from 
Tombigbee  to  the  first  session  of  the  Mississippi  Conference, 
which  has  been  elsewhere  mentioned.  On  November  9,  1813, 
just  the  day  after  the  first  session  of  the  Mississippi  Conference 
adjourned,  Andrew  Jackson  fought  the  noted  battle  of  Talla- 
dega, in  which  he  so  nearly  exterminated  the  Creek  forces  who 
were  engaged  in  that  battle,  and  which  was  about  the  third  en- 
gagement  in  which  the  Indians  had  been  defeated.  For  a  num- 
ber of  engagements  at  the  beginning  of  the  outbreak  the  In- 
dians were  victorious  and  the  whites  were  defeated. 

This  state  of  war  accounts  for  much  which  took  place  about 
this  time  in  the  ordering  of  Church  affairs.  Not  much  could  be 
accomplished  in  the  midst  of  such  surroundings  by  either  min- 
isters or  members  of  the  Church.  While  the  General  Minutes 
for  this  year  copied  the  statistics  of  the  previous  year,  and  con- 
sequently showed  the  same  numbers  for  both  years,  the  pre- 
sumption, or  rather  the  certainty,  is  that  there  was  a  marked 
decrease  in  the  number  of  members  for  this  year.  The  proba- 
bility is  that  a  number  of  members  were  killed,  and  that  others 
fled  from  the  country  who  never  returned. 

Kichmond  Nolley's  ministry  on  Tombigbee  and  in  Alabama 
terminated  with  the  close  of  the  first  session  of  the  Mississippi 
Conference,  November  8,  1813.     He  lived  and  worked  only  one 
year  after  he  left  Tombigbee.     For  1814  he  was  appointed  to 
Attakapas  charge,  which  was  in  Louisiana,  and  for  this  year  he 
served  this  work,  enduring  many  hardships  and  having  some 
success.     At  the  session  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  which 
was  held  near  Pearl  Kiver,  November  14,  15,  1814,  he  was  reap- 
pointed to  Attakapas  charge  for  the  next  year,  but  he  died  on 
his  way  from  the  session  of  the  Conference  back  to  his  Circuit. 
He  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  the  date  of  his  birth  is  not 
on  record.     Some  time  in  1806,  in  the  State  of  Georgia,  he  re- 
ceived in  his  heart  the  regenerating  power  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion.    Some   while  after  this,  though  the  exact  date  is  not 
known,  he  was  licensed  to  preach.     The  South  Carolina  Confer- 
ence received  him  on  trial  in  Charleston  on  the  morning  of  De- 
cember 30,  1807.     The  Conference  Eecord  for  that  day  says: 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


71 


"Kichmond  Nolley  was  recommended  by  a  Quarterly  Meeting 
Conference  held  in  Sparta  Circuit,  December  6,  1807,  and  was 
admitted  on  trial."  According  to  the  Journal  of  the  South  Car- 
olina Conference  he  was  received  into  full  connection  by  that 
Conference  and  elected  to  deacon's  orders  at  the  session  in 
Charleston,  December  23, 1809.  The  Eecord  for  that  date  says: 
"  Eichmond  Nolley  was  admitted  into  full  connection,  and  elected 
to  deacon's  orders."  During  that  session  of  the  Conference 
he  was  ordained  deacon.  In  Camden,  South  Carolina,  on  the  aft- 
ernoon of  December  21,  1811,  he  was  elected  to  elder's  orders. 
It  was  at  this  time,  after  his  election  and  ordination  to  the  office 
of  elder,  that  he  went  out,  at  the  request  of  the  bishop,  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  Tombigbee;  and  this  was  the  last  session  of  the 
South  Carolina  Conference  which  he  ever  atttended.  At  the  end 
of  1812  he  did  not  attend  the  session  of  the  Conference,  but  re- 
mained in  the  Tombigbee  settlements,  and  at  the  end  of  1813 
he,  as  has  elsewhere  been  stated,  was  present  at  the  session  of 
the  Mississippi  Conference. 

As  a  man  he  was  not  eloquent,  as  a  preacher  he  was  not  pro- 
found, but  he  was  consecrated,  laborious,   and  faithful.     He 
braved  all  sorts  of  dangers,  and  moved  on  through  all  kinds  of 
difficulties.     He  never  stopped  for  cloud  or  sunshine,  for  heat  or 
cold.     He  rather  courted  than  shunned  hardships  and  priva- 
tions.    He  was  noted  for  activity  and  punctuality.     He  not  only 
attended  his  appointments  for  preaching,  but  he  went  from 
house  to  house  holding  religious  services  with  the  families,  in- 
structing, as  opportunity  afforded,  the  households,  and  giving 
special  attention  to  the  children  and  slaves.     It  is  said  that  he 
was  sometimes  refused  the  privilege  of  praying  with  families 
where  he  stopped  for  that  purpose,  and  that  in  some  instances 
he  was  even  threatened  with  physical  castigation,  but  nothing 
daunted  his  courage  or  dampened  his  ardor  or  arrested  his 
going.     He  never  quailed  in  the  presence  of  a  foe.     He  had  the 
devotion  born  of  moral  integrity  and  the  endurance  born  of  the 
conviction  of  the  truth  and  merit  of  the  cause  he  espoused.     He 
was  solicitous  about  the  welfare  of  his  flock  and  the  salvation 
of  souls.     His  work  was  preeminently  that  of  saving  the  souls 
of  men.     He  was  a  man  of  absolute  humility  and  of  solid  piety. 
He  was  solemn,  reverent,  and  earnest.     He  was  a  man  of  prayer. 
He  would  devoutly  kneel  and  fervently  pray  to  Him  who  said: 


72 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


"  What  things  soever  ye  desire,  when  ye  pray,  believe  that  ye  re- 
ceive them,  and  ye  shall  have  them."  Even  his  errors  were  com- 
mitted in  what  he  esteemed  the  interest  of  the  divine  cause,  and 
in  what  he  supposed  to  be  in  furtherance  of  sincere  piety.  His 
was  an  austere  virtue.  His  fasts  were  long  and  frequent.  Un- 
der the  effects  of  these  severe  and  too  frequent  fasts  he  was  lean, 
pale  and  faint.  Too  much  must  not  be  expected  from  the  inflic- 
tion of  physical  pain,  or  the  mere  exhaustion  of  the  flesh.  It 
is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  religion  requires  extremes  in  fast- 
ing, or  excess  in  penance,  or  in  anything  else. 

He  died  on  the  journey  from  the  Conference  session  to  his 
Circuit.  After  crossing  the  Mississippi  and  the  Ouachita  Riv- 
ers, attended  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Griflin,  his  presiding  elder,  he 
parted  from  his  traveling  companion  and  went  forth  alone  on  a 
route  which  led  him  a  more  expeditious  way  because  a  more  di- 
rect course  to  his  field  of  labor  than  the  route  followed  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Griflin.  He  parted  with  Griffin  on  November  24,  1814 
On  the  other  side  of  a  swollen  and  angry  stream  from 
which  he  parted  with  Griffin,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  Novem- 
ber 26,  1814,  the  second  day  after  he  parted  with  Griffin, 
he  was  found,  less  than  a  mile  from  said  stream,  stretched 
upon  the  ground,  with  eyes  closed  and  hands  folded,  dead  and 
<;old.  His  body  was  taken  to  a  house  a  little  more  than  a  mile 
distant  from  where  it  was  found,  and  the  next  day,  November 
27,  1814,  his  remains  were  buried,  by  friendly  hands,  near  the 
said  house  to  which  his  corpse  had  been  carried.  That  there  be 
no  mistake,  the  dates  here  given  will  be  repeated.  Nolley  left 
Griffin  on  November  24, 1814;  was  found  dead  in  the  woods  No- 
vember 26,  1814;  and  was  buried  November  27,  1814.  These 
dates  mark  correctly  his  demise,  notwithstanding  in  a  sketch  of 
bis  life  published  in  *'  Biographical  Sketches  of  Itinerant  Min- 
isters "  some  events  of  his  life  are  said  to  have  occurred  in  the 
spring  of  1815,  and  his  death  is  said  to  have  occurred  in  No- 
vember, 1815 — a  mistake  of  one  year. 

It  is  said  that  in  the  journey  of  the  next  day  after  he  left 
Griffin,  Nolley,  in  the  presence  of  an  Indian,  encountered  the 
swollen  and  angry  stream  near  which  he  was  found  dead,  and 
that  in  attempting  to  cross  said  stream  he  was  submerged,  that 
he  finally  gained  the  bank  for  which  he  was  reaching,  but  that 
his  horse,  unable  to  ascend  the  bank  where  he  was  drifted  to  it, 


First  Work  of  Methodism,  in  Alabama. 


73 


returned  to  the  side  of  the  stream  whence  he  started  in;  and 
Nolley,  leaving  his  horse  and  chattels  in  the  care  of  the  Indian 
who  witnessed  the  attempts  in  crossing  the  stream,  proceeded  on 
foot  toward  the  house  two  miles  distant  from  the  creek,  and  from 
which  he  was  afterward  buried.  It  has  been  supposed  that  he 
perished  from  exhaustion  caused  by  the  fasting  which  he  im- 
posed upon  himself  and  the  drenching  which  he  received  in 
swimming  the  swollen  creek.  This  is,  of  course,  all  suppositious. 
Nothing  is  known  of  how  or  why  he  died.  All  is  conjecture. 
This  much  is,  however,  true  and  certain:  that  in  the  region  be- 
tween the  Ouachita  and  Red  Rivers,  in  the  wild  woods,  in  the 
dismal  swamp,  the  saintly  Nolley  fell  and  expired,  and  there  in 
that  then  wild  region  near  where  he  was  found  dead  he  was 
buried,  and  thence  he  shall  rise  and  come  to  the  judgment. 

The  Rev.  John  Shrock,  than  whom  a  more  sanguine,  erratic, 
impulsive,  excitable,  and  boisterous  man  never  lived,  was  born 
in  South  Carolina.  He  was  of  German  descent,  and  in  physical 
mold  and  stature  was  after  the  fashion  of  the  nation  of  his  an- 
cestors. He  was  a  man  of  some  gifts  and  of  considerable  power 
as  a  preacher,  and  was  a  good  man,  but  his  life  was  marked  and 
marred  by  improprieties.  He  did  ludicrous  things,  and  was 
guilty  of  improprieties  involving  serious  consequences.  The 
first  time  he  appeared  for  public  consideration  before  an  An- 
nual Conference  he  appeared  under  the  disabilities  of  notable 
improprieties.  The  following  is  the  first  entry  concerning  him 
made  in  the  Journal  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference:  "John 
Shrock  was  recommended  by  a  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference 

held  in  Santee  Circuit,  15th  of  ,  1810,  and  after  much 

was  said  in  favor  of  his  gifts  and  usefulness,  there  appeared 
some  impropriety  in  his  conduct  relative  to  matrimonial  engage- 
ments, which  induced  the  Conference  not  to  admit  him."  This 
entry  was  made  in  the  Journal  for  the  first  day  of  the  Confer- 
ence session,  December  22,  1810.  Two  days  later,  Monday,  De- 
cember 24,  the  Journal  records  the  following  item:  "Brother 
Daniel  Asbury  motioned  that  John  Shrock's  case  be  reconsid- 
ered, and  it  was  carried— and  after  much  opposition  was  admit- 
ted on  trial  by  a  small  majority."  The  South  Carolina  Confer- 
ence met  in  Charleston,  December  19,  1812.  The  Record  for 
that  day  says:  "John  Shrock  admitted  into  full  connection,  and 
elected  deacon."     He  was  also  ordained  deacon  at  this  time. 


74 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


75 


This  closed  his  connection  with  the  South  Carolina  Conference, 
for  having  been  appointed  to  Tombigbee,  in  January,  1813,  im- 
mediately after  the  adjournment  of  the  Conference,  he,  in  com- 
pany with  John  I.  E.  Byrd,  who  was  going  to  Wilkinson  Cir- 
cuit in  the  Natchez  country,  left  his  native  State  and  set  out  for 
his  distant  appointment  in  the  outlying  wilderness.     These  two 
young  men,  Shrock  and  Byrd,  at  this  eminently  dangerous  pe- 
riod when  the  Creek  chiefs  and  prophets  were  posting  from 
town  to  town  throughout  their  nation,  inspiring  the  purpose  to 
destroy,  to  kill,  and  cause  to  perish  all  the  settlers  of  Tombig- 
bee, both  old  and  young,  women  and  children,  and  when  roam- 
ing clans,  armed  with  gleaming  tomahawks  and  scalping  knives, 
everywhere  lurked  and  thirsted  for  blood,  passed  through  the 
entire  Creek  Nation!     It  took  strong  limbs  and  high  courage  to 
tread  alone  and  unarmed  that  long  and  dangerous  way  across 
that  savage  land.     The  only  music  which  regaled  the  dauntless 
embassadors  of  the  Son  of  God  on  this  journey  was  the  music 
made  by  the  sighing  winds,  and  that  music  which  accompanied 
the  war  dances  of  the  revengeful  savages.     On  the  way  they 
were  often  chilled  by  the  frosty  breezes  of  the  season,  and  time 
and  again  they  had  hard  work  to  keep  themselves  "above  the 
foaming  tide  "  of  the  swollen  streams  which  swept  across  their 
path.     But  they  were  equal  to  the  task,  and  in  spite  of  perils, 
hardships,  and  sufferings  reached  their  environed  fields  of  la- 
bor in  good  order.     Shrock  served  the  Tombigbee  work  but  one 
year,  and  his  last  appointment  was  Kapides  Circuit,  Louisiana 
District.     Sometime  in  this  year  1814,  the  year  he  served  the 
Bapides  Circuit,  he  married  a  woman  who  lived  in  the  bounds 
of  said  Circuit,  and  at  the  close  of  the  Conference  year,  after 
being  elected  to  elder's  orders,  located.     Here  ended  forever  his 
itinerant  ministry.     There  was  no  bishop  present  at  the  Con- 
ference at  which  he  was  elected  elder,  and  he  was  not  ordained 
to  that  office  until  about  two  years  after.     For  many  years  he 
was  an  active  and  zealous  local  preacher.     Sometime  between 
the  beginning  of  1840  and  1845  he  removed  to  Texas,  then  a  Be- 
public,  and  died. 

The  appointment  for  1814  was  Tombecbee:  John  I.  E.  Byrd, 
Peter  James.  Neither  of  these  preachers  was  eligible  at  this 
time  to  elder's  orders.  Byrd  was  not  quite  twenty-three  years 
old  at  the  time  he  was  appointed  to  Tombigbee,  and  he  had 


only  been  a  deacon  one  y*^ar.  Peter  James  was  about  twenty- 
four  years  old,  and  had  just  been  admitted  on  trial  by  the  in- 
formally constituted  Mississippi  Conference,  and  was  not  el- 
igible even  to  deacon's  orders.  The  dread  and  danger  still  con- 
tinned  in  the  Tombigbee  settlements.  The  war  raged  in  all  its 
fury.  The  painted  warriors,  armed  with  club  and  tomahawk, 
bow  and  gun,  still  pursued  their  bloody  work,  bent  on  exter- 
mination. Not  until  August  9  of  this  year  was  the  war  party 
conquered.  On  that  day  the  war  chiefs  surrendered  to  the  of- 
ficer commanding  the  United  States  forces,  and  signed  a  treaty 
of  peace.  This,  of  course,  brought  relief  but  not  quiet.  Byrd 
and  James,  amidst  imminent  dangers  and  under  great  embar- 
rassments, prosecuted  the  work  of  their  ministry,  and  had,  for 
the  circumstances,  good  success.  The  decrease  of  the  previous 
year  had  been  more  than  overcome.  The  statistics  gave  the 
number  of  members  at  the  close  of  the  year  at  two  hundred 
and  sixty-nine  white  and  seventy-nine  colored.  This  was  sev- 
enty-two white  and  twenty-five  colored  members  more  than  had 
ever  been  reported  before. 

The  Bev.  John  I.  E.  Byrd,  who  was  named  for  Ira  Ellis,  a 
noted  Methodist  preacher,  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  and 
was  born  May  15,  1791.  When  a  boy,  and  after  his  father's 
death,  he  was  put  to  the  trade  of  a  shoe  maker.  When  between 
nineteen  and  twenty  years  of  age  he  received  the  regenerating 
grace  which  made  him  a  child  of  God  and  an  heir  of  glory.  In 
a  few  months  after  this  he  was  inducted  into  the  ministry.  The 
following  item  is  found  in  the  Journal  of  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  for  December  22,  1810:  *' John  I.  E.  Byrd  was  rec- 
ommended by  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  in  Great  Pee  Dee 
Circuit,  December  8,  1810,  and  was  admitted  on  trial."  Then 
in  the  same  Journal  for  December  19,  1812,  is  found  this  item: 
"  J.  I.  E.  Byrd  admitted  into  fall  connection  and  elected  dea- 
con." Here  closed  his  connection  with  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference after  his  ordination  to  the  office  of  deacon.  He  was 
appointed  for  1813  to  the  Wilkinson  Circuit,  in  the  Natchez 
country.  Henceforth  he  exercised  his  ministry  in  that  section^ 
only  he  served  Tombigbee  one  year.  He  was  a  preacher  for 
about  sixty  years,  but  more  than  half  of  these  years  he  was  not 
effective.  He  was  sometimes  local,  sometimes  without  an  ap- 
pointment, sometimes  supernumerary,  and  sometimes  superan- 


76 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


11 


nuated.     He  died  at   the  village  of  Black  Hawk,  Mississippi, 
April  6,  1871. 

The  Kev.  Peter  James  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1789,  and 
in  1800  his  father  moved  with  him  to  Natchez.  He  grew  to 
manhood  in  Mississippi.  When  about  twenty-four  years  of  age 
he  was  received  into  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  appointed 
to  Tombigbee  for  1814.  He  was  local  occasionally,  bat  be- 
longed to  the  Mississippi  Conference  most  of  the  time  from  the 
beginning  of  his  ministry  till  the  close  of  his  life.  While  he 
had  only  limited  advantages,  meager  attainments,  and  ordinary 
ability,  he  was  a  man  of  integrity  and  of  exemplary  piety,  and 
his  life  was  marked  with  a  degree  of  usefulness.  He  died  in 
Holmes  County,  Mississippi,  March  18,  1869. 

Tombecbee,  John  S.  Ford,  'Thomas  Oirens.  So  stood  this  ap- 
pointment for  1815.  In  the  obituary  of  Ford,  published  in  the 
General  Minutes,  it  is  said:  "He  was  appointed  in  1814  to  the 
Tombigbee  Circuit."  The  Conference  at  which  he  was  appoint- 
ed this  time  to  Tombigbee  met  November  14,  1814,  and  this  put 
him  on  that  work  for  1815.  At  this  time  Ford  was  an  elder 
elect,  having  been  elected  to  that  office  a  year  previous,  but  was 
not  ordained,  having  failed  of  ordination  to  this  office  because 
no  bishop  had  been  present  at  the  Conference.  At  the  end  of 
this  year  1815,  in  the  month  of  October,  he  was  ordained  an 
elder.  Thomas  Owens  had  been  on  trial  only  one"  year,  and,  con- 
sequently, was  not  eligible  even  to  deacon's  orders.  As  Ford 
was  on  Tombigbee  in  1811,  this  was  the  second  time  he  served 
that  work. 

A  new  era  had  now  dawned.  Remarkable  events  had  just 
passed.  The  wars  had  just  ceased.  The  Creek  Indians  and 
Great  Britain  had  signed  treaties  of  peace.  The  settlers  on 
Tombigbee  had  a  measure  of  quiet,  and  they  were  prosecuting 
their  peaceable  pursuits,  and  were  endeavoring  to  repair  their 
losses  and  rebuild  their  fortunes.  These  settlers,  however,  were 
not  by  any  means  in  a  paradisiacal  state,  though  new  settlers, 
eager  for  a  possession  in  that  land  of  promise,  were  flowing  like 
a  stream  into  the  country.  The  gore  with  which  the  land  had 
been  drenched  was  hardly  gone  from  view,  the  wounded  were 
hardly  healed,  the  ashes  of  the  burned  cabins  had  scarcely  disap- 
peared, the  rude  looms  and  primitive  spinning  wheels  had  not 
been  rebuilt  and  operated  long  enough  to  replenish  the  scanty 


wardrobes,  the  scattered  and  depleted  herds  had  not  been  re- 
gathered  and  restore.d,  and  the  fields  had  not  yet  yielded  their 
accustomed  supplies.  The  lamentations  which  had  been  bo 
long  and  so  loud  had  only  partially  subsided,  and  hope  had  only 

partially  revived. 

But  these  two  preachers  wrought  at  their  ministry,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  year  reported  the  results  of  their  labor.  The  report 
of  the  numbers  in  Society  gave  two  hundred  and  eighty-seven 
white  and  seventy-six  colored  members,  an  increase  of  eighteen 
white  members  and  a  decrease  of  three  colored  members. 

The  Rev.  John  S.  Ford  was  born  in  South  Carolina,  February 
6,  1790.     He  was  baptized  when  an  infant,  and  when  about  thir- 
teen years  of  age  he  received  from  God,  through  Christ,  by  faith, 
incomparable  peace  and  inexpressible  joy.     Immediately  upon 
the  attainment  of  this  blessed  estate,  and  in  the  year  1805,  he 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.     He  believed  and 
approved,  without   any  mental   or  moral   reservation,  the  doc- 
trines and  rules  of  this  Church.     Yielding  to  a  conviction  which 
impressed  and  impelled  him,  he  accepted  a  license  to  preach, 
and  entered  upon  the  itinerant  ministry  peculiar  to  his  Church. 
The  same  Quarterly  Conference  which  licensed  him  to  preach 
recommended  him  to  the  Annual  Conference  for  admission  on 
trial  in  the  traveling  connection.     His  license  bore  date  Novem- 
ber 3,  1809.     The  Quarterly  Conference  devoted  two  days  to  its 
business.     An  entry  in  the  Journal  of  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference for  the  afternoon  of  December  26,  1809,  says:  *' John  S. 
Ford  was  recommended  by  the  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference, 
held  at  Moore's   Meeting  House,  Union  Circuit,  November  4, 
1809,  and  was  admitted  on  trial."     At  the  end  of  his  first  year 
in  the  Conference,  and  more  than  a  month  before  he  was  twen- 
ty-one, on  December  28,  1810,  he  was  appointed  missionary  to 
Tombigbee,  and  elected  and  ordained  deacon.     The  Journal  of 
the  South  Carolina  Conference  for  that  date  says:    "John  S. 
Ford,  Missionary,  elected  to  Deacon's  office."     He  was  not  eligi- 
ble to  reception  into  full  connection,  and  he  remained  on  trial, 
but,  as  the  law  provided  in  such  case,  as  a  missionary  he  was 
elected  and  ordained  deacon.     This  explains  all  the  records  on  the 
subject,  even  those  which  are  conflicting.     For  1816  he  was  at 
Nollichuckee,  in  the  Holston  District,  Tennessee  Conference. 
At  the  -session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  at  Franklin  com- 


78 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


mencing  October  20,  1816,  Ford  was  not  present,  but  he  made 
there  at  that  time  a  most  singular  request  ^ud  a  blundering  ap- 
plication.    He  sent  to  the  Conference  a  letter  in  which  he  ap- 
plied  for  a  letter  of  dismissal  from  the  Conference.     His  re- 
quest was  granted.     On  the  assembling  of  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  at  Columbia,  December  25,  1816,  just  two  months 
and  five  days  after  he  had  obtained  a  dismissal  from  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference,  he  presented  his  letter  of  dismissal  from  the 
Tennessee  Conference  for  admission  to  and  recognition  in  the 
South  Carolina  Conference.     Here  he  found  out  the  blunder  he 
had  made.     He  had  really  been  dismissed  upon  his  own  appli- 
cation from  the  traveling  connection.     Instead  of  obtaining  a 
letter  of  recommendation  for  recognition  by  the  South  Carolina 
Conference,  he  had  been  dismissed  from  the  traveling  connec- 
tion.    The  Journal  of  the  Conference  says:  "  John  S.  Ford,  who 
went  a  Missionary  from  this  Conference  to  the  West  some  years 
ago,  having  injudiciously  applied  by  letter  to  the  last  Tennessee 
Conference  for  a  dismission,  which  was  granted,  supposing  that 
it  would  be  a  sufficient  recommendation  for  his  entrance  into 
this  Conference,  offered  himself  for  readmission  here,  but  was 
objected  to.     This  Conference,  however,  having  confidence  in 
Brother  Ford,  and  believing  him  to  have  erred  mostly  through 
ignorance  and  not  intentionally,  received  him  in  character  with 
the  approbation  of   the  superintendents."     At  the  end  of  1818 
he  located,  but  was  finally  re-admitted  to  the  traveling  connec- 
tion.    For  many  long  years  under  physical  infirmities,  he  held  a 
superannuated  relation  in  the  Conference.     When  he  died  he 
was  a  member  of  the  South  Georgia  Conference.     He  died  in 
the  city  of  Macon,  Georgia,  November  9,  1871. 

Though  he  was  not  profound  nor  eloquent,  yet  he  was  an  im- 
pressive preacher.  He  held  in  high  regard  and  preached  earnest- 
ly the  distinguishing  doctrines  of  the  Methodists.  The  univer- 
sality of  the  atonement  was  his  favorite  theme.  He  gloried  in 
the  truth  that  Jesus  Christ  died  for  all  men. 

Tombecbee,  Ashley  Hewett,  Alexander  Fleming,  This  was  the 
record  for  this  appointment  for  the  year  1816.'  Through  some 
cause,  possibly  the  division  of  the  Circuit  and  the  formation  of 
the  Chickasaw  Circuit,  afterward  called  Chickasahay,  the  mem- 
bership on  Tombigbee  decreased  this  year  one  hundred  and 
thirty-seven  white  members  and  thirty-six  colored  members. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


79 


The  Mississippi  Conference  met  at  William  Foster's,  October 
10,  1816.  Here  Hewett  and  Fleming  reported  the  year's  work 
from  Tombigbee.  Ashley  Hewett  had  received  on  the  work  for 
his  support  $60,  and  Alexander  Fleming  had  received  on  the 
work  for  his  support  $80.  Ashley  Hewett  reported  raised  as 
"Conference  Collection  on  Tombigbee  $29.81^."  The  Confer- 
ence "Committee  of  Appropriation"  paid  Hewett  "$40,"  and 
Fleming  "  $20,"  and  "  Fleming's  two  children  $48."  The  entire 
collection  from  Tombigbee  for  the  year  was  "  $169.81J." 

The  Eev.  "  Ashley  Hewitt  was  recommended  by  the  members 
of  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  in  Onoree  Circuit,  November 
18,  1810,"  and  was  admitted  on  trial  by  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference, in  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  December  22,  1810.  In 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  December  19, 1812,  he  was"  admitted 
into  full  connection,  and  elected  deacon."  He  was  also  ordained 
a  deacon  at  the  session  of  this  Conference.  At  Milledgeville, 
Georgia,  December  24,  1814,  he  was  "  elected  to  elder's  orders," 
and  he  was  ordained  to  said  office  on  a  subsequent  day  of  the 
session  of  said  Conference.  At  the  session  of  the  Conference 
held  in  Charleston,  December  23-28,  1815,  in  response  to  a  call 
for  volunteers  to  go  to  the  destitute  regions  toward  the  setting 
sun,  Hewett  volunteered,  and  was  transferred  from  his  native 
State  and  Conference,  and  was  appointed,  as  above  stated,  to 
Tombigbee.  The  journey  from  his  native  State  to  Tombigbee 
through  the  Indian  country  was  made  in  perilous  times.  On 
this  journey  his  courage  was  often  put  to  the  test,  and  his  life 
was  in  jeopardy. 

It  is  said  that  in  stature  he  was  tall  and  lean ;  that  he  had  blue 
eyes,  and  hair  of  light  color,  a  fair  complexion,  a  mouth  large 
enough  to  indicate  a  fluent  speaker,  and  that  he  had  a  pleasant 
countenance.  He  was  a  quiet,  sedate,  matter-of-fact  man,  pos- 
sessing a  sound  judgment,  medium  attainments,  and  moderate 
abilities.  He  had  neither  genius  nor  fancy.  As  a  preacher  he 
had  but  little  or  no  variety,  and  was  almost  entirely  destitute  of 
emotion  and  of  action.  For  the  year  1830  he  served  the  War- 
ren Circuit,  in  the  Bayou  Pierre  District,  and  at  the  session  of 
the  Mississippi  Conference  which  met  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama, 
November  24,  1830,  he  located. 

Alexander  Fleming  was  admitted  on  trial  by  the  Tennessee 
Conference  at  its  session  at  Bethlehem  Meeting  House,  in  Wil- 


80 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


8on  County,  Tennessee,  October  20,  1815,  and  was  appointed  for 
the  year  following  to  Tombigbee.  He  was  or  had  been  married. 
He  had  two  children.  For  1817  he  was  appointed  to  Kapides 
Circuit,  in  the  Louisiana  District,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year 
discontinued.     He  did  not  live  long  after  this. 

For  1817  the  appointment  stood:  Tombecbee,  Elisha  Lott.  At 
the  end  of  this  year  the  report  of  the  members  in  Society  gives 
Tombigbee  two  hundred  and  thirty-three  white  and  ninety-live 
colored  members,  an  increase  for  the  year  of  eighty-three  white 
and  of  fifty-five  colored  members,  a  very  fine  increase  indeed. 

The  Kev.  Elisha  Lott  was  received  into  the  Tennessee  Con- 
ference on  trial  at  Fountain  Head,  November  1,  1812,  and  was 
appointed  to  Amite  Circuit,  Mississippi,  and  for  1814  he  was  on 
Wilkinson  Circuit,  in  the  same  State.  At  the  end  of  1814  he 
was  received  into  full  connection  in  the  Mississippi  Conference, 
and  elected  to  deacon's  orders.  For  1815  he  was  on  Kapides 
Circuit,  in  Louisiana.  At  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence at  Bethlehem  Meeting  House,  Wilson  County,  Tennessee, 
in  November,  1815,  he  was  ordained  deacon.  It  appears  that 
he  was  carried  through  the  form  of  being  received  into  full  con- 
nection in  the  Tennessee  Conference,  though  the  same  thing  had 
been  done  at  the  Mississippi  Conference,  held  near  Pearl  River, 
beginning  November  14,  1814.  At  the  Mississippi  Conference 
Bt  Midway,  in  November,  1817,  he  was  elected  and  ordained  elder, 
and  he  located.  For  1826  he  appears  again  in  the  Mississippi 
Conference,  and  at  the  end  of  1827  he  again  located.  This  ter- 
minated his  itinerant  ministry  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  lived  a  local  preacher  in  the  State  of  Mississippi 
from  the  close  of  1827  until  the  latter  part  of  1836,  when,  for 
Bome  reason,  he,  in  a  rude  and  peevish  way,  surrendered  his 
credentials  to  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber, and  soon  after  united  with  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church, 
in  which  Church  he  held  the  position  of  a  preacher,  and  in 
which  he  lived  and  labored  until  the  end  of  his  natural  life. 
He  lived  io  be  An  old  man,  and  died  in  Madison  County,  Missis- 
sippi 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama  (Continued). 

AT  this  juncture  in  this  historic  narrative  the  geographical 
limits,  the  men  and  women  who  composed  the  congrega- 
tions and  membership  of  the  Tombigbee  charge  during  the  first 
decade  thereof,  and  some  miscellaneous  items  claim  specific  at- 
tention. A  most  difficult  task,  and  one  which  in  the  nature  of 
the  case  will  be  very  imperfectly  performed,  is  hereby  present- 
ed and  attempted.  Nothing  can  be  gathered  in  this  field  beyond 
a  mere  gleaning.  But  few  transactions  of  that  time  were  ever 
put  to  record,  tradition  has  perpetuated  but  little,  and  conse- 
quently most  of  the  ofiicial  acts  and  of  the  personal  reminis- 
cences have  been  forgotten  and  are  forever  lost. 

That  tract  of  land  which  the  Choctaw  Indians  had  previous 
to  this  date  ceded  to  the  United  States,  while  east  and  west  it 
extended  from  the  line  of  the  Creek  Nation  a  few  miles  east  of 
the  Tombigbee  Eiver  to  the  Mississippi  Eiver,  was  in  width, 
north  and  south,  at  the  Tombigbee  Eiver,  on  an  air  line,  just 
sixty-eight  miles.     By  any  route  which  could  be  traveled  it  was 
probably  eighty  or  more  miles  from  one  side  to  the  other.     The 
southern  boundary  of  this  ceded  territory  was  the  thirty-first 
parallel  of  latitude,  and  was  ten  miles  south  of  the  junction  of 
the  Tombigbee  and  Alabama  Eivers,  and  the  northern  boundary 
was  at  the  mouth  of  Faluktabunnee  Creek,  four  miles  north  of 
a  noted  bluff  known  as  Wood's  Bluff.     Within  these  lines  north 
and  south,  and  within  a  few  miles  east  and  west  of  the  Tombig- 
bee Eiver  were  found  all  the  purely  white  settlers  of  that  time. 
Many  were  the  inducements  to  settlers  to  pitch  their  habitations 
about  the  river,  and  up  to  1808,  the  settlers  having  yielded  to 
these  inducements,  very  few  families  resided  more  than  a  dozen 
miles  away  from  some  part  of  the  river.     The  entire  area  occu- 
pied at  that  date  by  these  settlers  was  less  than  a  thousand 
square  miles,  and  the  whole  number  of  inhabitants  living  at  that 
time  in  the  Tombigbee  settlements  was  estimated  at  from  eight 
hundred  to  a  thousand.     There  was  not  more  than  an  average  of 
6  ^^^^ 


82 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


one  family  for  every  four  square  miles.     There  were  at  this  date 
a  few  families  settled  on  the  Chickasahay  Eiver,  which  river  is, 
at  different  points,  on  an  air  line,  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five 
miles  west  of  the  Tombigbee  Kiver.      There  were  but  few  places 
of  note  in  all  these  settlements  in  this  year  of  grace  1808.     Lake 
Tensaw  was  a  point  of  some  significance  seven  or  eight  miles 
east  of  the  Tombigbee  and  Alabama  junction,  and  Fort  Stod- 
dart  was  a  military  post  four  or  five  miles  southwest  of  said 
junction.     Mcintosh  Bluff  was  the  center  of  a  community  and 
the  name  of  a  point  on  the  Tombigbee.     Wakefield  was  at  that 
time  a  little  village  and  the  seat  of  justice,  and  was  in  the  re- 
gion of  Mcintosh  Bluff.     Wakefield  was  in  Section  Thirty-five, 
Township  Five,  north,  Kange  One,  east.     Saint  Stephens,  on  the 
bank  of  the  Tombigbee,  was  at  that  time  a  place,  but  was  then 
noted  only  for  being  the  emporium  of  the  Indian  trade,  the 
whole  business  of  which  was  under  the  supervision  of  one  man. 
Wood's  Bluff,  sometimes  called  Easley's  Station,  was  thirty-one 
miles  from  Saint  Stephens,  and  almost  due  north  of  it. 

For  the  first  year  of  this  first  regularly  appointed  Methodist 
ministry  to  this  country,  the  year  1808,  the  preaching  was  evi- 
dently confined  to  the  territory  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
Tombigbee  Kiver.  Brother  Sturdevant  may  possibly  have 
made  a  single  visit  in  the  year  1808  to  the  families  residing  on 
Chickasahay  River,  but  it  is  evident  that  he  confined  his  minis- 
try during  that  year  within  the  lines  and  the  area  above  de- 
scribed on  the  Tombigbee  River.  At  any  private  house,  or  em- 
bowered spot,  or  place  of  public  resort,  within  the  lines  and  the 
area  above  named,  that  he  could  get  permission  to  exercise  his 
ministry  and  persons  to  listen  to  his  message,  did  Mr.  Sturde- 
vant, with  impassioned  eloquence,  proclaim  the  word  of  life.  At 
Wood's  Bluff,  at  different  places  round  about  Saint  Stephens, 
at  Wakefield,  at  Fort  Stoddart,  at  Lake  Tensaw,  were  probably 
found  the  points  for  preaching  the  gospel  this  first  year  of  re- 
ligious work  in  that  region.  Evidently  Mr.  Sturdevant  came  in 
contact  with  all  the  citizens  within  the  limits  of  his  field  of  op- 
erations, and  associated  with  them  more  or  less,  as  was  to  them 
agreeable.  It  was  impossible  for  him  to  traverse  that  land  as 
he  did  again  and  again,  from  end  to  end  and  from  side  to  side, 
and  not  meet  at  some  time,  in  some  way,  nearly  the  entire  popu- 
lation.    It  would  have  been  comparatively  a  small  matter  for 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


83 


him  to  have  visited  every  family  in  the  bounds  of  his  work,  and 
it  is  altogether  probable  that  he  did  visit  every  family  that  would 
receive  him.     That  whole  population  knew  Mr.  Sturdevant  as  a 
Methodist  preacher,  as  an  embassador  representing  the  court  of 
heaven,  and  praying  them  in  Christ's  stead  to  be  reconciled  to 
God.     It  was  impossible  for  a  Methodist  preacher  to  be  in  that 
country  a  year,  and  any  of  the  inhabitants  thereof  not  to  hear  of 
and  see  him,  and  to  be  also  for  some  reason  interested  in  the 
fact  that  he  was  there.     The  advent  of  a  preacher  in  that  land  to 
preach  to  that  people  was  an  occasion,  and  at  that  time  was  such 
an  occasion  as  had  not  hitherto  been.     It  was  an  event  of  no  or- 
dinary meaning.     It  was  an  event  which  could  not  be  ignored, 
an  event  which  commanded  attention  and  demanded  considera- 
tion.    Did  a  preacher's  presence  and  influence  mean  good  to  the 
country,  or  did  they  mean  evil?     These  were  questions  which 
had  to  be  settled.     If  for   no   other   reason    the   novelty  of  a 
preacher  in  that  country,  going  up  and  down  in  it,  would  excite 
curiosity,  intensify  interest,  and  cause  no  little  inquiry  and  gos- 
sip.    The  presence  of  Mr.  Sturdevant  as  a  preacher  furnished, 
no  doubt,  the  theme  of  conversation  in  all  the  cabins  and  at  all 
the  gatherings  in  that  isolated  section.     Wherever  the  inhab- 
itants  met    for   work  and   business,  or   for  sport   and  frolic, 
they  talked  of   the  new  thing  under  the  sun,  the  Methodist 
preacher  who  had  come  into  their  midst.     At  their  house  rais- 
ings, log  rollings,  quiltings,  shooting  matches,  and  dances,  they 
talked,  derisively  it  may  be  in  some  instances,  but  they  talked, 
promiscuously  and  intently,  about  the   preacher  then  among 
them.     They  discussed  his  personal  appearance,  his  speech,  his 
conduct,  his  motives,  and  his  mission  to  their  country,  and  the 
possible  success  he  would  attain,  and  the  probable  effects  of  his 
ministry  upon  their  country  in  general   and  their  habits  and 
pleasures  in  particular.     Various  and  conflicting  opinions  were 
expressed.     All  this  tended  to  give  publicity  to  his  ministry,  and 
to  make  some  sort  of  impression  on  the  minds  of  the  population. 
Among  the  men  living  in  that  country  in  that  first  year  of 
Mr.  Sturdevant's   ministry  may  be  mentioned:   Samuel  Mims, 
John  Linder,  Thomas  Byrne,  Benjamin  Steadham,  Moses  Stead- 
ham,  William  H.  Hargrove,  Joseph  Bates,  John  Hinson,  Nich- 
olas Perkins,  Thomas  Malone,  Peter  Malone,  Edmund  P.  Gaines, 
George  S.  Gaines,  Harry  Toulmiu,  Thomas   Kimbell,  Ransom 


Si 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


85 


Kimbell,  Hiram  MouDger,  Samson  Mounger,  Nathan  Blackwell, 
John  Brewer,  George  Brewer,  Eobert  Caller,  John  Caller,  James 
Caller,  Henry  Atchison,  James  Powell,  John  Powell,  Daniel 
Johnson,  Joseph  Wheat,  Solomon  Wheat,  Thomas  Bassett, 
John  McGrew,  William  McGrew,  Tandy  Walker,  Kichard  Hawk- 
ins, Edwin  Lewis,  John  Baker,  James  Morgan,  Randall  P.  West, 
James  McGoffin,  AYilliam  Coate,  W^illiam  Murrell,  Abner  Turn- 
er, William  Easley,  AVarham  Easley.  Many  others  might  be 
named. 

These  men  here  named  lived  in  different  parts  of  that  tract  of 
country  on  the  Tombigbee.  Many  of  them  were  never  Method- 
ists. A  large  number  of  them  were  grossly  worldly  and  ex- 
tremely wicked,  and  could  no  more  be  impressed  with  the  obli- 
gations and  benefits  of  the  Christian  religion  than  could  the 
beasts  of  the  forest  in  which  they  lived,  but  possibly  they  all 
saw  Mr.  Sturdevant,  and  perhaps  heard  him  preach,  and  some 
few  of  them  were  favorably  impressed  and  proj^erly  influenced 
by  his  ministry. 

Samuel  Mims  whom  Mr.  Slurdevant  found  on  Lake  Tensaw 
when  first  he  came  to  that  region,  was  what  is  known  in  history 
as  an  "  Indian  countryman."  He  was  once  a  pack-horseman  and 
a  trader  in  the  Indian  nations.  He  had  been  a  resident  on  Lake 
Tensaw  many  years.  He  was  a  wealthy  man.  He  was  the 
founder  and  proprietor  of  Mims's  Ferry,  on  the  Alabama  River. 
Fort  Mims  was  named  for  him  and  enclosed  his  residence.  It 
is  in  evidence  that  he  cared  very  little  for  Mr.  Sturdevant  and 
his  ministry.  Like  many  others  found  at  that  time  in  that  land, 
he  had  resided  by  choice  too  long  in  the  Indian  country,  he  had 
associated  too  intimately  with  savage  life,  he  had  conformed  too 
closely  to  the  manners  and  customs  of  barbarous  tribes,  to 
have  any  special  appreciation  of  the  Christian  religion.  Not  to 
speak  of  worse  things,  his  house  was  "a  resort  of  mirth,"  a 
noted  place  where  fiddlers  and  dancers  oft  assembled,  and  spent 
their  time  moving  in  measured  step  to  the  sound  of  musical  in- 
struments. This  "  the  most  spacious  "  house  in  the  country  at 
that  time  Mr.  Sturdevant  did  not  fail  to  find,  but  he  did  not  suc- 
ceed in  making  it  a  house  of  prayer.  He  was  unable  to  exor- 
cise the  dancing  spirit.  The  young  folks  were  dancing  in  that 
very  same  house  the  day  that  Wetherford  and  his  savage  war- 
riors burned  it  to  the  ground  and  massacred  its  inmates. 


AVlien  in  penetrating  his  field  of  labor  in  the  remote  and  iso- 
lated  settlements  on  the  Tombigbee  Mr.  Sturdevant  reached  he 
little  town  of  Wakefield,  then  tlie  seat  of  justice  for  that  Dis- 
trict, he  found  residing  there  Nicholas  Perkins,  a  young  layer 
from  Tennessee,  who  at  the  first  court  held  at  that  new  seat  o 
justice  "was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  Attorney  General  of 
the  Court;"  Thomas  Malone,  then  the  Clerk  of  the  Court:  Theo- 
dore Brightwell,  then  Sheriff  of  Washington  County;  and  Harry 
ToulmiiC  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court.     There  were  a  few  oth- 
ers residing  there.     Seven  miles  from  there  lived  John  Hmson^ 
The  tastes,  habits,  and  character  of  a  man  are  often  learned 
by  the  history  of  incidents.     The  circumstances  whicn  lead  to 
a  man's  connection  with  certain  events  indicate  what  he  was  and 
how  he  stood  related  to  certain  questions  and  principles.     As 
to  whether  a  man  was  allied  to  certain  parties,  interests,  and 
principles  may  be  correctly  ascertained  by  a  knowledge  of  his 
allegiance  to  other  parties,  interests,  and  principles.     Accepting 
these  criteria,  the  social  type  and  moral  character  of  Perkins,  Ma- 
lone Brightwell,  and  Hinson  may  be  ascertained  by  their  con- 
nection with  a  remarkable  incident  which  occurred  about  one 
year  before  Mr.  Sturdevant  reached  the  country. 

In  January,  1807,   Aaron  Burr,  ex-Vice-president  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  having  been  suspected  of  treasonable  purposes,  or  of 
"Crimes  of  High  Misdemeanors,"  was  arrested  and  carried  a 
prisoner  to  the  town  of  Washington,  then  the  capital  of  Missis- 
8  ppi  Territory.     Before  the  Superior  Court,  convened  in  that 
town   February  3,  1807,  Burr  appeared  upon  his  own  recogni- 
.an";  to  answer  according  to  the  finding  of  the  Grand  Jury  im- 
paneled  in  the  case.    For  three  days  the  court  w-as  occupied 
^  counter-motions  and  counter-rulings  and  imlefinite  action 
Burr  attending  each  day  on  his  recognizance.     On  the  opening 
ff  the  court  o^  the  fourth  day  of  its  session  i   was  found  that 
Burr  had  absconded.     For  some  days,  and  until  he  could  make 
preparations  to  depart  from  that  immediate  section,  his  friends 
concealed  him.     Then  donning  a  dress  which  would  serve  to 
disguise  him,  pantaloons  of  coarse  texture  and  copperas  color, 
a  coat  of  co;rse  material  and  in  style  what  w-e  would  ca  1  a 
"round-about,"  a  slouch  and  weather-beaten  hat,  and  mounting 
himself  upon  a  fleet  and  superb  horse,  and  securing  one  Major 
Ash  ey  as  a  traveling  companion  and  guide,  he  plunged  mto  the 


86 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  AJahama. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


87 


wilderness  toward  the  Tombigbee.    About  ten  o'clock  at  night, 
on  the  28th  of  February,  the  same  month  in  which  the  Court  at 
AVashington  in  the  Natchez  District  had  dallied  with  him,  he 
rode  into  the  little  town  of  Wakefield.     At  that  hour  a  light  was 
burning  in  a  cabin  which  stood  in  the  limits  of  that  village,  a 
light  which  was  fed  by  pinewood,  commonly  called  "lightwood." 
By  that  light  in  that  cabin  sat  two  young  men,  Perkins  and  Ma- 
lone,  the  attorney  and  clerk  above  named,  engaged  in  a  game  of 
backgammon.     That  light  in  that  cabin  at  that  hour  attracted, 
illured,  and  betrayed  Burr.     He  and  his  traveling  companion 
rode  to  the  door  of  the  cabin  where  flamed  the  light  and  where 
plied  the  young  men  the  game  of  chance,  and  inquired  for  the 
tavern,  and  then  for  the  road  to  Col.  John  Hinson's.     When  the 
inquiries  had  been  answered,  and  the  tavern  and  road  asked  for 
indicated,  the  two  travelers  proceeded  on  their  way,  not  to  the 
tavern,  but  to  the  house  of  Hinson,  which  they  reached,  though 
uncertain  paths  and  dangerous  streams  were   encountered,  in 
as  short  time  as  fleet    horses    could    pass    over   seven   miles. 
Here  these  two  travelers  tarried  for  the  remainder  of  the  ni<>-ht 
although  Mr.  Hinson  was  absent  from  home.     They  stabled  and 
fed  their  horses,  a  negro  assisting  Mr.  Ashley  in  the  task,  se- 
cured supper  for  themselves,  Mrs.  Hinson  preparing  it,  and  oc- 
cupied the  kitchen.     Perkins  detected  in  the  man  so  plainly 
dressed   and   so  superbly  mounted  Aaron  Burr,  who  was  ad- 
vertised  and  described  in  a  proclamation  made  by  the  civil 
authorities  for  his  arrest.     The  game  of  chance  which  had  been 
so  fascinating  as  to  engage  these  two  young  men  until  such  a 
late  hour  at  night  was  instantly  abandoned.     Perkins  at  once 
decided  to  follow  the  strange  travelers  and  have  the  suspected 
man  arrested,  and  having  engaged  Brightwell,  the  sheriff",  in  the 
proposed  arrest,  in  the  quickest  conceivable  time  he  and  Brio-ht- 
well  were  mounted  and  on  the  road  to  Hinson's.     Perkins  and 
Brightwell  reached  Hinson's  in  a  very  short  time  after  the  two 
travelers  had  arrived.     Perkins,  however,  did  not  go  to  the  house, 
but  remained  in  the  woods  at  a  short  distance  for  concealment. 
Brightwell,  the  sheriff,  went  to  the  house  and  interrogated  and 
investigated  the  two  travelers  as  best  he  could,  but  did  not  re- 
turn to  inform  Perkins  of  the  result  of  his  investigations,  as  he 
had  engaged  to  do.     Perkins,  finally  despairing  of  the  return  of 
Brightwell,  put  out  with  all  possible  speed  for  Fort  Stoddart  to 


report  to  the  Commandant  there  his  confident  opinion  that  he 
had  detected  Aaron  Burr,  the  man  for  whose  arrest  a  handsome 
reward  was  offered.     He  reached  the  fort  by  daylight,  having 
paddled  part  of  the  way  down  the  river  in  a  canoe,  and  by  sun- 
up he  was  returning  upon  the  way  toward  Hinson's  with  Cap- 
tain Edmund  P.  Gaines  and  a  posse  of  soldiers  in  search  for  the 
traveler  supposed  to  be  Burr.     After  getting  breakfast  and  in- 
quiring the  way  to  Pensacola,  and  the  delivery  of  many  polite 
expressions  of  appreciation  of  the  kindness  and  entertainment 
he  had  received.  Burr  bade  Mrs.  Hinson  farewell,  and  he  and  his 
traveling  companion  set  off,  going  toward  the  Carson  Ferry  on 
the  Tombigbee.     About  two  miles  from  the  home  of  Colonel 
Hinson,  and  about  two  or  three  hours'  ride  from  Fort  Stoddart  in 
Eange  One,  west.  Township  Four,  north,  Section  Thirty-six,  and 
about  four  miles  west  of  Tombigbee  Kiver,  the  posse  of  soldiers 
under  Captain  Gaines  met  the  strangers.     Mr.  Perkins's  suspi- 
cions were  confirmed.     The  man  in  the  coarse  attire,  with  flash- 
ing eyes  and  engaging  address,  was  Aaron  Burr.     Captain  Gaines 
took  him  in  custody  and  carried  him  prisoner  to  Fort  Stoddart. 
In  course  of  time,  arrangements  having  been  completed  for  the 
journey,  Perkins  took  charge  of  the  prisoner,  conveyed  him  to 
Kichmond,  and  delivered  him  to  the  United  States  authorities. 
In  due  course  Burr  was  tried  for  treason,  and  acquitted. 

At  that  time  there  was  a  wolf-pen  standing  near  the  spot  where 
Burr  was  arrested  by  Gaines.  Since  that  a  Methodist  Church 
has  stood  near  that  spot.  A  combination  met  in  that  place.  A 
wolf- pen,  the  capture  of  Aaron  Burr,  and  a  Methodist  church! 
That  is  historic  ground,  if  not  classic. 

While  Mr.  Malone,  the  man  so  fond  of  the  game  of  backgam- 
mon, might  not  by  any  religious  inclinations  which  he  had  be 
attracted'^to  Mr.  Sturdevant,  there  was  one  element  of  attraction, 
one  ground  of  friendship  between  them.  They  were  natives  of  the 
same  State.  They  were  both  from  that  State  whose  natural  prod- 
ucts and  commercial  staples  were  tar,  hoop-poles  and  huckleber- 
ries. Such  would  inevitably  attract  them  to  each  other,  and 
stick  and  bind  them  close  together.  Many  of  the  citizens  of 
that  Tombigbee  country  would  have  a  special  interest  in  Mr. 
Sturdevant,  for  many  of  them  were  from  North  Carolina. 

It  is  certain  that  in  passing  about  Wakefield  in  the  discharge 
of  the  duties  of  his  ministry,  Mr.  Sturdevant  met  Hon.  Harry 


llistonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Toulmm,  who  has  been  mentioned  above  as  residing  there  at 
that  time,  but  it  is  pretty  certain  tliat  Judge  Toulmin  never  gave 
more  than  a  casual  notice  to  Mr.  Stuidevant's  preaching,  and 
that  he  never  allied  himself  in  any  way  with  Methodism.     Jud-e 
loulmm  was  born  in  England,  and  when  a  very  young  man  en- 
tered the  ministry,  and  was  for  a  time  in  charge  of  a  Unitarian 
congregation.     He  very  soon,  however,  came  to  America,  seek- 
mg  greater  freedom  in  the  expression  of  his  opinions  than  he 
was  allowed  in  his  native  land.     He  was  at  one  time  President 
of  Transylvania  University,  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  at  another 
time  he  was  Secretary  of  State  of  Kentucky.     He  was  a  man  of 
considerable  learning  and  ability.     Judge  Toulmin,  while  in 
Kentucky,  was  active  in  disseminating  his  Socinian  doctrines 
and  was  successful  in  proselyting  to  his  theories  some  men  of 
high   position   and   of   respectable   influence  in   the   orthodox 
Churches.     He  used  his  talents  and  position  on  this  behalf.     It 
seems  that  he  was  by  turns  preacher,  teacher,  politician,  lawyer 
and  office  holder.     He  came  to  Tombigbee,  by  appointment  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  as  Judge  of  the  Superior 
Court  established  there  by  the  General  Government.     As  he  had 
been  a  Unitarian  preacher  in  the  past,  and  was  then  occupied 
with  civil  affairs  and  allied  with  those  who  were  clothed  with 
military  titles  and  charged  with  military  duties,  it  is  evident  he 
was  not  preoccupied  by  Methodism,  nor  prepossessed  in  its  fa 
vor.     In  his  amiable  disposition  he  may  have  made  himself 
agreeable  to  Mr.  Sturdevant,  and  may  have  delighted  and  enter 
tamed  him  with  his  social  conversation,  but  he  never  acceded  to 
any  propositions  for  alliance  with  him  in  Church  interests. 

Edmund  P.  Gaines  was  the  son-in-law  of  Judge  Toulmin  and 
was  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Sturdevant's  ministry  captain  in  com 
mand  of  the  United  States  forces  at  Fort  Stoddart,  and  was  the 
officer  who  arrested  Aaron  Burr,  as  has  already  been  stated 
Mr.  Sturdevant  no  doubt  tendered  to  this  captain  of  a  band  of 
United  States  troops  an  offer  of  rank  and  heritage  at  the  court 
of  heaven,  but  was  not  successful  in  enlisting  him  in  the  cause 
of  his  Church. 

At  this  same  time  Mr.  George  S.  Gaines,  a  brother  of  Ed 
mund  P.  Gaines,  was  at  Saint  Stephens  in  charge  of  the  United 
States  trading  house  which  had  been  established  there  for  the 
exchange  of  commodities  with  the  Indians.     He  had  with  him 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


89 


a  man  who  assisted  as  clerk,  and  one  who  handled  and  took  care 
of  the  skins  which  were  purchased  in  the  transactions  of  the 
business,  and  also  one  who  acted  as  interpreter.  Mr.  Gaines 
went  to  Saint  Stephens  in  1805,  and  remained  there  a  number  of 
years.  Whether  Mr.  Sturdevant  and  Mr.  Gaines  found  anything 
to  attract  each  to  the  other,  or  to  cause  them  to  associate  with 
any  special  interest  is  very  questionable.  No  doubt  Mr.  Stur- 
devant approached  Mr.  Gaines  in  a  way  and  interrogated  him 
sufficiently  to  ascertain  the  estimate  in  which  he,  the  man  who 
was  using  the  parsonage  of  the  old  Spanish  Church  as  a  Tvare- 
house  in  which  to  store  the  skins  purchased  from  the  savages  of 
the  forest,  held  the  dispensation  of  the  gospel  which  he  ten- 
dered to  the  citizens  of  that  country.  From  all  the  light  pos- 
sessed on  the  subject  the  conclusion  is  reached  that  Mr.  Gaines 
had  no  Methodistic  proclivities,  neither  had  his  clerk,  nor  his 
man  of  the  skins,  nor  his  interpreter.  Mr.  Sturdevant  could  not 
help  being  interested  in  them  all. 

These  three  men,  Harry  Toulmin,  Edmund  P.  Gaines,  and 
George  S.  Gaines,  Mr.  Sturdevant  had  in  his  field  but  not  in  his 
fold,  in  his  Circuit  but  not  in  his  class,  and  nearly  all  their  de- 
scendants who  belong  to  the  Church,  so  far  as  known,  are  Epis- 
copalians. 

Those  men  who  sought  residence  where  savage  modes  of  life 
prevailed,  and  who  had  been  long  associated  with  barbarous 
tribes  and  wild  adventurers,  would  not  be  easy  victims  of  re- 
ligious truth  nor  ready  adherents  of  the  gospel  ministry.  Such 
men  were  Nathan  Blackwell,  Hiram  Mounger,  and  John  McGrew. 
Blackwell  moved  to  the  Tombigbee  and  settled  among  the  In- 
dians in  1790,  and  Mounger  in  1791,  and  McGrew  somewhere 
about  the  same  time.  McGrew  obtained  possession  of  a  tract 
of  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  Tombigbee,  where  he  resided  for 
many  years,  and  where  he  was  when  Mr.  Sturdevant  brought 
the  message  of  salvation  to  that  region.  In  a  treaty  made  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  the  Choctaw  Indians  November 
16,  1805,  there  is  an  article  which  gives  a  part  of  the  history  of 
this  man:  "Art.  IV.  The  Mingoes,  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the 
Choctaws,  certify  that  a  tract  of  land  not  exceeding  fifteen  hun- 
dred acres,  situated  between  the  Tombigbee  Kiver  and  Jack- 
son's Creek,  the  front  or  river  line  extending  down  the  river 
from  a  blazed  white  oak  standing  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Tom- 


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bigbee  near  the  head  of  the  shoal,  next  above  Hobukentoopa, 
and  claimed  by  John  McGrew,  was  in  fact  granted  to  the  said 
McGrevv  by  Opiomingo  Hesnitta  and  others  many  years  ago, 
and  they  respectfully  request  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  to  establish  the  claim  of  the  said  McGrew  to  the  said 
fifteen  hundred  acres."  (United  States  Statutes  at  Large,  Indian 
Treaties,  Vol.  VII,  p.  99. ) 

One  part  of  Mr.  Sturdevant's  work  in  that  country  was  to 
study  the  character  and  traits  of  the  adventurers  whom  he  found 
there  and  the  necessary  adjustments  of  the  gospel  to  their  cases. 

Among  all  the  men  whom  Mr.  Sturdevant  found  in  that  coun- 
try there  was  none  of  more  conspicuous  character  than  Tandy 
"W  alker,  none  in  whom  Mr.  Sturdevant  was  more  intensely  in- 
terested.    Mr.  AValker's  grandmother's  maiden  name  was  Nancy 
Tandy.     That  was  the  origin  of  his  given  name,  Tandy.     He 
was  by  birth  a  Virginian,  by  nature  and  experience  a  back- 
woodsman, by  trade  a  blacksmith,  and  by  acquired  knowledge 
of   the  Indian  language  a  medium  of  communication  between 
the  English-speaking  and  the  Indian-speaking  people.     For  all 
these  reasons  Mr.  Sturdevant  would  be  interested  in  him.     He 
emigrated  to  Tombigbee  by  or  before  the  summer  of    1803. 
Some  have  said  that  he  went  to  the  Tombigbee  in  1801.     He 
was  noted  for  courage,  generosity,  and  honesty.     The  United 
States  Government  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  civilize  the  In- 
dians and  improve  their  condition,  and  to  this  end  endeavored 
to  introduce  pnong  them  implements  of  husbandry.     In  some 
of  the  treaties  made  with  the  Indian  tribes  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment stipulated  to  furnish  them  blacksmiths.     In  connection 
with  the  trading  house  established  at  Saint  Stephens  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  Choctaw  Indians  the  government  established  a  black- 
smith shop,  and  for  a  time  employed  Tandy  Walker  to  do  the 
work  of  the  shop.     In  the  first  half  of  this  century  nothing  of 
a  temporal  and  physical  nature  was  of  more  importance  to  an 
itinerant  preacher  than  a  horse.     While  a  horse  is,  under  cer- 
tain environments,  a  vain  thing  for  safety,  yet  the  horse  has 
rendered  invaluable  service  in  ministerial  work  in  these  United 
States.     To  the  comfort  of  the  traveler  and  his  horse  nothing  is 
more  essential  than  horseshoes  and  horseshoe  nails.     There- 
fore, to  Mr.  Sturdevant,  Tandy  Walker,  the  blacksmith,  was  an 
important  and  invaluable  citizen  in  the  coiintry  where  he  found 


him.  Tandy  Walker  was,  no  doubt,  the  man  who,  from  time  to 
time,  shod  the  horse  of  the  first  Methodist  preacher  who  went 
to  and  fro  in  that  environed  settlement.  It  has  been  stated 
above  that  this  blacksmith  was  a  conspicuous  character.  He 
was  summoned  to  serve  on  the  juries  of  his  country,  and  was 
employed  and  sent  on  most  delicate  and  complicated  missions. 
He  was  sent  on  expeditions  in  which  caution,  daring,  endurance, 
insight,  and  wisdom  were  all  in  requisition.  In  1812,  upon  the 
suggestion  of  Mrs.  Gaines,  the  wife  of  George  S.  Gaines,  the 
Government  Agent,  and  upon  the  promptings  of  his  own  noble 
and  generous  impulses,  Tandy  Walker  went  to  the  Falls  of  the 
Black  AVarrior  Kiver,  about  where  Tuskaloosa  now  stands,  to 
rescue  or  ransom  a  Mrs.  Crawley  who  had  been  captured  in 
Tennessee  and  brought  to  that  place  by  a  party  of  Creek  war- 
riors who  had  been  on  a  visit  to  Tecumseh  on  the  Lakes.  This 
business  Mr.  Walker  transacted  with  success.  In  1813  he  went 
on  some  perilous  expeditions  for  inspecting  the  situation  and 
ascertaining  the  movements  of  the  Creek  forces  which  be- 
leaguered the  white  settlements. 

Though  Tandy  Walker  could  never  be  induced  to  join  the 
Church  himself,  members  of  his  household  were  in  the  com- 
munion of  the  ISIethodist  Episcopal  Church.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Mary  Mays,  was  one  of  the  Methodists  of  the 
Tombigbee  Circuit,  and  his  daughter,  Sarah  Newstep,  who  was 
born  at  the  old  town  of  Saint  Stephens,  on  Tombigbee  Eiver,  No- 
vember 8,  1803,  and  who  in  1820  married  Caswell  Eeynolds,  and 
who  lived  many  years  near  New  Berne,  Alabama,  and  who  has 
died  this  year  1890,  was  baptized  and  received  into  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  in  the  year  1815,  at  one  of  the  appoint- 
ments on  the  Tombecbee  Circuit,  near  Coffeeville,  Clark  County, 
Alabama,  by  the  Kev.  Samuel  Sellers,  then  presiding  elder. 
This  woman  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Ala- 
bama for  three-quarters  of  a  century.     She  was  full  of  faith  and 

good  works. 

Southeast  of  the  present  town  of  New  Berne  and  in  Town- 
ship eighteen  and  Kange  six  is  a  noted  prairie  marked  on  the 
maps  as  Walker's  Prairie,  and  said  to  have  been  so  called  for 
Tandy  Walker,  and  not  far  from  that  prairie,  on  the  west  side 
of  it,  Tandy  Walker  died  in  about  1842.  His  grave  is  there  till 
this  day. 


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93 


Kandall  P.  West,  a  native  of  England,  a  relative  of  a  noted 
family  of  England,  a  man  at  one  time  of  extensive  commercial 
engagements,  and  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  settled 
in  Washington  County,  near  Saint  Stephens,  about  the  year  1800, 
and  was  there  until  some  time  after  Mr.  Sturdevant's  ministry 
in  that  section  terminated.  His  granddaughter.  Miss  Marsilla 
Sexton,  married  Dr.  Thomas  O.  Summers.  His  daughter,  Miss 
Jane  West,  who  married  Mr.  Sexton,  and  who  was  the  mother  of 
Dr.  Summers'  wife,  was  a  Methodist,  and  a  member  at  Tuska- 
loosa,  Alabama,  as  early  as  1831. 

The  population  found  by  Mr.  Sturdevant  in  the  Tombigbee 
country  when  first  he  went  to  it  were  more  inclined  to  sylvan 
sports  and  border  rufhanism  than  to  religious  worship  and  to 
Christian  decorum,  and  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  he  had  not 
a  member  to  report,  and  it  seems,  from  the  figures  found  on 
record,  that  not  even  his  traveling  expenses  had  been  paid  by 
the  people  whom  he  served. 

The  next  year,  the  year  1809,  Sturdevant  and  his  colleague  in 
the  ministry  enlarged  the  Tombecbee  Mission.  They  extended 
it  to  the  Chickasahay  Biver,  which  was  from  five  to  ten  miles 
beyond  the  present  line  of  Alabama,  and  where  they  found  a 
few  families  which  became  noted  in  the  work  of  Methodism. 
This  year  and  the  years  immediately  following  there  moved 
into  the  bounds  of  what  was  then  the  Tombecbee  charge  men 
and  women  who  were  more  favorably  inclined  toward  the  Chris- 
tian religion  than  were  those  who  settled  there  from  one  to 
three  decades  earlier.  In  this  year,  1809,  Sturdevant  and  Burdge 
had  a  preaching  place  and  organized  a  Society  on  the  Chicka- 
sahay in  the  neighborhood  of  the  present  town  of  Winchester, 
eight  or  ten  miles  west  of  the  present  line  of  Alabama.  A  Mr. 
Webber,  a  Mrs.  Patton,  William  Ramsey,  and  his  wife  Eliza- 
beth were  original  members  of  this  Society.  There  is,  at  this 
date,  no  information  as  to  who  besides  these,  if  any,  belonged 
to  that  Society  at  its  organization.  Ramsey's  cabin  was  a  lodg- 
ing place  for  the  preachers  when  they  were  in  that  part  of  the 
Mission.  Ramsey  and  his  wife  were  leading  spirits  in  the 
Methodist  Church  in  the  Chickasahay  country  during  their 
lives,  and  Ramsey  was  a  class  leader  for  many  years. 

A  short  sketch  of  William  Ramsey  at  this  point  is  eminently 
proper,  as  he  was  among  the  very  first  members  of  the  Tombig- 


bee  Mission,  and  was  in  style  a  type  o£  the  men  of  that  day  m 
that  country,  and  as  his  history  will  give  a  correct  idea  of  the 
hardships  encountered  in  that  region  at  the  time  of  the  mtrc 
duction  of  Methodism  there. 

The  incidents  of  a  country  are  in  accord  with  the  state  of  so- 
ciety in  which  they  transpire.     The  original  state  and  the  suc- 
ceeding events  of  a  country  are  inseparably  connected.    Th^ 
original  environment  gives  form  and  complexion  to  all  forth- 
coming events.     The  environment  is  the  very  so«ce  and  cause 
of  the  events  which  follow  each  other  in  the  lapse  of  time.     The 
character  of  grievances  which  occur  gives  rise  to  the  modes  of 
redress  adopted.     All  events  and  all  performances  a'^e  charac- 
terized by  the  state  and  style  of  things  which  give  them  birth. 
No  one  will  be  guilty  of  the  improprieties  of  excessive  devo- 
tion to  refined  habits  when  refined  habits  are  unknown.     As 
^vas  inevitable,  the  style  of  Church  work  and  the  effects  of    he 
gospel  in  the  Tombigbee  region,  at  the  time  of  the  mtroduct  on 
of  Methodism  there,  were  in  exact  keeping  with  the  state  of  the 
people  and  the  style  of  the  times.     These  things  premised,  the 
life  of  William  Kamsey  has  its  significance,  and  a  sketch  of  him 

will  not  fail  to  ba  of  interest.  ,    , ,     ,  o       i 

This  William  Ramsey   was  born  in  Mecklenburg  County, 
North  Carolina,  July  2V,  1770.     He  lived  awhile  in  Jackson 
County,  Georgia,  where  two  of  his  children  were  born.     In  1808 
he  movU  to  the  Chickasahay  Eiver.     The  little  caravan  of  which 
he  was  the  head,  as  it  passed  from  Jackson  County,  Georgia,  to 
he  Chickasahay  Eiver,  consisted  of  himself  on  foot,  his  wife 
mounted  on  a  horse,  with  her  child  Andrew  not  more  than  two 
and  a  half  years'old.  seated  behind  her,  and  her  baby,  Abiezer 
cti-ke    then  less  than  four  months  old,  i»  j-'  l-'P.  ^-ah,  a 
ne-ro  girl,  on  foot,  and  two  pack  horses  loaded  with  what  house- 
ohl  goods  and  camp  equipage   they   could  carry.     Whether 
here  was  a  dog  in  the  company  tradition  has  not  recorded. 
This  little  band  found  nearly  the  whole  way  infested  with  In- 
dians, and  themselves  exposed  to  dangers  and  depredations,  and 
their  pro-ress  often  retarded  by  streams  that  were  not  fordable, 
and  that  were  without  bridges  and  without  femes    _ 

The  trip  made  by  this  caravan  was  commenced  m  January, 
and  the  Chickasahay  was  reached  and  the  trip  ended  February 
01  1803     None  can  refuse  to  pause  and  view  the  unique  scene 


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of  this  woman,  mounted  on  a  horse,  with  her  helpless  offsprinc^ 
packed  about  her,  making  this  trip  across  more  than  half  the 
fetate  ot  Georgia  and  across  the  entire  State  of  Alabama,  with 
menacing  sa.;ages  hanging  on  nearly  every  step,  and  swollen 
streams,    bridgeless    and    ferry  less,    encountered    every    day! 
Ihough  she  was  not  adorned  with  the  attire  of  a  queen,  nor  at- 
tended by  the  retinue  of  an  empress,  yet  ^schylus  in  his  sub- 
iimest  conceptions  and  wildest  creations  never  apprehended  and 
presented  a  picture  which  would  surpass  in  engaging  interest 
this  real  picture  of  this  woman  making  this  perilous  and  fa- 
tiguing  journey. 

The  wife  and  children  dismounted,  and  Mr.  Eamsey  unloaded 
his  pack  horses  on  the  Chickasahay  Eiver  near  what  was  then 
the  Choctaw  boundary  line,  and  near  what  is  now  the  town  of 
TVaynesborough.     Here  he  built  his  first  cabin,  made  his  first 
clearing,  and  raised  his  first  crop,  all  done  in  the  year  1808.  When 
he  reached  the  Chickasahay  Kiver  his  entire  estate  consisted  of 
three  horses,  the  baggage  which  two  pack  horses  had  conveyed 
^ere,  the  negro  girl,  Dinah,  and  twenty-one  dollars  in  cash. 
Tn  ^^"^  "^^^l^^^  provisions,  house,  nor  field.     One  of  the  horses 
fell  off  the  river  bluff  and  was  drowned;  another  was  stolen  by 
the  Indians,  and  was  never  recovered.     When  Mr.  Bamsey  had 
halted  on  the  spot  wJiere  he  intended  to  build  his  cabin  and 
make  his  clearing,  and  had  looked  around  him,  he  found  that 
he  had  but  few  neighbors,  and  that  they,  like  himself,  were 
newly  arrived.     He  also  found  that  there  was  but  little  in  that 
land  on  which  to  subsist,  except  the  spontaneous  products  of 
the  country.     To  get  even  seed  corn  he  had  to  return  to  Saint 
Stephens,  on  the  Tombigbee  Eiver,  and  pay  four  dollars  a  bushel 
tor  It.     Other  provisions  were  alike  scarce  and  at  exorbitant 
prices.     But  time  and  allotted  space  would  fail  to  tell  of  build 
ing  the  cabin,  clearing  the   field,  planting  the  corn,  making 
benches,  stools,  and  chairs,  securing  the  spinning  wheel   con 
structmg  the  rude  loom,  the  slow  process  of  picking  the  seed 
out  of  the  cotton,  spinning,  spooling,  reeling,  dyeing,  sizing 
warping  and  sleiding  thread,  weaving  cloth,  and  obtaining  other 
household  necessities.     Confronted  as  he  was  by  such  scarcity 
of  provisions  at  such  exorbitant  prices,  by  the  heavy  losses  he 
had  sustained,  and  by  such  meager  resources,  the  question  is- 
How  did  he  and  his  household  manage  to  subsist?    Stinted  and 


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95 


oppressed,  sad  and  discouraged,  he  and  his  wife  often  wished 
they  were  back  in  Georgia,  whence  they  came. 

At  the  end  of  1808  Mr.  Eamsey  sold  his  improvements  (he 
did  not  own  the  land)  and  moved  down  the  Chickasahay,  and 
built  a  cabin,  and  opened  a  new  clearing  on  the  identical  spot 
now  occupied  by  the  town  of  Winchester.  He  felled  the  first 
tree  ever  felled  at  the  town  of  Winchester.  Here  he  lived  when 
Sturdevant  and  Burdge  found  him. 

For  about  three  years  he  lived  in  this  vicinity.  He  then 
moved  still  lower  down  the  Chickasahay  to  where  the  present 
town  of  Leakesville  is  situated,  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
what  was  then  Bethel  Church.  At  Bethel  he  and  his  wife  held 
their  membership  for  a  series  of  years.  Mr.  Eamsey  lived 
at  many  different  places  in  this  same  community.  He  finally 
moved  from  the  neighborhood  of  Bethel  Church  to  a  place 
west  of  Pascagoula  Eiver,  in  what  is  now  Jackson  County,  near 
what  was  called  Fairley's  Ferry,  and  in  a  community  of  honest, 
industrious,  hospitable,  and  mostly  pious  families.  His  plan 
was  to  locate  on  a  spot,  build  a  cabin,  clear  a  field,  then  sell  the 
improvements;  hence  his  many  moves.  About  1820  he  moved 
again,  and  settled  a  new  place  in  the  pine  woods  on  the  banks 
of  Eed  Creek,  and  about  twenty  miles  from  the  place  whence  he 
moved.  Through  all  the  years  in  which  he  resided  on  the  banks 
of  Eed  Creek  he  w^as  an  invalid,  unable  to  even  feed  himself. 
He  died  at  his  home,  July  19, 1833.  He  was  a  man  of  great  in- 
dustry, of  uncommon  energy,  and  of  economical  habits.  His 
continual  roving  from  place  to  place,  though  done  in  an  effort 
to  improve  his  financial  condition,  subjected  him  to  many  vicis- 
situdes, and  prevented  any  great  acquisition  of  wealth.  Through 
his  great  industry  and  close  economy  he  was  always  able  to  live 
on  his  own  resources,  dispense  a  befitting  hospitality,  and  main- 
tain a  measure  of  usefulness.  He  was  a  man  of  unquestioned 
integrity,  and  was  much  esteemed  by  his  neighbors.  As  a 
Christian  he  was  full  of  faith  and  good  deeds,  and  had  a  pro- 
found experience  of  divine  things.  His  patience  under  suffer- 
ing was  beautiful.  His  death  was  peaceful  and  triumphant. 
He  was  buried  at  his  home  on  the  banks  of  Eed  Creek.  His 
wife  died  June  8, 1836,  and  was  buried  by  his  side.  From  thence 
they  shall  rise  to  the  judgment 

The  baby,  Abiezer  Clarke,  who  was  brought  on  horseback  by 


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97 


his  mother,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Eamsey,  to  Chickasahay,  when  less 
than  four  months  old,  will  appear  farther  on  in  these  pages  as 
a  Methodist  preacher,  and  as  one  who  rendered  long  and  ef- 
ficient service  in  Alabama. 

The  Bethel  Meeting  House,  already  mentioned,  was  two  miles 
west  of  the  Chickasahay  Eiver,  and  about  two  miles  below  the 
present  town  of  Leakesville,  was  built  of  logs,  and  was  the  first 
house  of  worship,  so  far  as  any  records  show,  which  was  ever 
built  on  the  Tombigbee  Mission.  A  Society  was  formed  at  that 
place  in  the  house  of  John  McEae,  probably  in  1809,  and  the 
house  was  built  some  time  before  1812.  John  McEae  and  his 
wife,  his  two  daughters  and  his  two  sisters,  William  Martin, 
and  Daniel  Mcintosh,  and  possibly  others,  were  original  mem- 
bers of  the  Society  at  Bethel.  John  McEae  was  a  leading 
citizen,  the  duke  of  the  county  in  which  he  lived,  and  was  for 
a  long  time  a  class  leader.  He  was  honored  with  a  seat  in  the 
Legislative  bodies  of  the  State.  The  Society  at  Bethel  was  a 
flourishing  one  for  many  long  years.  The  session  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Conference  was  held  there  commencing  December  5, 
1822. 

By  1810  there  had  gathered  on  Bassett's  Creek  east  of  the 
Tombigbee  Eiver,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  junction  of  said 
creek  and  river,  a  considerable  settlement,  called  Bassett's  Creek 
Settlement.  As  early  as  the  date  here  given  the  Methodists  had 
in  that  community  a  preaching  place  and  an  organized  Society. 
By  1810  John  Dean  had  pitched  his  tent  and  had  erected  his 
home  and  altar  in  this  community,  and  here  in  Section  fourteen. 
Township  seven,  and  Eange  three,  west,  he,  at  his  first  oppor- 
tunity, made  an  entry  of  land.  His  entry  is  marked  and  named 
on  the  old  maps  of  the  State.  This  Mr.  John  Dean  was  a 
Methodist,  and  the  members  of  his  family  were  Methodists. 
He  was  kind,  generous,  hospitable,  and  religious.  It  was  at  his 
house  on  or  near  Bassett's  Creek  that  the  Methodist  preachers 
in  charge  of  the  Tombigbee  Mission  in  that  early  day  received 
a  cheerful  welcome,  found  an  agreeable  home,  and  had  fur- 
nished to  them  whatever  was  necessary  to  their  comfort.  It  was 
at  his  house  that  the  Eev.  John  S.  Ford,  at  the  close  of  a  jour- 
ney of  eleven  days  through  the  Creek  Nation,  spent  his  first 
night  on  the  Tombigbee  Mission,  and  rested  his  weary  limbs. 
It  was  in  that  neigborhood  in  which  Mr.  Dean  lived  that  Mr. 


Ford,  the  first  Friday  after  his  arrival  there,  attended  a  fast  day 
service,  and  preached  his  first  sermon  on  that  Mission. 

Ireland,  though  first  discovered  by  pirates,  first  inhabited  by 
exiles  and   outiaws,   and    first    ruled    by  fire  worshipers,  and 
though  her  people  have  ever  been  turbulent  and  seditious,  and 
though  she  has  ever  been  cursed  by  cupidity,  despotism,  igno- 
rance, popery,  and  poverty,  has  produced  not  a  few  Methodist 
preachers  of  note  and  worth.     In  the  northeast  of  Ireland  there 
is  a  county  called  Antrim.     In  this  C9unty,  just  north  of  Lough 
Neagh,  on  the  river  Main,  is  a  place  called  Eandalstown.     In 
this  town,  in  the  year  1766,  was  born  one  John  French,  who  be- 
came  conspicuous   in   Methodism  in  the  Tombigbee  country. 
Somewhere  about  the  first  of  this  nineteenth  century  this  John 
French  left  the  land  of  bogs  and  mountains,  of  lakes  and  shores, 
of  verdure  and  famine,  of  contrasts  and  conflicts,  and  came  to 
America,  a  land  bounteous,  large,  and  free.     It  seems  that  he 
took  up  his  abode  with  the  conservative  and  steady  people  of 
North  Carolina.     Here  in  America  he  met  with  the  Methodists, 
and  through  their  influence  he  soon  fell  under  deep  distress  on 
account  of  sin,  was  led  to  inquire  wherewith  he  should  draw 
near  to  God,  and  what  he  should  bring  to  gain  his  grace.     Un- 
der the  process  of  evangelical  conviction  he  tested  the  great- 
ness of  redeeming  power,  obtained  the  justifying  grace,  and 
felt  his  willing  heart  all  taken  up  by  love  divine.     From  that  time 
around  the  altars  of  the  Church  he  poured  forth  his  strains  of 
triumph,   and  proclaimed   his   glorious   hope   of    a  righteous 
crown.     He  maintained  that  God's  children,  favored  with  his 
peculiar  smile,  and  with  all  his  blessings  blessed,  had  a  right 
to  shout,  *and  often,  transported  on  the  wings  of  love  to  realms 
of  ineffable  delight,  did   his  impulsive  soul  break  forth  with 
ascriptions  of  praise  and  with  loud  hallelujahs. 

He  was  convicted  of  a  divine  commission  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel, and  his  brethren  were  persuaded  that  he  had  gifts,  grace, 
and  promise  of  usefulness  for  the  work,  and  consequently  he 
was,  by  the  process  in  such'  case  provided,  inducted  into  the 
Christian  ministry.  At  the  session  of  the  Virginia  Conference 
at  Edmund  Taylor's,  Caswell  Circuit,  North  Carolina,  March  1, 
1805  John  French  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  traveling  con- 
nection. He  was  admitted  in  the  class  with  Matthew  P.  Stur- 
devant.  At  the  session  of  the  Virginia  Conference  at  New 
7 


98 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Berne,  North  Caroliua,  February  2,  1807,  lie  was  admitted  into 
fall  connection,  and  ordained  deacon.  At  the  session  of  this 
Conference  held  at  Tarborough,  North  Carolina,  February  1, 
1809,  he  was  ordained  elder.  At  the  session  of  the  Conference 
at  Kaleigh,  North  Carolina,  February  7,  1811,  he  was  granted  a 
location  at  his  own  request.  This  ended  his  itinerant  work. 
He  had  an  honorable  standing  in  his  Conference  while  he  was 
connected  with  it.  He  filled  important  Circuits,  and  had  suc- 
cess in  all  the  charges  he  served. 

He  married  a  woman  of  good  traits  and  of  Christian  charac- 
ter about  the  time  he  located.  His  marriage  induced  his  loca- 
tion. 

In  1811,  the  year  of  his  location,  he  moved  to  the  Tombigbee 
settlements.  He  was  at  that  time  clothed  with  all  the  functions 
of  the  Christian  ministry,  was  naturally  endowed  with  liberal 
gifts,  and  had  qualifications  attained  by  large  experience  and 
extensive  observation.  He  was,  therefore,  prepared  to  preach 
the  gospel,  administer  the  sacraments,  and  give  counsel  in  plan- 
ning and  executing  the  work  of  the  Church;  hence  his  advent 
into  the  Tombigbee  country  was  a  blessing  to  Methodism  in  that 
region. 

He  reached  that  country  just  on  the  eve  of  perilous  times.  A 
few  short  months  after  Mr.  French  reached  the  Tombigbee  set- 
tlements, and  in  the  same  year,  Tecumseh  was  in  the  Creek  Na- 
tion, and  the  Creek  War  was  projecting  its  dark  lineaments  over 
the  land.  The  plot  was  thickening,  the  elements  were  brewing, 
the  portents  were  increasing.  He  scarcely  had  time  to  build 
himself  a  rude  shelter  before  he  had  to  help  erect  forts  for  the 
protection  of  the  settlers;  he  scarcely  had  time  to  adjust  his 
ministerial  armor  after  his  journey  through  the  wilderness  be- 
fore he  had  to  don  the  military  garb.  During  this  terrible 
Creek  War  he  acted  in  the  capacity  of  soldier  and  preacher. 
He  bore  the  weapons  carnal  and  spiritual  at  the  same  time.  He 
made  a  valiant  soldier  as  well  as  a  zealous  and  laborious  preach- 
er. He  discharged  all  the  duties  devolving  upon  him  in  the 
campaign  as  a  soldier,  and  preached  to  the  people  asseml)led 
in  the  different  forts  in  the  settlements  as  opportunity  ofi'ered. 
He  died  in  1840.  His  wife,  Sarah,  a  Virginian  by  birth,  died 
in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  her  age,  September  5,  1848. 

On  the  east  bank  of  the  Tombigbee  Eiver  at  Wood's  Bluff, 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


99 


and  in  an  admirable  natural  position  for  defense,  was  a  fort 
called  Fort  Easley,  and  so  named  from  a  family  by  the  name  of 
Easley  living  in  the  immediate  vicinity.     William  Easley,  who, 
at  the  opening  of  Mr.  Sturdevant's  ministry  in  that  country,  had 
several  grown  sons  and  citizens  of  the  same  vicinity,  moved  to 
the  Tombigbee  at  least  a  decade  before  the  beginning  of  this 
century.    A  number  of  these  Easleys  became  Methodists.    Some 
persons  have  supposed  that  when  the  Easleys  first  moved  to  the 
Tombigbee  they  carried  with  them  to  that  country  certificates  of 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Church,  but  this  is  clearly  a  mis- 
take.    At  the  time  William  Easley  settled  in  that  country  among 
the  savages  and  Spaniards  there  was  no  use  for  certificates  of 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Church  there,  and  Mr.  Easley 
carried  with  him  to  that  land  neither  certificate  nor  member- 
ship.    But  some  of  the  members  of  this  large  family  attached 
themselves  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  during  the  very 
first  years  of  the  Methodist  ministry  in  that  section.     In  this 
fort  bearing  their  name  the  Easleys  took  refuge,  and  their  neigh- 
bors and  others  also  gathered  there.     In  1813  a  camp-meeting 
was  held  in  this  fort.     Here  all  the  services  of  a  camp-meeting 
were  had,   even  the   class  -  meeting  or  love -feast  on  Sunday 
morning.     Those  who  occupied  other  forts  in  adjacent  sections 
attended  this  camp-meeting.     While  the  divine  services  were 
carried  on,  armed  men  were  stationed  around  on  picket  lines  to 
watch  and  guard  against  surprises  and  attacks  from  the  prowl- 
ing and  murderous  savages.     This  camp-meeting,  held  amidst 
the  strifes  and  tumults  of  a  savage  war,  was  conducted  by  Nol- 
ley  and  Shrock,  who  were  the  preachers  assigned  to  the  charge 
for  that  year,  and  by  French,  the  local  preacher  and  the  enlist- 
ed militia  soldier.     These  preachers  and  people  worked  for  God 
and  worshiped  him  like  the  builders  of  the  walls    of  Jerusa- 
lem in  the  time  of  Nehemiah,  armed  "with  their  swords,  their 
spears,  and  their  bows.'*  '  ' 

The  war  terminated  disastrously  to  the  Creek  savages.  As  a 
condition  of  the  Treaty  of  Peace  they  ceded  all  their  land  from 
the  western  boundary  as  far  east  as  the  Coosa  Eiver.  This 
treaty  was  made  August  9,  1814.  The  war  was  over,  and  Mr. 
French  laid  aside  the  soldier's  armor,  and  gave  himself  to  the 
peaceable  pursuits  so  agreeable  to  him,  a^id  so  befitting  his  min- 
isterial calling.     In  1815  he  settled  in  Barlow's  Bend  of  the  Ala- 


100 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


bama  Kiver,  five  or  six  miles  from  the  present  Gainestown. 
Here  he  lived  until  his  days  on  earth  were  ended.  In  1819  he 
built  in  his  community  a  house  for  worship,  which  was  ever 
known  as  French's  Chapel.  He  did  much  for  the  cause  of 
Methodism  in  all  the  surrounding  country.  Many  amusing  an- 
ecdotes have  been  told  of  him.  Numerous  were  his  puns  and 
blunders.  He  was,  nevertheless,  a  great  revivalist,  and  a  w4se 
and  judicious  manipulator  of  protracted  meetings.  He  under- 
stood the  processes  for  the  attainment  of  the  best  results.  Mr. 
French  wholly  followed  the  Lord,  and  maintained  an  untar- 
nished Christian  character  to  the  end  of  his  earthly  career. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Owens  was  the  junior  preacher  on  the  Tom- 
bigbee  Charge  in  1815,  and  then  again  in  1818.  He  was  born  in 
South  Carolina,  January  8,  1787.  When  but  a  child  he  went 
with  his  parents  to  the  Natchez  country,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood. When  a  young  man,  and  before  his  attainment  of  the 
Christian  religion,  he  was  boisterous,  wild,  and  wicked.  His 
first  year  in  the  itinerant  ministry  was  1814,  and  was  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Mississippi  Conference.  His  effective  ministry 
covered  not  more  than  a  dozen  years.  For  many,  many  years 
he  was  on  the  superannuated  list.  He  was  a  small  man,  with  a 
lean,  bony  face,  a  prominent  forehead,  and  keen  eyes.  He  was 
eccentric,  humorous,  and  facetious.  He  was,  even  in  old  age, 
Avanting  in  gravity.  Through  his  life  he  enacted  many  ridicu- . 
lous  scenes,  and  was  the  subject  of  many  amusing  anecdotes. 
He  was  full  of  levity,  and  enjoyed  the  ludicrous  when  it  was  at 
the  expense  of  others;  but  when  it  was  at  his  expense  he  did  not 
relish  it.  One  incident  which  occurred  in  the  second  year  of 
his  ministry,  and  his  first  year  on  the  Tombigbee  Charge,  will 
serve  as  an  illustration  of  the  latter  part  of  this  statement. 
When  this  incident  occurred  he  was  about  twenty-eight  years 
old,  and  was  an  unmarried  man.  He  had  an  appointment  on 
one  occasion  for  preaching  at  night  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Ramsey,  which  was  just  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Chick- 
asahay  River  from  Bethel  Church.  The  time  came,  the  congre- 
gation assembled,  the  services  were  held,  the  sermon  was 
preached,  the  congregation  was  dismissed,  and  they  dispersed 
and  went  to  their  homes.  Brother  Owens  rerAained  at  Brother 
Ramsey's  for  the  night.  So  did  two  young  ladies,  Miss  Margaret 
McRae  and  her  sister,  Miss   Jane  McRae.     Brother  Ramsey's 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


101 


house  had  but  two  rooms.     One  of  these  rooms  was  occupied 
for  the  night  by  the  Misses  McRae,  and  the  other  by  the  family 
and  the  preacher.     Brother  Owens  declined  to  occupy  the  bed 
which  was  set  apart  for  his  use,  and  would  not  be  satisfied  with 
anything  but  a  pallet  on  the  floor  before  the  fire,  and  so  he  was 
accommodated.     During  the  night  a  heavy  gust  of  wind  swept 
down  the  chimney,  carrying  the  accumulated  soot  into  the  room, 
and  depositing  a  thick  covering  of  it  on  the  preacher  and  his 
pallet.     Oblivion*  of  the  coming  and  going  of  the  wind,  and  un- 
conscious of  the  coat  with  which  he  and  his  pallet  before  the 
fire  were  covered,  and  it  not  being  one  of  his  times  to  rise  up  a 
rrreat  while  before  day,  and  depart  into  a  solitary  place  and  pray, 
he  continued  to  recline  and  roll  upon  his  bed  until  after  the 
morning  sun  had  dispelled  the  darkness  of  the  night.     The  soot 
was  well  rubbed  in  and  pretty  firmly  set  by  this  time,  and  Broth- 
er Owens  was  quite  as  black  as  the  sable  sons  of  Africas  clime. 
Finally  his  host  aroused  him  from  his  slumbers,  invited  him  to 
arise  from  his  chosen  pallet,  and  requested  him  to  behold  nis 
face  in  the  glass.     He  arose,  and  looked  into  the  glass,  and,  it 
is  likely,  lie  never  did  forget  what  manner  of  looking  man  he 
was  that  morning.     He  went  to  a  washstand  in  the  yard,  where 
with  water  and  soap  he    commenced  a  process  of  cleansing. 
Just  as  he  was  beginning  the  work  of   scrubbing  the  Misses 
McRae  walked  out,  surveyed  the  scene,  and  took  in  the  situa- 
tion    A  preacher's  dignity  and  this  preacher's  plight  were  in- 
congruous.    The  scene  was  ludicrous,  and  was  too  much  for  any 
ruler's  of  etiquette,  and  was  too  much  for  any  common  serious- 
ness    Let  rhetoricians  say  what  they  may  about  the  purposes 
of  raising  a  laugh,  and  let  them  say  what  they  may  about  the 
ofiices  of  ridicule  in  the  improvement  of  morals  and  the  refine- 
ment of  manners;  let  moralists  say  what  they  may  about  laugh- 
ing at  one's  misfortunes  being  a  species  of  ridicule,  and  let  them 
say  what  they  may  about  ridicule  being  a  violation  of  the  law 
of  love  it  was  impossible  to  suppress  laughter  while  looking  at 
that  preacher  covered  with  soot  and  scrubbing  with  water  and 
soap     The  provocation  was  enough,  ,and  the  young  ladies  and 
the  members  of  the  family  laughed,  they  laughed  involuntarily 
and  heartily.     This  was  to  Brother  Owens  a  terrible  ordeal. 
The  scrubbing,  cleansing  process  irritated  the  surface  no  little, 
and  irritated  that  within  fully  as  much.     The  laughing  caused 


102 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


by  his  predicament  and  done  at  his  expense  intensified  the  irri- 
tation under  which  he  was  smarting.  This  ordeal  tested  his 
grace  and  manifested  his  temper.  For  once  in  his  life  his  lev- 
ity was  overcome,  his  facetiousness  forsook  him,  and  he  became 
severely  grave,  he  became  grave  almost  to  rage.  Under  that 
process  lie  was  austere  enough  to  have  satisfied  the  demand  of 
an  ascetic.  The  scrubbing  was  finally  finished,  the  laughing 
ended,  and  Brother  Owens  recovered  his  equanimity.  No  doubt 
he  set  this  occurrence  down  as  one  of  the  felicities  of  the  itin- 
erancy in  a  new  country. 

Brother  Owens  was  of  a  nervous  temperament,  but  he  was  as 
fearless  as  a  lion.  His  effort  in  preaching  was  to  stir  the  emo- 
tions rather  than  to  enlighten  the  intellect.  His  reproofs  and 
admonitions  were  made  with  great  directness.  He  never  court- 
ed the  applause  of  the  irreligious.  His  custom  was  to  invite 
penitents  to  the  altar  after  preaching.  From  the  time  of  his  ad- 
mission into  the  itinerant  ministry  until  his  death  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Mississippi  Conference.  He  maintained  a  good 
name  until  the  end,  and  died  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  July  1, 
1868,  exclaiming  with  his  expiring  breath:  "My  way  to  heaven 
is  as  straight  as  a  line." 

In  1816  the  Eev.  Jolm  Gilmore,  then  about  forty  years  old, 
and  the  Rev.  Elijah  Gilmore,  a  younger  brother,  with  their  fam- 
ilies, moved  from  Tennessee  to  the  Tombigbee  country.  The 
Rev.  John  Gilmore  stopped  in  the  neighborhood  of  Wood's 
Blutf,  and  the  Rev.  Elijah  Gilmore  stopped  in  the  neighborhood 
of  what  was  afterward  called  Grove  Hill. 

The  Rev.  John  Gilmore  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  1800,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1813.  So  soon  as 
he  settled  on  the  Tombigbee  he  began  to  preach  as  a  local 
preacher  to  the  people  in  his  immediate  vicinity.  The  largest 
part  of  his  ministry  was  given  as  a  local  preacher  to  the  Tom- 
bigbee Circuit,  he  remaining  in  that  region  in  that  capacity 
about  twenty  years.  He  was  ordained  a  deacon  by  Bishop 
Enoch  George,  at  Suggsville,  Alabama,  in  November,  1819.  In 
January,  1837,  in  the  city  of  Mobile,  he  joineU  the  Alabama 
Conference,  and  thenceforward  continued  in  the  itinerant  min- 
istry until  his  death,  in  November,  1844.  He  trained  all  who 
were  under  his  control  in  the  doctrines  and  usages  of  Metho- 
dism.    In  his  death  he  was  peaceful,  assured,  and  triumphant. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


103 


It  is  not  known  when  nor  where  the  Rev.  Elijah  Gilmore  was 
licensed  to  preach.     It  was,  however,  some  time  before  he  moved 
to  the  Tombigbee  region.     So  soon  as  he  could  congregate  the 
few  white  settlers  he  found  in  the  new  community  m  which  he 
had  located,  he  commenced  preaching  to  them.     In  due  course 
of  events  there  was  a  School-house  built  about  two  miles  east  of 
the  present  town  of  Grove  Hill.     Here  the  Rev.  Elijah  Gdmore 
established  a  regular  appointment  for  preaching,  and  here  wac 
established  what  became  one  of  the  regular  appointments  of  the 
Tombi"-bee  Circuit,  and  one  which  continued  until  18bU.     iHib 
place  was  named  for  John  Spinks,  who  was  among  the  early  set- 
tlers in  that  community,  and  who  lived  in  the  neighborhood  un- 
til his  death.     The  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Curry,  who  was  one  of  the 
preachers  on  the  Tombigbee  Circuit  in  1843,  made  an  entry  in 
his  Journal  concerning  John  Spinks  which  may  be  given  here 
in  connection  with  this  account  of  the  origin  of  this  apix)int- 
ment  bearing  so  long  his  name.     "December,  Sunday,  3,  1843. 
I  attended  the  funeral  of  a  beloved  brother,  John  Spinks,  over 
whom  the  Church  and  friends  greatly  lament;  his  house  has 
ever  been  the  Methodist  preacher's  home;  both  saints  and  sin- 
ners mourn  his  exit."     Brother  Elijah  Gilmore  lived  and  la- 
bored as  a  Methodist  preacher  in  the  neighborhood  of  bpinks 
Chapel  for  a  number  of  years,  and  finally  moved  and  settled  near 
Shubuta,  Mississippi,  where  he  afterward  died,  a  very  old  man. 
There  came  to  the  Tombigbee  with  these  two  preachers,  John 
and  Elijah  Gilmore,  their  mother,  Mrs.  Gilmore,  and  four  broth- 
ers  the  widow  and  sons  of  the  Rsv.  Humphrey  Gilmore,  whom 
Bishop  Asbury  set  apart  for  the  office  of  a  deacon,  at  Augusta, 
Georgia,  December  30,  1801.     The  members  of  this  family  were 
all  Methodists,  instructed  in  the  doctrines  and  trained  m  the 
usages  thereof.     Stephen,  the  youngest  of  the  sons,  and  who  was 
seventeeti  years  old,  when  he  came  to  the  neighborhood  of  what 
was  afterward  called  Spinks'  Chapel,  became  a  preacher.    Here 
is  a  verbatim  copy  of  his  license:  "Stephen  Gilmore  is  hereby 
authorized  to  Preach  as  A  Local  Preacher  in  the  Methodist  E. 
Church  so  long  as  his  conduct  accord  with  the  word  of  God. 
Signed  in  behalf  of  the  Conference  held  for  Marengo  Circuit 
20th  September,  1828.    Ebenezer  Hearn,  P.  E."    He  was  set 
apart  to  the  office  of  a  deacon  by  Bishop  Beverly  Waugh,  in 
Mobile,  Alabama,  December  19,  1841. 


104 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Some  further  history  of  the  organization  of  the  Mississippi 
Conference  is  necessary  in  order  to  a  full  and  intelligent  under- 
standing of  the  subject.  The  name  of  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence does  not  appear  in  the  Discipline  until  1816,  nor  in  the 
General  Minutes  until  the  appointments  are  given  for  1817,  and 
yet  previous  to  this  there  were  held  three  sessions  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Conference,  three  sessions  which  never  had  proper  of- 
ficial recognition.  The  first  session  of  this  Conference  was  held, 
as  has  been  stated  elsewhere,  in  November,  1813;  the  second  ses- 
sion was  held  in  November,  1814;  and  the  third  session  was  held 
in  November,  1815.  The  General  Conference,  at  the  session  in 
May,  1812,  authorized  the  bishops — there  were  only  two  of 
them,  Asbury  and  McKendree — to  organize  a  Conference  in 
Mississippi  any  time  during  the  next  four  years,  if  in  their 
judgment  it  should  be  expedient.  Under  this  authority  and  the 
emergencies  of  the  case,  the  bishops,  in  the  latter  end  of  1812, 
decided  to  constitute  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  appointed 
the  time  and  place,  November  1,  1813,  and  Spring  Hill,  Jeffer- 
son County,  Mississippi  Territory,  for  its  first  session  and  for 
its  formal  organization.  When  the  appointed  time  came  the 
bishops  could  not,  on  account  of  the  hostilities  of  the  Creek  In- 
dians, attend.  The  preachers,  however,  who  were  to  constitute 
the  Conference  and  had  been  notified  of  the  time  for  its  organi- 
zation met  and  organized  and  transacted  the-  business  properly 
coming  before  them  on  the  occasion.  They  held  the  three  ses- 
sions already  mentioned  without  any  bishop;  and  so,  though 
these  sessions  were  held  by  appointment,  by  authority,  and  by 
legal  enactment,  and  though  the  regular  business  of  an  Annual 
Conference  was  all  scrupulously  transacted,  preachers  being  re- 
ceived on  trial  and  into  full  corfnection,  and  elected  to  deacon's 
and  elder's  orders,  and  superannuated,  and  located  as  in  other 
Annual  Conferences,  these  sessions  of  this  Conference'  were  all 
treated  as  irregular,  and  the  proceedings  thereof  were  reported 
and  printed  in  the  General  Minutes  as  business  transacted  by 
the  Tennessee  Conference.  The  boundaries  of  the  Mississippi 
Conference  were  for  the  first  time  determined  and  named  by  the 
General  Conference  at  the  session  in  May,  1816.  Then  for  the 
first  time  the  name  and  boundaries  of  this  Annual  Conference 
appeared  in  the  Discipline,  and  the  first  session  under  this  of- 
ficial provision  was  held  at  William  Foster's,  a  few  miles  north 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


105 


of  the  city  of  Natchez,  beginning  October  H),  1816,  with  Bishop 
Eobert  E.  Koberts  presiding,  at  least  the  latter  part  of  the  ses- 
Henceforth  the  name  and  proceedings  of  the  Mississip- 


sion. 


pi  Conference  appeared  in  the  General  Minutes.     Now  all  was 
established  and  regular. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama  (Continued). 

'"FIHAT  section  of  Alabama  joining  tlie  State  of  Tennessee 
I      and  lying  along  the  Tennessee  Kiver  next  claims  attention 
in  the  order  of  the  beginning  of  the  work  of  Methodism  in  the 
State. 

It  is  a  fact  which  appears  in  the  history  that  the  various  In- 
dian tribes  claimed  all  the  land  they  could  about  the  borders  of 
their  several  boundaries,  and  that  these  tribes  ceded  to  the  Unit- 
ed States  any  and  every  part  of  their  lands  grudgingly.  They 
never  ceded  any  portion  of  their  lands  until  emergencies  aris- 
ing absolutely  compelled  them  to  do  so.  No  white  settlements, 
properly  so  called,  were  ever  made  in  any  section  of  the  country 
until  the  lands  were  ceded  to  the  United  States,  and  the  In- 
dian titles  were  extinguished.  White  men  settled  among  the 
Indians  nearly  everywhere  before  cessions  of  land  were  made, 
but  in  all  such  cases  they  submitted  to  the  customs  and  modes 
of  Indian  life.  Therefore  the  date  of  the  beginning  of  white 
settlements  in  every  place  is  the  same  as  the  date  of  the  cession 
of  the  land  by  the  Indians  to  the  United  States.  This  is  exact- 
ly true  concerning  the  beginning  of  the  white  settlements  in 
that  part  of  Alabama  along  the  Tennessee  Kiver.  The  cession 
of  the  land  and  the  extinction  of  the  Indian  titles  in  that  im- 
mediate section  was  complicated  and  retarded  by  conflicting^ 
claims.  The  boundary  line  between  the  Cherokee  and  the 
Chickasaw  Indians  was  a  subject  of  dispute  with  these  tribes, 
and  they  claimed  the  same  territory  about  the  head  waters  of 
Duck  and  Elk  Eivers,  and  along  the  Tennessee  Eiver  from  the 
Chickasaw  Island  in  that  river  which  is  just  above  what  is  now 
called  Whitesburg,  and  what  was  as  early  as  1805  and  as  late  as 
1818  called  Ditto's  Landing,  down  to  the  lower  end  of  Muscle 
Shoals.  From  the  treaties  made  by  these  tribes  with  the  Unit- 
ed States  it  is  shown  that  the  Chickasaws  and  the  Cherokees 
each  ceded  and  received  compensation  for  the  same  tract  of 

country. 

(106) 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


107 


In  a  treaty  concluded  in  the  Chickasaw  country,  July  23, 
1805,  between  the  United  States  and  the  Chickasaw  Indians,  the 
Chickasaws  ceded  to  the  United  States  the  tract  of  country  in- 
cluded in  the  following  boundary:  "  Beginning  on  the  left  bank 
of  Ohio,  where  the  present  Indian  boundary  adjoins  the  same, 
thence  down  the  left  bank  of  Ohio  to  the  Tennessee  Kiver, 
thence  up  the  main  channel  of  Tennessee  to  the  mouth  of  Duck 
Kiver;  thence  up  the  left  bank  of  Duck  Kiver  to  the  Columbian 
highway  or  road  leading  from  Nashville  to  Natchez,  thence 
along  the  said  road  to  the  ridge  dividing  the  waters  running  into 
Duck  Kiver  from  those  running  into  Buffalo  Kiver,  thence  east- 
wardly  along  the  said  ridge  to  the  great  ridge  dividing  the  wa- 
ters running  into  the  main  Tennessee  Kiver  from  those  running 
into  Buffalo  Kiver  near  the  main  source  of  Buffalo  Kiver, 
thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  Great  Tennessee  Kiver  near  the 
Chickasaw  old  fields  or  eastern  point  of  the  Chickasaw  claim  on 
that  river;  thence  northwardly  to  the  great  ridge  dividing  the 
waters  running  into  the  Tennessee  from  those  running  into 
Cumberland  Kiver,  so  as  to  include  all  the  waters  running  into 
Elk  Kiver,  thence  along  the  top  of  the  said  great  ridge  to  the 
l^lace  of  beginning." 

In  a  treaty  concluded  at  the  city  of  Washington  between 
the  United  States  and  the  Cherokee  Nation  of  Indians  on  Jan- 
uary 7,  1806,  the  Cherokees  relinquished  "to  the  United  States 
all  right,  title,  interest,  and  claim,  which  they  have  or  ever  had 
to  all  that  tract  of  country  which  lies  to  the  northward  of  the 
river  Tennessee  and  westward  of  a  line  to  be  run  from  the  up- 
per part  of  the  Chickasaw  old  fields,  at  the  upper  point  of  an 
island,  called  Chickasaw  Island,  on  said  river,  to  the  most  east- 
erly head  waters  pf  that  branch  of  said  Tennessee  Kiver  called 
Duck  Kiver,  excepting  the  two  following  described  tracts— viz.: 
one  tract  bounded  southerly  on  the  said  Tennesse  Kiver,  at  a 
place  called  the  Muscle  Shoals,  westerly  by  a  creek  called  Te 
Kee-ta-noeh  or  Cyprus  Creek,  and  easterly  by  Chu-wa-lee,  or 
Elk  Kiver  or  Creek,  and  northerly  by  a  line  to  be  drawn  from 
a  point  on  said  Elk  Kiver  ten  miles  on  a  direct  line  from  its 
mouth  or  junction  with  Tennessee  Kiver,  to  a  point  on  the  said 
Cyprus  Creek,  ten  miles  on  a  direct  line  from  its  junction  with 
the  Tennessee  Kiver.  The  other  tract  is  to  be  two  miles  in 
width  on  the  north  side  of  Tennessee  Kiver,  and  to  extend  north- 


108 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


109 


erly  from  that  river  three  miles,  and  bounded  as  follows,  viz.: 
Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Spring  Creek,  and  running  up  said 
creek  three  miles  on  a  straight  line,  thence  westerly  two  miles 
at  right  angles  with  the  general  course. of  said  creek,  thence 
southerly  on  a  line  parallel  with  the  .general  course  of  said 
creek  to  the  Tennessee  Eiver,  thence  up  said  river  by  its  waters 
to  the  beginning;  which  first  reserved  tract  is  to  be  considered 
the  common  property  of  the  Cherokees  who  now  live  on  the 
same;  including  John  D.  Chesholm,  Au-tow-we  and  Cheh 
Chuh,  and  the  other  reserved  tract,  on  which  Moses  Melton  now 
lives,  is  to  be  considered  the  property  of  said  Melton  and  of 
Charles  Hicks,  in  equal  shares." 

The  land  ceded  and  bounded  in  the  treaty  made  with  the 
Chickasaws,  July  23, 1805,  covered  a  part  of  the  same  tract  em- 
braced in  the  land  ceded  and  bounded  in  the  treaty  made  with 
the  Cherokees,  January  7,  1806.  That  part  of  the  tract  of  land 
ceded  and  bounded  in  the  said  treaty  with  the  Chickasaws 
which  lay  in  Alabama  was  in  the  form  of  a  triangle,  and  where 
it  terminated  at  the  Chickasaw  Island,  in  the  Tennessee  River 
just  above  what  was  then  called  Ditto's  Landing,  it  was  about 
four  miles  wide,  and  at  the  Tennessee  State  line  was  about  thir- 
ty miles  wide.  The  tract  of  land  ceded  and  bounded  by  the 
Cherokees,  January  7,  1806,  went  to  the  same  line  east  and  to 
the  same  point  at  Chickasaw  Island  of  the  tract  ceded  by  the 
Chickasaws,  but  extended  further  down  the  Tennessee  River 
than  did  the  tract  ceded  by  the  Chickasaws.  It  extended  to  the 
lower  end  of  Muscle  Shoals,  except  two  small  reservations 
named.  It  took  from  July  23,  1805,  till  May  22,  1807,  to  make 
and  ratify  the  treaties  necessary  to  entirely  extinguish  the  In- 
dian titles  to  that  triangular  tract  of  land  out  of  which,  Decem- 
ber 13,  1808,  the  County  of  Madison  was  by  legal  enactment 
and  authority  constituted.  Upon  the  establishment  of  these 
treaties  that  section  of  the  country  was  open  to  white  settlers, 
and  about  the  time  these  treaties  bear  date  white  men  began  to 
venture  into  that  region.  It  was  just  about  the  time  these 
treaties  were  made,  somewhere  from  1805  to  1807,  that  John 
Hunt  took  up  his  abode  and  built  a  log  cabin  at  the  magnificent 
spring  ten  miles  from  Ditto's  Landing.  Henceforth  that  spring 
was  called  Hunt's  Spring.  Ditto's  Landing  was  so  called  from 
a  white   man  by   the  name  of  Ditto  who  lived  at  that  point 


among  the  Indians,  a  regular  Indian  Countryman,  and  wlio 
went  among  them  previous  to  any  cession  of  that  territory  to 

the  United  States.  ,       -r  j-  „ 

About  the  time  the  treaty  with  the  Cherokee  Indians  was 
ratified  in  1807,  a  small  number  of  immigrants  from  t>outh  Car- 
olina with  John  Ford  as  the  recognized  leader  of  the  little  band 
took 'up  their  abode  in  that  triangular-shaped  territory  which 
had  its  terminal  point,  as  has  already  been  stated,  at  Chickasaw 
Island.     AVhen  this  little  company  of  immigrants  had  pitched 
their  tents  in  this  territory  so  recently  ceded  t«  the  United 
States  they  found  they  were  literally  in  the  dismal  wilds  o 
America,  where  no  laws  existed,  and  where  no  government  had 
jurisdiction.     Civilization,  even  in  its  smallest  beginnings  and 
rudest  forms,  had  not  so  much  as  laid  a  preemption  on  that 
soil     The  little  tract  of  land,   though  released  from   Indian 
claims,  was  closely  environed  by  savages     While  it  was  the  cen- 
ter of   a  beautiful    region,  with   gushing  springs    refreshing 
streams,  and  fertile  soil,  it  was,  nevertheless,  at  that  time,  an  in- 
hospitable land.     It  was  a  dismal  solitude.     There  was  nothing 
to  gratify  a  reasonable  ambition,  nothing  to  encourage  religious 
devotion,  or  to  contribute  to  religious  enjoyment.     There  was 
nothing  upon  which  to  expend  religious  energies.     Depreda- 
tions were  common,  and  called  for  unremitting  vigilance  and 
vigorous  defense.     John  Ford's  ancestors  were  Methodists,  and 
he  and  his  wife  had  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
South  Carolina,  and  were  pious  and  zealous  Christians     They, 
and  others  of  this  little  company  of  adventurers,  longed  for  re- 
ligions immunities  and  Christian  associations.     Oppressed  by 
isolation,  harassed  by  depredations,  and  thirsting  tor  better  re 
ligious  facilities,  they  resolved  not  to  remain  in  that  land;  and 
60  at  the  end  of  one  year,  they  took  their  journey  from  thence, 
ai^d  went  into  the  Natchez  country.     In  that  then  far  western 
land  Mr.  Ford  searched  him  out  a  location  on  Pearl  Eiver. 
where  he  made  his  abode  till  his  earthly  pilgrimage  was  ended. 
H7and  his  family  became  noted  in  Methodism     At  some  time 
1^  his  life   when  is  not  known,  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and 
L  was  for  a  great  number  of  years  a  local  preacher.     It  was  at 
Jolui  Ford's,  on  Pearl  Kiver.  that  the  second  informal  session 
nf  he  Mississippi  Conference  was  held,  beginning  November  14, 
IsS     Jr  was  a^  Ford's  Meeting  House,  Pearl  Eiver,  Missis- 


.( 


■I 


110 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


sippi  State,  the  Mississippi  Conference  held  its  session  begin- 
ning October  29,  1818. 

This  band  of  immigrants  left  the  land  on  the  Tennessee,  but 
soon  others  came.  In  the  year  1808,  Joshua  Boucher,  with  his 
young  family,  and  John  Stringfield,  with  his  wife  and  children, 
moved  to  that  territory,  which  was  that  very  year  organized  into 
a  county,  and  named  Madison.  Mr.  Boucher  had  joined  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Kentucky  in  1806,  and  was  a 
zealous  Christian.  Mr.  Stringfield  and  his  wife,  Sarah,  and  his 
son,  Thomas,  who  was  twelve  years  old  when  they  came  to  this 
section,  had  all  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  previous 
to  their  coming  to  their  new  abode,  and  they  were  all  pious. 
John  Stringfield  and  his  wife  both  died  in  this  county,  Mr. 
Stringfield  in  1822,  and  his  wife  in  1828.  Though  the  inhabit- 
ants were  few,  and  the  organized  Methodist  Classes  were  small, 
yet,  here  in  this  wild  region,  Joshua  Boucher  filled  the  position 
of  class  leader  and  of  exhorter,  and  here  in  1811  he  was  li- 
censed to  preach.  In  1809,  Daniel  Thompson,  a  local  preacher 
of  great  popularity,  and  a  professional  teacher  of  rare  attain- 
ments and  of  profound  scholarship,  came  to  Madison  County. 
He  died  in  the  county  at  an  advanced  age,  and  was  buried  at 
Beech  Grove  Church,  near  the  State  line.  But  space  woidd  fail 
to  tell  of  Bibb  and  Brandon  and  Cabaniss  and  Eldridge  and 
Harris  and  Lanier  and  Manning  and  McDonald  and  Moore 
and  Pope  and  Powers  and  Reedy  and  Roper  and  Strong  and 
Steger  and  Weaver  and  Winston,  and  others  who  had  become 
residents  of  the  county  by  the  close  of  1810.  By  the  latter  part 
of  1809  it  was  assumed  that  there  were  citizens  enough  in  tlie 
county  to  justify  the  holding  of  courts  in  the  county.  Accord- 
ingly, the  Legislative  Council  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  Mississippi  Territory,  in  general  assembly  convened,  did,  on 
December  23,  1809,  pass  an  act  directing  courts  to  be  held,  and 
a  convenient  place  to  be  selected  for  establishing  public  build- 
ings in  the  County  of  Madison.  The  next  year,  1810,  the  place 
was  selected,  and  the  town  was  laid  out  and  named  Twickenham, 
as  the  legislative  act  required.  The  place  selected  was  at  the 
spring  where  John  Hunt  had  previously  erected  his  cabin.  The 
Legislative  Council  and  House  of  Representatives  of  Mississippi 
Territory,  in  general  assembly  convened,  passed,  November  25» 
1811,   an   act  changing  the   name   of   Twickenham  to  that  of 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Ill 


Huntsville,  and  on  December  9,  1811,  they  passed  an  act  to  in- 
corporate  said  town. 

Methodism  was  present  at  the  dawning  of  things  in  Madison 
County.  The  very  first  white  persons  who  touched  the  soil  em- 
braced in  Madison  County  were  Methodists.  Before  any  courts 
were  established  in  the  county  Methodist  Societies  were  organ- 
ized, Methodist  class  leaders  were  appointed,  Methodist  exhort- 
ers  were  licensed,  Methodist  services  were  being  held,  and 
Methodist  work  was  going  on.  As  early  as  1811,  if  not  earlier, 
Methodist  Quarterly  Conferences  were  held,  and  Methodist 
preachers  were  licensed  in  the  county. 

The  Baptists  were  there  equally  early.     They  were  there  at 
the  beginning  of  things,  and  they  were  strong  and  numerous 
for  the  number  of  inhabitants  in  the  county  at  the  time.     On 
Flint  River,  north-east  of  Hunt's  Spring,  at  the  house  of  James 
Deaton,  October  2,  1808,  they  constituted  a  Church  with  eleven 
or   twelve   members,  which   Church  they  named  Flint  River. 
This  was  the  first  Baptist  Church  in  the  county.     Others  soon 
followed.     Though  in  the  beginning,  in  all  the  Tennessee  Yalley, 
the  Baptists  were  strong,  they  have  not,  up  to  this  date,  pros- 
pered much  in  that  part  of  Alabama.     There  has  been  a  special 
cause  for  this.     At  the  risk  of  anticipating  the  events  of  his- 
tory, it  may  be  said  in  this  connection  that  the  Baptists  in  Ala- 
bama, at  one  time,  had  among  themselves  dissensions  and  divis- 
ions of  a  serious  nature,  and  that  in  their  final   issue  these 
dissensions  and  divisions  resulted  in  great  damage  to  their  in- 
terests in  all  that  part  of  the  State  known  as  the  Tennessee  Val- 
ley.    The  doctrine  of  Calvinism  held  by  the  Baptists  as  a  de- 
nomination led  to  confusion  in  their  administration  and  to  strife 
in  their  councils.     The  logical  sequence  of  Calvinism  is  Antino- 
mianism.     A  large  number  of  the  ministers  and  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church  were  out  and  out  Antinomians,  and  as  such  were 
opposed  to  all  benevolent  enterprises,  and  to  all  efforts  for  the 
dissemination  of  the  gospel.     An  Antinomian  is  an  antimission- 
ary.     There  were  others  among  the  Baptists  who  in  the  face  of 
the  Calvinistic  doctrine   of  foreordination   and  fatality  which 
they  held,  and  in  defiance  of  all  the  logic  involved  in  their  doc- 
trine, insisted  on  making  an  effort  to  disseminate  the  gospel, 
and  these,  in  1823,  formed  the  State  Convention,  the  objects  of 
which  were  to  aid  in  domestic  and  foreign  missions,  and  the  edu- 


112 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


113 


cation  of  young  men  who  were  called  to  the  ministry."    At  once 
an  issue  arose,  and  a  contest  ensued.     The  Antinomian  party  were 
irreconcilably  opposed  to  the  work  for  which  the  Convention  had 
been  organized.     Many  of  the  ministers  and  churches  delivered 
their  opinions  on  these  points,  acrimonious  speeches  were  made, 
and  angry  debates  took  place  in  their  associational  meetings. 
Human  language  is  too  poor  to  describe  some  of  the  scenes 
which  were  enacted  in  not  a  few  of  their  Associations.     In  some 
instances  preachers  were  arraigned  by  Churches  for  persisting 
in  having  a  Sunday-school,  and  for  joining  missionary  societies, 
and  in  some  instances  churches  set  up  in  Associations  to  them- 
selves in  order  to  separate  themselves  from  those  allied  to  the 
cause  of  Missions  and  other  benevolent  institutions.     The  Eev. 
William  Crutcher,  of  Madison  County,  was  at  the  head  of  the 
antieffort  men  of  the  time,  and  his  associates  and  followers  in 
that  section  constituted  the  large  majority  of  the  Baptist  fra- 
ternity.    These   statements   concerning  the   Baptists  are    not 
prompted  by  any  unfriendly  feeling.     They  are  in  accord  with 
the  facts  of  history,  and  are  authorized  by  the  Baptist  historian. 
The  strong  opposition  to  benevolent  enterprises  and  Christian 
effort  originating  with  and  maintained  by  these  Baptists,  these 
Antinomians,  in  that  section,  affected  that  whole  country.     It 
was  potent  for  evil.     As  a  poison  it  infected  the  whole  popula- 
tion.    Consequently,  throughout  the  Tennessee  Valley  there  has 
not  been  that  liberality  in  supporting  the  enterprises  of  the 
Church  which  duty  and  interest  required.     The  Methodists  of 
the  Tennessee  Yalley  have  never  been  distracted  by  any  dissen- 
sions of  their  own.     They  have  been  singularly  free  from  strifes 
and  division  among  themselves,  and  they  have  ever  had  a  nu- 
merous following  and  a  large  membership.     While  they  have 
been  Arminians,  and  have  avowed  opposition  to  Antinomianism, 
yet  they  have  been  so  environed  by  this  hostility  to  benevolent 
institutions  in  Church  work  that,  compared  with  the  luxuriant 
products  and  the  wealth  possessed  in  that  country,  the  financial 
contributions  made  there  by  the  Methodists  to  the  support  of 
the  ministry  and  the  various  enterprises  of  the  Church  have 
up  to  this  date  (1889)  been  exceedingly  meager.     That  grace  of 
liberality  which  the  Word  of  God  so  authoritatively  enjoins 
and  so  repeatedly  commends  has  been  suppressed,  dwarfed,  by 
the  insidious  influence  of  that  Antinomianism  which  distracted 


and  divided  the  Baptist  Church,  and  impeded  her  progress  in 

that  region.  ,    , ,    ,  _ .,     .     tj;ii 

The  sesBion  of  the  Western  Conference,  held  at  Liberty  Hill, 
where  Green  Hill  lived,  in  Williamson  County,  Tennessee,  Oc- 
tober 1-7,  1808,  touched  closely  a  historic  paragraph  in  the  in- 
troductio;  of  Methodism  in  the  "great  bend"  of  the  Tennessee 
Kiver.    A  camp-meeting  was  held  in  connection  with  this  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference,  and  the  preachers  were  entertained  and 
lodged  in  the  tents.     Bishop  Asbury  presided  over  the  business 
of  the  Conference,  and  preached  three  times  during  the  session 
Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  this  session  of  the  Conference 
commenced  on  Saturday,  the  first  day  of  October,  the  day  befo  e 
the  Flint  Eiver  Baptist  Church,  north-east  of  Hunt  s  Spring,  was 
constituted,  and  that  said  session  ended  on  Friday  the  seventh 
day  of  October,  more  than  two  mouths  before  the  County  of 
Madison  was  by  official  act,  constituted  and  named,  and  more 
than  fourteen  months  before  the  legislative  act  was  passed  di- 
recting courts  to  be  held  in  said  connty.     These  statements  are 
made  to  show  forth  still  further  that  the  Methodists  were  m  that 
section  at  the  very  first,  at  the  origin  and  organization  of  affairs 
It  was  at  this  session  of  the  Western  Conference  that  the  first 
Methodist  preacher,  in  the  regular  ministerial  work  was  sent  to 
the  settlers  in  the  "  great  bend  "  of  the  Tennessee  Riv-er.     This 
appointment  was  made  at  the  date  above  given,  but  it  must  W 
borne  in  mind  that  it  was  made  for  the  Conference  year,  1809 
At  the  end  of  the  list  of  the  appointments  for  the  Cumberland 
District  are  found  these  words:   "  James  Gwinn,  Missionary 
This  was  the  man  who  was  to  preach  that  year  to  the  new  set- 
tlers in  the  "great  bend"  of  the  noble  Tennessee,  and  this  was 
the  capacity  in  which  he  was  to  minister  to  that  Peoge.     He 
was  a  missionary  to  bear  to  that  people  glad  tidings     He  filled 
his  appointment,  operated  in  the  field  designed  by  his  appoint- 
ment  had  good  success,  and  at  the  end  of  the  Conference  year, 
September  30,  1809,  reported  for  the  statistical  table  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  white  and  four  colored  members,  and  a 
pastoral  charge  which  heretofore  had  not  existed,  an  appoint- 
ment named  Flint.    This  pastoral  charge  was  on  Flint  River, 
and  lav  partly  in  Madison  County,  Alabama,  and   partly  in 
Franklin    County,   Tennessee.     It   extended   from    Chickasaw 
Island,  in  the  Tennessee  Kiver.  to  about  where  McMmnviUe,  in 
8 


lU 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


the  State  of  Tennessee,  is  now  situated.  So  the  ,  first  regular 
itinerant  work  in  this  river  bend  was  done  by  the  Kev.  James 
Gwinn,  beginning  in  October,  1808. 

The  Kev.  James  Gwinn  was  born  in  1769.  He  went  to  Ten- 
nessee in  1788,  and  there,  that  year,  when  in  the  Cumberland 
Circuit,  in  the  bounds  of  which  he  lived,  there  were  only  fifty- 
nine  white  and  four  colored  members,  he  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He,  though  very  young,  had  married  before 
he  joined  the  Church.  When  or  where  he  was  licensed  to 
preach  is  to  this  present  generation  unknown.  The  first  record 
now  extant  of  his  ministry  is  found  in  connection  with  the  West- 
ern Conference.  The  Western  Conference  held  its  session  at 
Station  Camp,  in  the  Wilderness,  on  or  near  the  Cumberland 
Eiver,  in  Tennessee,  October  2-5, 1802.  It  appears  that  Station 
Camp  was  not  very  far  from  where  the  present  town  of  Gallatin 
is  situated.  Bishop  Asbury  reached  the  seat  of  this  Conference 
on  the  day  of  the  beginning  of  the  session  after  the  Con- 
ference had  proceeded  to  business,  going  there  on  horseback 
from  Virginia,  by  way  of  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  along  narrow 
trails,  and  over  rugged  mountains,  camping  out  at  night. 
He  was  suffering  intensely  with  rheumatism,  and  though  he 
had  preached  many  times  on  the  way  thither,  he  was  too 
unwell  to  preach  during  the  session  of  the  Conference.  He, 
however,  presided  in  the  Conference,  ordained  those  present 
for  ordination,  and  made  the  appointments  of  the  preach- 
ers for  the  next  year.  At  this  session  of  the  Conference 
the  Kev.  James  Gwinn  was  received  as  a  preacher  on 
trial,  and  given  an  appointment.  From  this  time  until  his 
death,  in  1841,  he  served  with  more  or  less  regularity  in 
the  itinerant  ministry.  For  a  few  years  of  the  time  he  was 
local,  and  a  few  years  of  the  time,  when  connected  with  the 
Conference,  he  was  without  an  appointment.  He  organized  Mis- 
sions and  Circuits,  thereby  laying  the  foundations  in  some 
places,  and  seven  years  of  his  ministry  he  was  in  the  office  of 
presiding  elder.  He  lived  in  Nashville  many  years,  serving  the 
Church  in  various  capacities  in  and  about  that  then  small  town. 
He  was  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  near  Vicks- 
burg,  Mississippi,  August  3,  1841,  a  member  of  the  Mississippi 
Conference.  He  labored  in  Alabama  only  one  year,  beginning 
his  work  October  7, 1808,  and  closing  it  September  30,  1809. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


115 


Physically  Mr.  Gwinn  was  neither  a  dwarf  nor  a  weakling. 
He  was  tall,  large,  and  strong.  Mentally  he  was  well  endowed, 
having  an  active  and  a  discerning  mind.  He  was  a  man  of  gen- 
erous impulses,  of  an  indomitable  spirit,  and  of  easy  and  pleas- 
ant manners.  He  was  in  his  measure  a  patriot  and  a  philan- 
thropist. As  a  preacher  what  he  lacked  in  systematic  and  log- 
ical arrangement  he  more  than  made  up  by  warmth,  ardor,  and 
impetuosity.  In  song  and  prayer  and  exhortation  he  was  sweet, 
fervent,  and  mighty.  He  had  a  native  and  wild  eloquence  which 
gave  him  power  over  the  masses.  He  received  many  into  the 
Church  during  his  ministry,  and  he  secured  the  affection  and 
retained  the  respect  of  those  to  whom  he  preached.  His  faith 
was  abiding,  and  his  death  was  peaceful. 

The  Flint  Circuit  continued  to  increase  in  membership.  At 
the  close  of  1817  there  were  on  that  work  six  hundred  white 
and  forty-five  colored  members.  There  are  no  means  of  ascer- 
taining what  proportion  of  these  members  were  in  Alabama  and 
what  proportion  were  in  Tennessee.  Information  as  to  the 
places  where  and  the  dates  when  Societies  were  organized  in  the 
"  big  bend  *'  of  the  Tennessee  Kiver  is  quite  meager.  Shiloh, 
which  was  about  two  miles  from  what  is  now  Brownsboro,  a  sta- 
tion on  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Kailroad,  was  one  of  the 
oldest  preaching  places  in  that  region.  A  Society  was  formed 
there  at  a  private  house  in  the  very  beginning.  At  Hunt's  Spring 
a  Society  was  organized  at  the  first.  At  the  very  beginning  a 
Society  was  organized  five  or  six  miles  west  of  Hunt's  Spring, 
in  the  neighborhood  where  Jordan's  Camp  Ground  was  after- 
ward established.  At  Ford's  Chapel,  a  dozen  or  more  miles 
north-west  from  Huntsville,  a  preaching  place  was  established  and 
a  Society  was  organized  as  early  as  1815.  Blue  Spring,  about 
four  miles  from  Huntsville,  was  organized  in  the  very  early  days. 
McGhee's  Camp  Ground,  two  miles  south  of  the  Tennessee  State 
line,  on  the  road  now  leading  from  Huntsville  to  Fayetteville,  was 
established  and  a  Society  organized  as  early  as  1816.  At  a  very 
early  date  there  was  a  Society  organized  two  and  a  half  miles 
from  Ditto's  Landing,  and  afterward  a  house  of  worship  was 
erected  there  and  called  Lebanon.  Organizations  are  still  kept  up 
at  Shiloh,  Hunt's  Spring,  Ford's  Chapel,  and  Lebanon.  Hunt's 
Spring  changed  in  name  to  Huntsville,  and  Lebanon  changed  its 
location  a  short  distance.     It  is  impossible  to  mention  all  who  in 


116 


History  of  Methodism  in  Ahbama. 


that  early  day  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  prominent  in  the  cause.     Some  names  have  already  been 
mentioned.     At  Shiloh  were  Dayid  Thompson,  John  W   Hew- 
lett, Thomas  King,  Joel  Tatum,  Augustus  Hewlett  andJohn 
W  Hamner;  at  Hunt's  Spring  were  the  Brandons,  Mrs.  i)unn, 
and  Mrs.  Ewing;  in  the  neighborhood  where   Jordan's   Gamp 
Ground  was  afterward  established  were  William  Lamer,  Robert 
Lanford,  James  Bibb,  William  Bibb,  Loyd  Aday,  James  Pol- 
lard, Batt  Jordan,  James  Sharp,  William  Blake;  at  Blue  Spring 
was  Eichard  Harris.     Judging  from  the  oldest  deeds  on  record, 
these  Societies  all  worshiped  in  private  houses  until  1820  and 
1821  as  no  houses  of  worship  were  built  previous  to  said  dates. 
The  preachers  who  served  the  Flint  Circuit  after  its  organiza- 
tion by  the  Kev.  James  Gwinn  up  to  the  close  of  1817,  were  Jed- 
ediah  McMinn,  John  Phipps,  Thomas  Stilwell,  Davnd  Goodner, 
Zachariah  Witten,  John  McClure,  Valentine  D.   Barry    John 
Cragg,  Moses  Ashworth,  Hugh  McPhaill,  James  Farris.     Learn- 
er  Blackman  and  Thomas  L.  Douglass  were  the  presiding  elders. 
■Until  about  1818  Flint  Circuit  was  the  only  pastoral  charge 
which  reached  into  that  part  of  what  is  now  Alabama  and  known 
as  the  Tennessee  Valley.     Elk  Circuit  never  reached  what  is 
now   Alabama.     It  was   confined  to  the  State  of   Tennessee. 
There  were  no  white  settlers  about  the  mouth  of  the  Elk  Eiver 
and  about  the  Muscle  Shoals  on  the  Tennessee  River  to  preach 
to  before  1817.     It  was  not  until  the  making  of  a  treaty  Sep- 
tember 20  1816,  that  the  Chickasaws  relinquished     all  right  or 
title  to  the  lands  on  the  north  side  of  the  Tennessee  River,  and 
all  claim  to  territory  on  the  south  side  of  said  river,  and  east  o 
a  line  commencing  at  the  mouth  of  Caney  Creek,  running  up  said 
creek  to  its  source,  thence  a  due  south  course  to  the  ndge  path  or 
commonly  called  Gaines's  road.along  said  road  south-westwardly 
Zl  point  on  the  Tombigbee  Eiver,  well  known  by  the  name  of 
Se  Cotton  Gin  Port,  and  down  the  west  bank  of  the  Tombigbee  to 
the  Choctaw  boundary."     In  1818  the  Eichland  Circuit  was  ex- 
tended across  the  Tennessee  State  line  into  the  Alabama  Terri- 
tory   and  preaching  places  were  established  at  private  hoiises 
about  the  Muscle  Shoals.    This  was  the  second  charge  which  was 
e^nded  into  that  part  of  the  Territory  of  Alabama,  and  this 
was  the  year  in  which  it  was  done.     There  were  none  in  that 
^art  of  the  Tennessee  Valley  to  preach  to  until  about  the  year 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


117 


1818.     As  authority  for  these  statements  here  made  may  be  given 
one  who  was  on  the  ground  at  the  time,  the  Eev.  John  Brooks. 
From  "  The  Life  and  Times  of  the  Kev.  John  Brooks"  is  given 
the  following:  "In  1818  I  joined  the   Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.     From  this  time  I  felt  a  constant  impression  to  call 
sinners  to  repentance.     In  the  month  of  May  I  went  to  a  quar- 
terly meeting  on  Bradshaw  Creek,  Giles  County,  on  purpose  to 
see  Thomas  L.  Douglass,  and  have  a  private  interview  with 
him.  ...    I  laid  before  him  my  feelings.  ...  He  then  advised 
me  to  travel  the  balance  of  the  year  with  the  Kev.  John  Seaton 
and  Hartwell  H.  Brown,  who  were  then  traveling  Kichland  Cir- 
cuit.    .     .     .     Some  time  in  June  I  joined  Messrs.  Seaton  and 
Brown.     They  received  me  kindly.     I  traveled  first  with  one 
and  then  the  other.     Richland  Circuit  that  year  embraced  the 
territory  lying  west  of  Giles  County,  extending  to  the  Muscle 
Shoals  on  Tennessee  Kiver.     It  took  us  six  weeks  to  get  round; 
we  had  but  little  rest  and  much  hard  traveling  and  labor.     As 
the  territorial  part  of  our  circuit  [that  part  of  it  which  was  in 
Alabama]  was  a  wilderness  and  just  filling  up,  the  oldest  settlers 
perhaps  had  not  been  there  more  than  a  year,  we  had  much 
trouble  in  this  new  part  with  the  fierce,  ranting  Calvinists,  who 
were  doing  all  they  could  to  distract  and  destroy  the  Societies 
in  this  section.     Indeed  this  was  their  steady  work  everywhere, 
and  always  had  been.     We  sometimes  were  assailed  by  them  in 
a  very  unbecoming  manner.    ...  I  recollect  near  the  mouth 
of  Blue  Water,  near  the  Muscle  Shoals,  after  Brother  Brown 
had  preached  one  day  at  a  brother's  house,  and  the  congrega- 
tion  had  been   dismissed,   an   aged  man   who  was  on  a  visit 
to  see  the  landlord  rose  up  and  attacked  us  in  a  rough  manner, 
and  went  on  at  some  length,  neither  of  us  making  any  reply, 
till  the  man  of  the  house  broke  into  his  conversation  by  asking 
us   all   if  we  would  not  like   after  dinner  to  go  a  fishing,  to 
which  we  all  agreed.     I  took  Brother  Brown  out  and  told  him 
I  wanted  him  to  paddle  the  canoe,  and  told  him  my  reasons,  to 
which  he  agreed.     It  was  not  long  till  we  were  on  the  water. 
Brother  B.  paddled  the  little  craft;  our  landlord  stood  in  the 
bow  with  his  gig;  our  assailant  and  myself  sat  near  the  middle 
on  two  boards.     I  soon  introduced  the  subject  of  his  assault  on 
VIS.     At  this  he  very  willingly  went  to  the  matter.     Instantly 
we  were  in  close,  deathlike  action.     It  was  not  long  till  he  was 


118 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


BO  fired  that  he  talked  very  loud,  and  soon  seemed  to  get  very 
angry.  I  minded  neither  of  these,  but  kept  close  to  him,  send- 
ing home  darts  every  moment.  He  finally  turned  to  the  bow- 
man and  asked  him  to  make  for  shore;  he  wanted  to  get  away 
from  me.  I  looked  around  at  Brother  B.,  and  gave  him  the 
wink.  I  then  told  my  friend  we  were  not  going  to  land;  this 
was  my  time;  he  had  publicly,  at  the  house,  assailed  us  uncalled 
for,  and  as  he  was  fond  of  water  fighting,  I  hoped  he  would  not 
flinch  now,  but  let  us  have  a  final  naval  action.  He  answered 
that  he  would  talk  to  no  such  man.  I  asked  him  what  had  caused 
BO  sudden  a  change  in  his  mind;  he  was  very  fond  of  talking  to 
me  at  the  house.  He  said  he  did  not  know  me  then.  I  told 
him  what  he  had  learned  of  me  was  from  talking,  and  to  pre- 
vent him  from  getting  into  similar  disgrace  I  would  talk.  At 
last  he  ofiered  to  pay  me  if  I  would  let  him  alone.  I  told  him 
I  had  no  pay  for  such  work;  I  wanted  him  to  know  that  here- 
after he  should  treat  Methodist  preachers  differently.  He  said 
he  wanted  to  go  to  land.  I  told  him  we  would  go;  I  looked  at 
Brother  B.,  he  tacked  the  canoe  to  land.  We  went.  Our  friend 
was  very  silent  all  night,  and  next  morning  till  we  left  him." 
(Pages  28-32.) 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama  (Continued). 

IN  a  treaty  of  capitulation,  made  and  concluded  at  Fort  Jack- 
son  iust  above  the  junction  of  the  Coosa  and  the  Tallapoosa 
Rivers  '  August  9,  1814,  between  Maj.  Gen.  Andrew  Jackson 
of  the  United  States  of  America,  and  the  chiefs,  deputies,  and 
warriors  of  the  Creek  Nation,  there  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States  all  the  territory  belonging  to  the  Creek  Nation  lying  west 
and  south  and  south-eastwardly  of  a  line  beginning  at  a  point 
on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Coosa  River,  where  the  south  bound- 
ftrv  line  of  the  Cherokee  Nation  crossed  the  same,  running  from 
thence  down  the  said  Coosa  with  its  eastern  bank  to  a  point  one 
S "bovlthe  mouth  of  Cedar  Creek,  at  Fort  Williams  thence 
east  two  miles,  thence  south  two  miles,  thence  west  to  the  east- 
em  bank  of  the  said  Coosa  River,  thence  down  the  eastern  baiik 
thereof,  to  a  point  opposite  the  upper  end  of  the  Falk jMJ  «" 
tumpka,  thence  east  from  a  true  meridian  line  to  a  point  due 
north  of  the  mouth  of  Of  uschee,  thence  south  by  a  l^ke  meridian 
line  to  the  mouth  of  Ofuschee  on  the  south  side  of  the  Talla- 
poosa River,  thence  up  the  same  to  a  point  where  a  direct  course 
will  cross  the  same  at  the  distance  of  ten  miles  from  the  mouth 
thereof,  thence  a  direct  line  to  the  mouth  of  Summochico  Creek, 
which  empties  into  the  Chattahoochee  River  on  the  east  side 
thereof  below  the  town  of  Euf aula,  thence  east  from  a  true  me- 
ridian line  to  a  point  intersecting  the  line  dividing  the  lands 
claimed  by  the  Creek  Nation  from  those  claimed  by  the  State  of 

^  The  boundaries  of  the  Creek  Nation  have  been  given  in  these 
pages  so  often  that  the  reader  can  fully  understand  without  any 
repetition  of  the  boundary  lines  what  portion  of  the  present 
Stete  of  Alabama  was  ceded  by  this  treaty  of  August  9,  1814 
TWb  extinction  of  Indian  titles  opened  up  all  the  land  described 
by  the  lines  of  boundary  named  in  the  treaty  to  occupancy  by 
white  men,  and  very  soon  white  settlerB  were  located  here  and 
there  on  the  newly  acquired  soiL 


120 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


In  April,  1818,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Logan  Douglass,  the  presid- 
ing elder  of  the  Nashville  District,  of  the  Tennessee  Conference, 
removed  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Heam  from  the  Flint  Circuit,  to 
which  he  had  been  assigned  for  that  year,  and  sent  him  forth  to 
preach  and  organize  Societies  in  that  part  of  Alabama  so  recent- 
ly taken  from  the  Creek  Indians  by  the  treaty  of  capitulation 
made  by  them  with  the  United  States.     Ditto's  Landing  was  the 
lowest  point  of  the  Flint  Circuit,  and  from  this  point  Brother 
Heam  set  out  for  his  new  field.     Crossing  the  Tennessee  River 
at  Ditto's  Landing,  and  going  due  south,  he  passed  through  a 
portion  of  country  about  fifteen  miles  wide  which  still  belonged 
to  the  Cherokee  Indians.     On  the  mountain  about  fifteen  miles 
south  of  Ditto's  Landing,  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  he 
left  Flint  Circuit,  he  reached  a  cabin  occupied  by  a  white  man. 
Here  he  found  a  welcome,  and  here,  with  this  Indian  country- 
man and  his  family,  he  spent  the  night,  and  here  he  offered  his 
first  evening  sacrifice  of  prayer  and  praise  in  the  wilderness. 
At  daylight  the  next  morning  he  proceeded  on  his  way,  going 
due  south.     Fifteen  miles  brought  him  to  the  home  of  Joseph 
H.  Mead.     Mr.  Mead  and  his  family  were  from  Virginia.     Here 
Brother  Heam  took  breakfast.     Five  miles  more  brought  him 
to  Bear-meat  Cabin,  which  place  now  bears  the  name  of  Blounts- 
ville,  which  has  been  the  permanent  seat  of  justice  for  Blount 
County  since  1820.     Here  he  found  a  number  of  white  settlers, 
some  of  whom  had  been  members  of  the  Church  in  the  coun- 
tries whence  they  came.     Some  were  Methodists,  some  were 
Baptists,  and  others  were  Stonites.     Here  he  preached  his  first 
sermon  in  this  new  and  unorganized  field,  and  here  he  left  an 
appointment  for  the  next  month,  and  here  was  established  one 
of  the  regular  appointments  of  the  Mission.     From  Bear-meat 
Cabin  he  went  to  where  the  present  city  of  Birmingham  is  situ- 
ated, finding  small  settlements  in  the  valleys  along  the  route. 
At  the  place  where  Birmingham  is  located  and  in  the  vicinity 
thereof  he  found  a  comparatively  large  settlement  of  whites. 
Among  the  settlers  of  this  locality  were  a  number  of  Metho- 
dists.    In  1817  the  Rev.  David  Owen  came  from  Tennessee,  and 
built  a  house  and  established  a  home  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile 
north-east  of  the  Court-house  now  in  Birmingham.    This  private 
residence  of  the  Rev.  David   Owen  Brother  Heara  used  as  a 
preaching  place  and  house  of  worship.     Here  he  established  a 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


121 


regular  appointment  for  preaching,  here  he  deposited  his  few 
goods,  and  here  he  had  a  preacher's  home.     In  1816  Thomas 
Owen,  the  son  of  the  Rev.  David  Owen,  settled  near  the  spot 
where  the  South   and  North  and  the  Alabama  and  Chatta- 
nooga  Railroads  now  cross  each  other  in  Birmingham.     His 
wife  was  a  Methodist.     Nancy  Saddler   and  Margaret  Prude, 
the  wife  of  John  Prude,  were  among  the   Methodists  whom 
Brother  Heam  found  in  Jones's  Valley,  they  having  moved 
there  in   1817.     Nancy   Saddler   died  in   1828,  and  Margaret 
Prude  died  in  1853.     In  1823  the  Rev.  David  Owen  moved  from 
Jones's  Valley  to  Russellville,  Franklin  County,  Alabama,  where 
he  remained  until  his  death.     His  grave  is  on  the  old  mihtoy 
road  near  Russellville.     The  Owens,  the  Prudes,  the  Saddlers, 
and  the  McAdorys,  all  related  by  marriage  or  otherwise,  have 
been   quite   numerous   and  have  been  leading  Methodists  m 
Jones's  Valley  from  the  beginning.     Perhaps  Methodism  m  this 
valley  is  indebted  to  none  more  than  to  Sister  Margaret  Prude. 
She  was  a  woman  of  energy,  character,  and  piety.         ^ 

From  Jones's  Valley  Brother  Heam  went  to  Roupe  s  Valley, 
where  he  found  a  small  settlement,  and  from  thence  to  Hill  s 
Settlement,  the  place  now  called  Scottsville,  and  from  thence  to 
the  Falls  of  Cahawba  River,  the  place  where  Centerville,  the 
county  site  of  Bibb,  now  stands.     From  thence  he  went  north- 
east, and  on  Sunday  he  attended  a  love-feast  and  a  sacramental 
service  at  the  residence  of  Obed  Lovelady  near  Wilson  s  Hill, 
the  place  now  known  as  Montevallo.     The  meeting  at  which 
the  services  were  held  had  been  appointed  by  local  elders  who 
residrd  in  that  community,  and  the  sacrament  was  administered 
by  these  local  elders.     Brother  Heam  at  that  time  had  not  even 
been  ordained  a  deacon.     He  says:  "Here  I  organized  the  first 
Society  I  formed  on  my  Mission,  and  here  I  had  my  first  quar- 
terly meeting."     The  place  where  this  Society  was  organized, 
and  this  Quarterly  Meeting  was  held,  was  about  one  mile  south 
of  the  present  town  of  Montevallo.     In  this  community,  near 
Wilson's  Hill,  Brother  Hearn  found  four  local  Methodist  preach- 
ers    They  were  the  Rev.  Joseph  D.  Lee,  the  Rev.  Drury  Pow- 
ell'the  Rev.  Joseph  Walker,  and  the  Rev.  Joshua  West,  M.D. 
Lee    Powell,  and  Walker  were  from  Georgia,  and  West  was 
from  Tennessee.     In  a  former  chapter  of  this  History  the  Rev 
Drury  Powell  has  been  noticed.     When  Brother  Hearn  married 


122 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alahamu, 


123 


he  married  Miss  Mary  Walker,  the  daughter  of  the  Kev.  Joseph 

"Walker. 

The  Kev.  Joshua  West,  M.D.,  is  entitled  to  a  more  extended 
notice.     He  was  born  in  Eockingham  County,  in  the  Colony  of 
Virginia,  North  America,  in  the  year  1771.     While  yet  very 
young  his  parents,  moving,  carried  him  with  them  to  Green 
Kiver  County,  Virginia.     Events  occurred  here  which  gave  di- 
rection to  his  whole  after  life,  auspicious  events  which  became  his 
inspiration  and  his  delight  through  all  after  years.     A  Methodist 
preacher,  in  the  fulfillment  of  his  divine  commission  to  go  into 
all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,  passed 
along  and  asked  permission  to  preach  in  his  father's  house. 
The  permission  asked  was  given,  and  the  preacher  in  pursuance 
of  his  Heaven-appointed  work  preached.     Young  Joshua  was 
convicted  under  the  sermon,  and  at  the  second  appointment, 
just  one  month  from  the  first,  he  did  what,  up  to  that  time,  he 
had  never  seen  any  one  do:  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.     His  mother  and  his  sister  joined  at  the  same  time. 
He  joined  as  a  seeker  of  religion,  and  subsequently  he  was  jus- 
tified and  regenerated.     Of  the  Society  organized  in  his  father's 
house  he  was  appointed  class  leader,  and  he  was  also  author- 
ized to  hold  meetings  for  prayer  and  exhortation.     Not  long  aft- 
er he  commenced  to  exercise  in  public  he  fell  under  a  strange 
and  formidable  temptation.     He  was  harassed  with  the  appre- 
hension, the  fearful  foreboding,  that  he  would  apostatize.     A 
terrible  struggle  ensued.     In  his  distress  he  sought  relief  at  the 
throne  of  grace,  he  cried  unto  the  Lord  for  the  deliverance  of 
his  soul.     In  the  terrible  struggle  with  this  temptation,  and  the 
agonizing  effort  for  relief  from  the  sharp  arrows  of  the  mighty 
adversary,  he  became  prostrate  and  unconscious,  and  so  remained 
for  hours;  but  eventually  he  recovered  his  consciousness,  and  is- 
sued into  the  light  of  deliverance  from  the  dark  temptation.     It 
was  a  life-long  deliverance.     Never  more  did  that  temptation  re- 
turn upon  him.     Rich  attainments  made  in  Christian  grace  and 
great  victories  achieved  in  Christian  conflicts  make  one  stable 
in  the  divine  cause  and  active  in  the  divine  service. 

The  following  is  a  verbatim  copy  of  Brother  West's  license 
to  preach:  "This  may  Certify  to  whom  it  may  Concern  that 
Joshua  West  is  permitted  as  a  local  Preacher  In  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.     Given  under  my  hand  this  17th  day  Oct. 


1792.  Bennet  Maxey,  E.  M.  E.  C."  Bennet  Maxey,  whose 
name  is  signed  to  this  license,  was  for  the  year  this  license  bears 
date  the  preacher  in  charge  of  Bottetourt  Circuit,  in  Virginia. 

In  1793  Brother  West  was  married  to  Hannah  Prentice,  who 
lived  with  him  in  the  holy  estate  of  matrimony  for  nearly  sixty 
years-  and  in  1794  he  moved  to  Sevier  County,  Tennessee,  where 
he  remained  until  the  latter  part  of  1816,  when  he  removed  to 
the  Territory  of  Alabama. 

Brother  West's  license  to  preach,  his  credentials  to  the  or- 
ders of  deacon  and  elder,  and  his  certificate  to  Bishop  Asbury 
with  his  own  signature  certifying  to  his  belief  of  and  his  love 
for  the  Methodist  doctrine  and  discipline,  and  his  willingness 
to  rule  and  be  governed  by  the  same,  are  in  hand  at  this  mo- 
ment, and  they  are  all  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  clean  and 

legible.  ^      ^       m       t 

His  parchment  shows  that  he  was  set  apart  for  the  office  of  a 

deacon  by  the  imposition  of  Francis  Asbury's  hands,  and  that 
this  was  done  at  Bethel,  Kentucky,  the  Seventh  day  of  October, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred.     The 
parchment  bears  the  name  and  signature  of  Francis  Asbury,  and 
the  seal  set  to  the  parchment  has  in  it  the  bishop's  initials,  F. 
A    and  the  words  containing  his  motto:  "  Study  to  show  thyself 
approved  to  God."     The  credential  given  him  as  an  elder  shows 
that  he  was  set  apart  for  that  office  by  the  imposition  of  Fran- 
cis Asbury's  hands,  and  that  this  was  done  the  Twentieth  day  of 
October,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  thirteen,  and  said  credential  bears  the  signature  and  seal  of 
Bishop  Asbury.     This  parchment  fails  to  tell  where  this  ordina- 
tion took  place,  but  Bishop  Asbury,  for  the  day  this  parchment 
bears  date,   says  in  his   Journal,  Volume  III.,  page  357:  "I 
preached  at  Ohaver's  on  Wednesday,  and  ordained  Joshua  West 
an  elder."     Ohaver's  was  in  Sevier  County,  Tennessee,  which 
county  adjoined  South  Carolina.     Bishop  Asbury  was  en  route 
from  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference,  which  had  been 
held  at  Eeese's,  to  South  Carolina.     It  was  at  the  very  time  he 
had  expected  to  be  on  his  way  to  Mississippi. 

In  1811  Joshua  West  was  authorized  as  the  civil  law  directed 
to  practice  medicine,  and  he  made  a  skillful  and  useful  physi- 
cian, and  being  a  man  of  great  energy  and  integrity  he  con- 
Btan'tly  maintained  a  remunerative  practice. 


124 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Coming  to  Alabama  in  the  latter  part  of  1816,  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life  near  Montevallo,  except  a  few  brief  years 
spent  at  Centerville,  Bibb  County,  Alabama. 

He  followed  the  lessons  of  thrift,  and  the  dictates  of  justice 
and  equity.  He  persistently  eschewed  debt,  and  scrupulously 
avoided  litigation.  He  was  not  ambitious  of  things  of  a  worldly 
nature.  He  never  aspired  to  civil  rank  and  political  distinc- 
tion. He  persistently  refused  the  honors  and  emoluments  of 
office  which  his  fellow-citizens  repeatedly  endeavored  to  thrust 

upon  him. 

On  all  proper  occasions  Dr.  West  asserted  with  much  em- 
phasis his  earnest  acceptance  of  the  doctrines  of  Methodism. 
He  desired  engraved  on  his  tombstone  a  statement  that  he  firmly 
believed  the  distinctive  doctrines  of  Methodism,  believed  them 
to  be  of  divine  origin  and  authority,  was  ardently  devoted  to 
these  doctrines,  and  that  he  died  in  the  assurance  that  they 
were  in  accord  with  the  divine  mind.  Being  free  from  all  per- 
nicious tendencies  and  all  heretical  opinions,  he  was  a  Christian 
of  steady  purpose  and  of  exemplary  conduct.  He  entered  into 
the  gates  of  righteousness,  and  praised  the  Lord.  He  was  a 
man  of  prayer  and  of  piety. 

In  Christian  labors  he  was  abundant.  His  zeal  and  energy 
were  exerted  in  the  cause  of  religion  under  the  auspices  of 
Methodism.  Soon  after  he  came  to  Alabama,  he,  assisted  by 
Lovelady,  Lee,  Powell,  Walker,  and  others,  established  a 
Camp  Ground  in  the  community,  about  one  mile  from  what  is 
now  Montevallo.  Camp-meetings  were  held  at  this  place  for 
some  years.  At  these  meetings  he  rendered  his  assistance 
and  bestowed  his  hospitality.  After  this  Camp  Ground  was 
abandoned,  another,  named  Ebenezer  for  the  Kev.  Ebenezer 
Heam,  was  established  through  Dr.  West's  influence  and  with 
his  assistance,  about  five  miles  north  of  the  present  town  of 
Montevallo.  But  it  is  impossible  to  review  here  all  the  work  he 
did  or  recount  all  the  organizations  established  through  his  in- 
fluence. He  preached  much.  His  desire  and  effort  was  to  be 
useful  as  a  preacher.  He  was  happy  when  preaching  and  ad- 
ministering the  sacraments  of  the  Church.  He  often  officiated 
in  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  he  had  the 
pleasure  of  baptizing  very  many  persons.  It  is  said  that  though 
he  baptized  a  large  number  of  persons  he  never  immersed  one. 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alahama, 


12& 


He  officiated  at  a  great  many  funerals.  Perhaps  no  one  man 
has  done  more  for  Methodism  in  Shelby  County  than  Dr. 
Joshua  West.  He  was  a  preacher  sixty-seven  years,  two  months, 
and  twenty-one  days.  From  the  day  he  joined  the  Church  in 
Virginia  until  his  death  in  Alabama  there  was  never  a  charge 
against  his  moral  character.  '    . 

He  brought  up  a  family  of  eleven  children,  five  sons  and  six 
daughters.  Two  or  three  of  his  grandsons  have  made  preachers. 
The  Kev.  Elbert  A.  West,  once  a  member  of  the  Conference  m 
Alabama,  and  who  died  some  years  ago,  was  his  grandson.  Ihe 
Kev.  Samuel  P.  West,  now  a  member  of  the  North  Alabama 
Conference,  is  another  of  his  grandsons.       ^^      ^^    ^^     ^        . 

Dr  West  died  at  his  home  near  Montevallo,  Shelby  County, 
Alabama,  January  8,  1860.  He  was  buried,  accojdi^g  to  his 
own  expressed  desire,  by  the  side  of  his  wife,  who  had  preceded 
him  to  the  grave  a  few  years,  in  a  grave-yard  in  the  country  not 

far  from  Montevallo.  .   ,      ,     x-         t  ^\. 

The  narrative  which  was  arrested  by  the  introduction  of  the 
name    and  biography  of  the   Kev.  Joshua  West  is    here   re- 
sumed.     From  Wilson's  Hill  Brother  Heam  went  up  the  val- 
ey  to  Catawla  Town,  on  Canoe  Creek.     This   Catawla  Town 
was  the  place  at  which  was  fixed,  by  a  vote  of  the  qualified 
electors  of  Saint  Clair  County,  polled  on  the  first  Monday  and 
the  day  following  in  August,  1821,  the  permanent  seat  of  justice 
for  Saint  Clair  County,  and  has  since  been  called  AshviUe.     In 
the  valley  between  Wilson's  Hill  and  Catawla  Town,  Brother 
Hearn  established  several  preaching  places,  but  at  what  par- 
ticular  points  is  not  now  known.     He  established  a  preaching 
place  at  Catawla  Town,  and  from  this  place  he  went  to  a  cove 
which  from  that  time  has  been  called  Bristow's  Cove,  so  named 
for  a  local  preacher  by  the  name  of  Bristow  who  settled  there. 
At  the  house  of  this  local  preacher  in  this  cove  Brother  Hearn 
established  a  preaching  place.    From  this  cove  he  returned  to 
Bear-meat  Cabin.     He  had  now  made  a  round,  set  his  stakes, 
and  in   some   measure  formed   a  Circuit;  a  Circuit,  however, 
which  was  to  be  enlarged  as  further  explorations  were  made 

On  his  second  round  he  found  on  Cedar  Mountain  Brother 
Frank  Self,  one  of  the  numerous  Selfs  who  have  been  Metho- 
dists  in  that  section  of  country.  On  his  third  round  he  went  to 
the  town  of  Tuskaloosa.     Speaking'of  Tuskaloosa  as  it  then  was, 


126 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


he  says:  "  The  buildings,  with  two  exceptions,  were  board  shan- 
ties; the  two  exceptions  were  log  cabins."  In  one  of  these  log 
cabins,  which  was  the  tavern,  he  preached.  On  his  fourth 
round  he  penetrated  the  country  as  far  as  where  Greenesbo rough 
and  Marion  are  situated.  He  preached  in  that  section,  and  found 
some  benevolent  as  well  as  some  eccentric  persons.  This  round 
closed  his  work  for  the  year.  He  had  spent  five  months  in  mak- 
ing a  survey  of  the  country  and  in  organizing  Church  work. 
He  had  broken  ground,  and  had  laid  the  foundations. 

At  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Annual  Conference  held  at 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  beginning  October  1,  1818,  there  were  re- 
ported six  appointments  with  a  membership  aggregating  eight 
hundred  and  fifty-seven  which  hitherto  had  not  existed,  and 
which  had  been  formed  in  the  Alabama  Territory  during  that 
Conference  year  just  then  closing.  The  six  appointments  were 
Tiiskaloosa,  Cahawba,  Cotaco,  Limestone,  Shoal,  and  Butche- 
hatche.  Tuskaloosa  and  Cahawba  embraced  the  territory  ex- 
plored and  the  membership  gathered  by  the  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Hearn.  Limestone  embraced  Limestone  County,  and  Cotaco 
was  in  the  County  of  that  name,  and  in  the  Counties  of  Law- 
rence and  Franklin.  Shoal  was  on  Shoal  Creek  and  the  Mus- 
cle Shoals  and  the  region  thereabout.  Limestone  and  Cotaco 
were  both  formed  during  1818,  the  former  by  the  Rev.  Sterling 
C.  Brown,  a  young  man  employed  by  the  presiding  elder,  the 
latter  by  some  one  not  now  known.  The  Societies  which  con- 
stituted the  Shoal  charge  had  been  organized  that  year,  1818, 
by  the  Rev.  Hartwell  H.  Brown  and  the  Rev.  John  Brooks,  two 
young  men  who  were  employed  by  the  presiding  elder,  and  the 
Rev.  John  Seaton,  who  was  on  the  Richland  Circuit. 

These  six  new  pastoral  charges  had  been  organized  that  year 
under  the  planning  and  direction  of  the  presiding  elder  of  the 
Nashville  District,  the  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Douglass,  who  was  a  man 
of  pleasing  manners,  dignified  bearing,  and  solemn  demeanor; 
a  man  of  accurate  knowledge,  exact  habits,  administrative  abili- 
ty, and  evangelical  faith;  an  able  minister  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. He  understood  the  mission  of  the  Church,  and  the  na- 
ture of  the  work  to  be  done  under  her  auspices,  and  he  adapted 
his  methods  and  agencies  to  the  exigencies  of  the  case  in 
hand.  The  Rev.  John  Brooks,  who  knew  Brother  Douglass  well, 
said  of  him:  "Take  him  altogether,  he  was  the  best  presiding 


First  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


127 


elder  I  ever  saw.  He  was  a  deep  and  strong  divine.  He  was 
hard  to  excel  in  the  pulpit.  In  his  administration  of  the  Disci- 
pline^ I  have  never  seen  his  equal.  Middle  Tennessee,  at  the 
time  he  came,  needed  just  such  a  man.  No  man  ever  contribu- 
ted so  much  to  the  sound  popularity  of  the  Methodist  Church 
in  this  portion  of  the  State  as  did  Thomas  L.  Douglass." 


CHAPTEK  YIL 

The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work  of 

Methodism  in  Alabama. 

FOK  tlie  year  1819  three  Conferences — the  Tennessee,  the 
Mississippi,  and  the  South  Carolina — furnished  preachers 
for  Alabama. 

The  following  appointnaents  for  that  year  are  found  in  con- 
nection with  the  Tennessee  Conference: 

Tennessee  District,  Thomas  D.  Porter,  P.  E. 
Flint  Kiver,  Robert  Paine. 
Cotaco,  Abraham  Still. 
Limestone,  Joshua  Boucher,  Sr. 
Cahawba,  Thomas  Stringfield. 
Tuskaloosa,  John  Kesterson. 
Shoal,  Robert  Hooper. 
Butchehatche,  Ebenezer  Heani. 

These  appointments  were  altogether  in  Alabama,  except  that 
a  part  of  the  Flint  Circuit  was  in  the  State  of  Tennessee,  and 
the  Butchehatche  charge,  which  was  to  be  organized,  was  to  ex- 
tend beyond  the  line  of  Alabama  into  the  State  of  Mississippi, 
about  the  Cotton  Gin  Port  and  below. 

For  the  year  1819  there  was  one  appointment  in  Alabama  in 
connection  with  the  Mississippi  Conference,  as  follows: 
Tombecbee,  Thomas  Griffin,  John  Murrow. 

Thomas  Griffin  was  also  for  that  year  the  presiding  elder  of 
the  District  which  included  the  Tombecbee  Circuit. 

At  the  end  of  the  list  of  the  appointments  of  the  South  Car- 
olina Conference,  for  the  year  1819,  is  the  following: 

Alexander  Talley,  Missionary  to  Alabama  Territory. 
•    At   the  beginning  of  the  year  1819  there  were  in  Alabama, 
eleven  itinerant  preachers,  and  that  many  or  more  local  preach- 
ers and  about  sixteen  hundred  members.     That  was  the  year  Al- 
abama was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State. 

The  net  increase  in  the  membership  in  all  parts  of  the  State 
(128) 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Worh         129 


for  the  Conference  year   1819  was,  in   round  numbers,  about 

eight  hundred. 

The  Tennessee  River  District,  on  which  the  Rev.  Thomas  D. 
Porter  was  that  year  presiding  elder,  was  a  new  District,  in  the 
first  year  of  its  existence,  and  extended  from  the  Tennessee 
State  line  on  the  north  to  a  line  running  from  the  junrtion  of  the 
Coosa  River  and  Hatchett  Creek  to  the  source  of  the  Mulberry 
Creek  and  to  the  junction  of  the  Cahawba  and  the  Alabama 
Rivers,  and  to  the  junction  of  the  Tombigbee  and  the  Warrior 
Rivers  on  the  south,  and  from  Flint  River,  AYills  Creek,  and 
Coosa  River  on  the  east  to  the  upper  Tombigbee  River  on  the 
west.  This  District  occupied  the  same  territory  for  1820,  and 
was  served  that  year  by  the  same  presiding  elder.  The  year  1821 
the  District  was  changed  in  its  boundary,  and  did  not  extend 
south  of  the  Tennessee  River,  and  Mr.  Porter  served  it  that  year. 
This  closed  his  work  in  Alabama.  For  1822  he  was  supernumer- 
ary, and  at  the  close  of  that  Conference  year  he  located. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  D.  Porter  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  was 
admitted  on  trial  in  the  Western  Conference,  at  its  session  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  beginning  October  1,  1811.  After  locating, 
he  secured  a  home  some  twenty  miles  south  of  Nashville,  w^here 
he  lived  amidst  plenty  and  popularity  until  1837.  In  that  year 
he  made  a  visit  to  the  Republic  of  Texas,  and  while  on  that 
visit  and  among  strangers  he  died  of  yellow  fever.  He  was  a 
man  of  good  talents,  and  he  was  a  successful  preacher. 

The  Conference  year  for  1819  was  the  first  year  of  the  itiner- 
ant ministry  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Paine,  and  the  Flint  Circuit 
was  his  first  appointment  in  that  ministry.  In  order  to  a  cor- 
rect understanding  of  dates,  however,  it  is  necessary  to  state 
that  the  Conference  at  which  he  was  received  on  trial  met  at 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  October  1,  1818. 

For  1820  the  Flint  Circuit  was  served  by  William  McMahon 
and  Hartwell  H.  Brown.  For  1821  it  was  served  by  Thomas 
Stringfield,  William  McMahon,  supernumerary.  For  1822  the 
preacher  on  this  Circuit  was  Wiley  B.  Peck,  W^illiam  McMahon^ 
presiding  elder.  At  the  end  of  1822  the  Flint  Circuit  was 
changed  in  name  to  that  of  Madison,  and  the  District  in  which  it 
was  embraced  was  changed  from  the  name  of  Tennessee  to  that 
of  Huntsville.  For  1823  the  preachers  on  the  Madison  Circuit 
were  Lewis  S.  Marshall,  James  W.  Allen. 
9 


130 


Ilistorif  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


This  closed  Lewis  S.  Marshall's  work  in  Alabama.  He  was 
received  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  Conference  at  Nashville,  Oc- 
tober, 1818,  and  was  received  into  full  connection,  and  elected 
and  ordained  a  deacon  at  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence at  Hopkins ville,  Kentucky,  October,  1820;  he  was  ordained 
an  elder  at  the  close  of  his  year  on  the  Madison  Circuit,  at  the 
session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  at  Huntsville,  Alabama,  be- 
ginning November  26,  1823.  For  the  year  1824  he  was  on  New 
Eiver  Circuit,  and  at  the  end  of  that  year  he  located.  He  reen- 
tered the  Holston  Conference  at  the  close  of  1833,  and  again  lo- 
cated at  the  close  of  1838.  He  reentered  the  itinerancy,  and  ap- 
peared for  the  year  1845  in  the  Kentucky  Conference;  and  in 
September,  1845,  he  transferred  from  the  Kentucky  to  the  Tex- 
as Conference;  then  he  fell  into  the  East  Texas  Conference;  and 
in  March,  1847,  he  transferred  from  that  to  the  Arkansas  Con- 
ference; and  when  the  "Wachita  Conference  was  organized,  in 
1854,  he  fell  into  that  Conference,  in  which  he  remained  until 
his  death,  in  18G2.  He  was  in  charge  of  the  Wachita  Circuit  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  attainments  and  ability. 

For  1824  the  preachers  on  Madison  Circuit  were  Andrew 
Jackson  Crawford  and  Thomas  A.  Strain;  for  1825,  Ellison  Tay- 
lor and  Samuel  K.  Davidson.  This  closed  the  ministry  of  Elli- 
son Taylor  on  Madison  Circuit  and  his  earthly  career,  the  state- 
ment in  the  General  Minutes  which  shows  that  he  was  appoint- 
ed to  the  Madison  Circuit  for  the  Conference  year  1826  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding.  All  can  be  explained.  At  the  close 
of  his  year's  work  on  Madison  Circuit  he  went  to  the  session  of 
the  Conference  which  met  at  Shelbyville,  Tennessee,  November 
10,  1825.  During  the  session  of  the  Conference  he  was  at- 
tacked w4th  fever,  from  which  he  died.  At  the  adjournment  of 
the  Conference  he  was  still  alive,  with  the  possibility  of  recov- 
ery, and  so  he  was  assigned  to  the  Madison  Circuit  again,  for 
the  Conference  year  1826,  with  Isaac  W.  Sullivan  and  Samuel 
R.  Davidson,  assistants,  but  a  short  time  after  the  adjournment 
of  the  Conference  his  attack  of  fever  terminated  fatally,  and  the 
Circuit  for  that  year,  1826,  was  served  by  Sullivan  and  David- 
son. As  Taylor  died  a  short  time  after  the  adjournment  of  the 
Conference  at  Shelbyville,  in  November,  1825,  his  obituary  w^as 
presented  at  the  Conference  at  the  close  of  1826,  though  he 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.  131 


really  died  in  November,  1825.  He  was  a  native  of  South  Car- 
olina. He  entered  the  itinerant  ministry  on  trial  in  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference,  in  October,  1819,  and  in  due  course  was  ad- 
vanced to  membership  in  the  Conference  and  to  orders  in  the 
ministry.  He  was  a  man  of  pleasant  bearing,  superior  talents, 
and  personal  influence.  He  had  the  sweet  enjoyments  and  the 
consoling  assurances  of  the  Christian  religion  in  his  last  illness 
and  in  the  final  issue. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  1826  Isaac  W.  Sullivan  located.  He 
had  traveled  four  years,  and  had  received  deacon's  orders. 

For  1827  the  preachers  for  Madison  Circuit  were  Ambrose  F. 
Driskill  and  Alexander  L.  P.  Green;  for  1828,  T.  M.  King  and 
Lorenzo  D.  Overall;  for  1829,  Alexander  L.  P.  Green  and  Green- 
ville T.  Henderson;  for  1830,  Greenville  T.  Henderson  and 
George  W.  Morris;  for  1831,  Elisha  Dodson  and  Greene  Malone; 
for  1832,  Samuel  Gilliland  and  John  W.  Hanner. 

The  membership  on  this  Circuit  from  1819  to  1832  was,  in 
point  of  numbers,  somewhat  fluctuating.  Some  years  there  was 
an  increase  in  numbers,  and  other  years  there  was  a  decrease. 
The  lowest  number  of  white  members  on  this  work  for  any  one 
year,  in  the  period  above  named,  was  five  hundred  and  ten,  and 
the  highest  number  was  one  thousand  and  twenty-six.  The  low- 
est number  of  colored  members,  any  one  year  of  that  period,  was 
thirty-three,  and  the  highest  number  was  one  hundred  and  eighty. 

The  County  of  Cotaco  w^as  established  and  bounded  by  an  act 
of  the  Legislative  Council  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
Alabama  Territory,  in  general  assembly  convened,  February  4, 

1818. 

The  Legislature  of  Alabama,  in  general  assembly  convened, 
on  June  14,  1821,  passed  an  act,  that  from  and  after  that  date 
the  County  of  Cotaco  should  be  known  and  called  by  the  name 
of  Morgan. 

The  Cotaco  Circuit  was  formed  the  same  year  that  Cotaco 
County  was  established,  and  existed  by  that  name  two  years. 
It  appeared  in  the  General  Minutes  for  the  Conference  years 
1819  and  1820,  and  the  name  of  Cotaco  then  gave  place  to  the 
name  of  Franklin.  This  Cotaco  Circuit  embraced  what  was 
then  Cotaco  and  Lawrence  Counties,  and  it  was  extended  into 
Franklin  County  on  the  change  of  the  name  from  Cotaco  to 
Franklin  Circuit. 


132 


History  of  Methodisjn  in  AJahama. 


The  Eev.  Abraham  Still  was  the  first  preacher  on  the  Cotaco 
Circuit,  and  that  Circuit  was  the  first  and  last  pastoral  charge 
served  by  him  in  Alabama.  He  was  succeeded  in  1820  by  the 
Eev.  Thomas  Madden,  and  this  Cotaco  Circuit  was  the  first, 
though  by  no  means  the  last,  charge  served  in  the  State  of  Ala- 
bama by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Madden. 

The  Rev.  Abraham  Still  was  in  due  course  admitted  to  mem- 
bership in  the  Tennessee  Conference,  and  ordained  deacon  and 
elder.  He  was  elected  and  ordained  elder  at  Huntsville,  Alaba- 
ma, November,  1823.  He  was  at  the  organization  of  the  Holston 
Conference,  just  one  year  after  this,  as  one  of  the  members  of 
that  body,  and  at  the  end  of  one  more  year  he  located.  Reen- 
tering the  Holston  Conference  at  the  close  of  the  year  1832,  he 
then  filled  appointments  in  that  Conference  for  four  years,  and 
transferred  to  the  Missouri  Conference,  where  he  filled  missions 
for  eight  years,  and  was  then  placed  on  the  superannuated  list 
by  the  Missouri  Conference.  Here  he  disappeared  from  the 
General  Minutes,  and  no  statement  was  made   as  to  how  he 

went  out. 

On  February  6,  1818,  the  Legislative  Council  and  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  Alabama  Territory  fixed  the  boundaries 
and  established  the  County  of  Limestone,  and  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  summer  of  the  same  year  Sterling  C.  Brown,  as  already 
stated,  under  the  employment  and  instructions  of  the  presiding 
elder,  the  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Douglass,  formed  the  Limestone  Cir- 
cuit. The  name  of  the  preacher  on  this  Circuit  for  1819  has 
already  been  given.  For  1820  it  was  served  by  Thomas 
Stringfield;  for  1821,  by  Lewis  S.  Marshall;  for  1822,  by  Coleman 
Harwell  and  Robert  Boyd.  This  was  the  first  and  last  ministe- 
rial service  rendered  in  Alabama  by  Harwell  and  Boyd.  Har- 
well was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  South  Carolina  Conference  at 
the  close  of  1807,  and  into  full  connection  and  ordained  deacon 
at  the  close  of  1809,  and  he  was  ordained  elder  and  located  at 
the  close  of  1811.  He  was  re-admitted  into  the  itinerancy  by 
the  Tennessee  Conference  at  the  close  of  1821,  and  appointed  to 
Limestone  Circuit,  and  he  located  again  at  the  close  of  1823. 

The  Rev.  Robert  Boyd  was  received  on  trial  by  the  Tennes- 
see Conference  at  the  time  he  was  appointed  to  the  Limestone 
Circuit,  and  he  was  discontinued  at  the  close  of  his  second  year. 

The  preachers  on  the  Limestone  Circuit  for  1823  were  Elli- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         133 


son  Taylor  and  Joseph  W.  Camp.  This  was  Camp's  first  and 
last  year.  He  had  just  been  received  as  a  preacher  on  trial,  and 
was  discontinued  at  the  close  of  the  year. 

For  1824  the  preachers  on  that  Circuit  were  Joshua  Boucher 
and  Ellison  Taylor;  for  1825,  Gilbert  D.  Taylor  and  Arthur 
McClure. 

This  year's  work  on  the  Limestone  Circuit  terminated  the 
earthly  career  of  the  Rev.  Arthur  McClure.  He  was  a  native 
of  East  Tennessee,  having  been  born  there  February  16,  1801. 
September  29, 1821,  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and,  in  a  class  of 
thirty -nine,  was  received  on  trial  into  the  Tennessee  Conference, 
October,  1822,  and  appointed  to  the  New  River  Circuit;  at  the 
close  of  that  Conference  year  he  was  appointed  to  Jackson  Cir- 
cuit, which  was  in  Jackson  County,  Alabama;  at  the  end  of  that 
year  he  was  admitted  into  full  connection  in  the  Conference,  and 
ordained  deacon  and  appointed  to  Limestone  Circuit,  where  he 
died  September  26,  1825.  His  life  was  short.  Brief  but  bril- 
liant was  his  ministry.  He  acquired  knowledge  rapidly,  made 
what  he  acquired  available,  and  worked  with  will  and  wisdom. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  endurance,  acceptability,  and  usefulness; 
but  neither  his  endurance,  acceptability,  usefulness,  nor  the 
skill  of  physicians  could  withstand  that  violent  fever  which 
took  hold  of  him   that  fatal  day  in  September,  1825,  and  he 

passed  to 

"  The  undiscovered  country,  from  whose  bourne 

No  traveler  returns." 

It  is  said  that  "  he  reviewed,  on  his  dying  bed,  with  heartfelt  sat- 
isfaction, the  truth  of  the  doctrines  which  he  had  taught,  and 
on  which  he  now  rested  the  eternal  interests  of  his  soul,"  and 
that  he  "departed  in  glorious  triumph." 

The  preachers  on  the  Limestone  Circuit  for  1826  were  James 
McFerrin  and  James  W.  Allen ;  for  1827,  James  McFerrin  and 
Samuel  R.  Davidson;  for  1828,  Joshua  Boucher  and  A.  L.  P. 
Green;  for  1829,  Thomas  M.  King,  Green  M.  Rodgers,  and 
James  W.  Allen,  supernumerary;  for  1830,  Wilson  L.  McAllis- 
ter and  John  B.  McFerrin;  for  1831,  Wilson  L.  McAllister  and 
William  M.  McFerrin;  for  1832,  Samuel  R.  Davidson  and  Wil- 
liam P.  Rowles. 

This  closed  the  work  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  R.  Davidson  in  Ala- 
bama.   He  wa^  received  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  Conference 


134 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work. 


135 


{\i 


at  the  close  of  1824,  and  remained  twelve  years  in  the  itinerant 
ministry,  four  of  which  years  were  given  to  the  work  in  Alaba- 
ma.     He  maintained  a  good  character  and  did  acceptable  work. 
The  Kev.  William  P.  Rowles  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference  at  the  close  of  1831,  so  that  the  Limestone 
Circuit  was  the  first  appointment  he  received,  and  he  located  at 
the  close  of  1835.     He  was,  during  two  years  of  his  ministry, 
connected  with  the  Missions  and  Schools  for  the  Cherokees. 
He  joined  the  Church,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  Alabama. 
He  was  a  man  of  superior  native  ability  and  of  eminent  profes- 
sional attainments,  but  he  seems  to  have  been  unstable  in  the 
pursuits  of  life.     He  was  a  physician,  and -before  he  commenced 
preaching  he  was  engaged  in  the  work  of  his  profession,  and 
after  he  located  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  profession  of  law. 
The  fluctuations  in  the  numbers  in  Society  on  the  Limestone 
Circuit,  for  the  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  included  from  the  for- 
mation'of  said  Circuit  in  1818  to  the  close  of  1832,  show  the  par- 
ticular impress  of  the  different  administrations  under  which  the 
work  was  carried  on,  and,  moreover,  indicate  the  instability  of 
the  populace  of  the  country.     In  the  number  of  colored  mem- 
bers on  the  Circuit,  increase  and  decrease  were  alternately  re- 
curring.    At  the  close  of  1818  there  were  twenty-four  colored 
members  on  the  Circuit,  at  the  close  of  1819  there  were  nineteen, 
at  the  close  of  1821  there  were  forty-four,  at  the  close  of  1822 
there  were  thirty-four.     Thus  the  fluctuation  continued  from 
year  to  year.    At  the  close  of  1832  there  were  one  hundred  and 
fifty-eight  colored  members. 

Of  the  white  members  on  the  Circuit  there  was  a  steady  in- 
crease every  year  from  1818,  when  there  were  two  hundred  and 
thirty-two,  until  the  close  of  1822,  when  there  were  four  hun- 
dred and  three.  The  next  year  there  was  a  net  decrease  of  sev- 
en, and  the  next  year,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Joshua 
Boucher  and  the  Rev.  Ellison  Taylor,  there  was  a  net  increase 
of  two  hundred  and  four.  In  1825,  under  the  ministry  of  the 
Rev.  Gilbert  D.  Taylor  and  the  Rev.  Arthur  McClure,  there  was 
a  net  increase  of  four  hundred  and  seventeen.  There  was  re- 
ported for  that  year  in  Society  on  the  Limestone  Circuit  one 
thousand  and  seventeen  white  members.  That  was  one  of  the 
years  of  an  extraordinary  religious  excitement  in  that  pastoral 
charge,  in  which  the  Circuit  was  in  a  blaze  of  retival  glory  from 


end  to  end  and  from  side  to  side.  The  next  year  there  was  a 
net  decrease  of  two  hundred  and  forty-two  white  members  in 
that  Circuit,  and  at  the  close  of  1832  there  were  only  six  bun- 
dred  and  fifty-two  white  members,  where  seven  years  before 
there  were  one  thousand  and  seventeen. 

Evidently  there  were  unstable  souls  in  that  section,  and  there 
was  vacillation  thereabout  in  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of 
Zion      But  unstable  souls  resided  in  every  part  of  the  btate, 
and  a  vacillating  administration  prevailed  everywhere.     Large 
numbers  of  persons  were  constantly  before  the  Church,  now  to 
be  applauded,  then  to  be  denounced;  now  to  be  applauded  for 
their  supposed  purpose  of  reformation,  then  to  be  denounced  for 
their  supposed  apostasy.     Many  received  in  the  summer  and  au- 
tumn were  discontinued  before  the  following  spring  had  passed. 
Many  persons  joined  the  Church  annually,  some  oftener.     One 
administration  received,  the  next  expelled.     In  some  instances 
the  same  administration  inducted  into  the  Church  and  deposed 
from  it  the  same  persons  repeatedly.     This  instability  of  the 
would-be  adherents  of  the  divine  cause,  and  this  infelicitous  and 
inharmonious  administration  in  the  admission  of  persons  to 
membership  in  the  Church  of  God  has  been  highly  prejudicial 
to  the  cause  of  religion.     False  sentiments  prevail  concerning 
the  confidence  which  the  Church  should  repose  in  the  unstable 
and  unprincipled  persons  who  make  a  show  of  adopting  the  holy 
precepts  of  the  gospel.     It  is  thought  by  not  a  few  that  the 
Church  should  receive  and  confide  in  all  who  offer  to  join  her 
ranks,  though  they  make  and  break  their  vows  seventy  times 
seven      This  sentiment  is  unscriptural,  and  any  administration 
which  accords  with  it  is  fearfully  damaging.     It  is  true  that 
«  not  every  sin  willingly  committed  after  justification  is  the  sm 
against  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  unpardonable."     It  is  equally  true 
that  "  the  grant  of  repentance  is  not  to  be  denied  to  such  as  fall 
into  sin  after  justification."    It  is,  moreover,  true  that  "they 
are  to  be  condemned  who  say  they  can  no  more  sm  as  long  as 
they  live  here,  or  deny  the  place  of  forgiveness  to  such  as  truly 
repent "     But  these  mysterious  and  sublime  truths  do  not  con- 
stitute a  basis  for  the  conclusion  that  the  Church  should  take 
into  her  fold  those  who  never  repent,  those  who  have  no  hxed 
"desire  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come,  and  to  be  saved  from 
their  sins  "  those  who  have  no  moral  integrity.     The  induction 


136 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


of  the  unstable  into  the  Church  should  be  as  strenuously  guard- 
ed against  as  the  introduction  of  heretics.  It  is  useless  to  pro- 
nounce maledictions  upon  others,  however  much  they  merit  it, 
while  encomiums  are  heaped  upon  those  who  are  without  stabil- 
ity in  everything  except  their  fickleness,  and  who  are  without 
persistence  in  everything  except  their  stratagems  in  getting  into 
the  Church,  and  who  have  no  uniformity  of  life  except  in  their 
inconsistencies.  This  class  of  persons  are  odious.  Their  very 
pretensions  are  impious.  An  ecclesiastical  body  should  adopt 
wise  and  salutary  measures  for  the  administration  of  her  atfairs 
and  persistently  enforce  them.  She  should  not  dally  with  those 
who  are  unprincipled.  She  should  not  allow  her  communion 
distracted  and  her  name  sullied  by  affiliation  with  the  unstable 
elements  of  society. 

The  original  preaching  places  in  Limestone  County,  to  name 
them  alphabetically,  were  Athens,  Bethlehem,  Cambridge, 
Cokesbury,  Lebanon,  and  Pettusville.  The  town  of  Mooresville 
is  as  old  as  Limestone  County,  having  been  incorporated  by  an 
Act  of  the  Legislative  Council  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  Alabama  Territory  November  16,  1818,  but  the  Methodists 
have  never  had  a  house  of  worship  at  that  place.  They  have 
preached  there  for  years,  but  have  not  accomplished  anything. 
Athens  is  as  old  as  Limestone  County,  and  has  been  the  perma- 
nent seat  of  justice  of  that  county  since  December  3,  1819. 
Bethlehem  was  about  ten  miles  south-west  of  Athens,  and  Leb- 
anon was  about  ten  miles  north-west.  Cambridge,  about  six 
miles  east  of  Athens,  is  as  old  a  preaching  place  as  there 
is  in  the  county.  A  Society  was  organized  and  a  Camp-ground 
w^as  established  there  in  the  very  beginning.  Cambridge  was 
the  center  of  Methodist  gatherings  for  Limestone  County. 
There  Quarterly  Meetings  and  Camp-meetings  were  held,  and 
there  men  were  licensed  to  preach.  It  was  there  on  that  conse- 
crated spot  in  the  month  of  October,  1825,  that  John  Berry  Mc- 
Ferrin  was  licensed  to  preach.  Cokesbury  was  located  on  what 
has  long  been  known  as  Nubbin  Bidge,  something  less  than 
three  miles  from  the  eastern  boundary  of  Limestone  County. 
It  was  named  for  Bishops  Coke  and  Asbury,  and  the  name  was 
doubtless  given  by  Methodists  there  from  the  Atlantic  States 
who  loved  and  admired  those  two  bishops. 

James  Bibb,  Edward  Patterson,  John  Pollard,  and  John  P. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,  137 

Horton  were  local  preachers  in  the  bounds  of  the  Limestone 
Circuit  in  1830.  At  the  close  of  that  year  James  Bibb  was 
elected  to  elder's  orders,  and  the  others  here  named  were  at  the 
same  time  elected  to  deacon's  orders. 

The  official  rcords  show  that  the  Shoal  Circuit  and  the  itin- 
erant ministry  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hooper  were  co-etaneous. 
Shoal  Circuit  was  the  field  assigned  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hooper 
for  1819.  That  Circuit  was  the  last  charge  he  served  in  Alaba- 
ma. For  some  reason,  not  now  known,  he  failed  to  obtain  orders 
in  the  ministry,  and  he  located  at  the  close  of  1822. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Hooper  was  succeeded  on  the  Shoal  Circuit 
by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Stillwell,  who  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the 
Western  Conference  at  the  end  of  1807,  and  who  advanced  to 
membership  in  the  Conference  and  to  elder's  orders,  and  at  the 
end  of  1812  located;  and  who  was  re-admitted  at  the  end  of  1819, 
and  located  again  at  the  end  of  1823;  and  whose  work  in  Alaba- 
ma opened  and  clored  with  1820  and  with  the  Shoal  Circuit. 

After  the  Rev.  Thomas  Stillwell  came  the  Rev.  John  Cragg 
and  the  Rev.  Alson  J.  Waters  for  1821.  The  Rev.  Alson  J. 
Waters  had  just  been  received  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence, and  was  discontinued  at  the  close  of  the  year.  The  Rev. 
John  Cragg  was  received  on  trial  by  the  Western  Conference 
at  the  close  of  the  Conference  year  1807.  In  due  course  he 
was  admitted  into  full  connection  and  ordained  deacon  and 
elder.  For  the  year  1815  he  was  on  Flint  Circuit,  and  for  1821 
on  Shoal  Circuit,  so  that  two  years  of  his  ministry  were  given 
to  Alabama.  From  1825  till  1840  he  was  a  member  of  the  Hol- 
ston  Conference.  He  was  thirty-three  years  an  itinerant 
preacher,  and  twenty-eight  of  these  years  he  was  effective. 
This  was  a  long  service,  and  he  filled  many  important  appoint- 
ments.    He  died  in  1840. 

The  Rev.  Joshua  Boucher  was  the  senior  preacher  on  the 
Shoal  Circuit  for  1822,  and  the  Rev.  James  Edmiston,  who  had 
just  been  admitted  on  trial  by  the  Tennessee  Conference,  and 
who  was  discontinued  at  the  end  of  the  year,  was  his  colleague. 

The  Rev.  Elias  Tidwell  and  the  Rev.  Coleman  Harwell  were 
the  preachers  on  the  Shoal  Circuit  for  1823.  That  was  the  last 
year's  service  in  Alabama  by  that  man,  the  Rev.  Coleman  Har- 
well. Another  man  of  the  same  name  and  of  the  same  family 
has  been  noticed  on  a  previous  page.     This  Brother  Harwell 


i:)H 


JUtitort/  of  MrlluKliHm  in  Ahihitwa. 


now  <inKH«'mK  Hltnul/ion  wiim  ii  mini  <»f  /.«'h1  uihI  ruN^liiy.  h  <onH©- 
crHtiHi  nna  laborioUH  ChriHtinti.  H<'  «li«'<l  <'f  couMtimptinu  mn- 
Muinplioii  whi«-h  wfiH,  cl.,til)tl.«HH,  MuporindtimMl  l)y  ilio  oxpoHnnm 
mi.l  l.nnlHl.ipM  immIuhmI  iti  tlio  work  of  bin  miniHiry.  Jlo  wum 
l,.,rn  in  North  Ciin.liiui.  Muy  10,  IHOO,  ynmA  tho  C\n\rvh  in 
1H17;  wuH  lir«nH«Ml  to  ptviirh  in  IH'2();  and  whh  lulinittnd  on  trial 
in  tlin  TnntH'MHi'o  (Jonfnntncp,  ftn<l  iippointiMl.  im  Iihh  nirnmly 
hvMU  HtntiMl,  to  Hhonl  Circuit  for  \Wy  Ho  diiMJ  .July  5,  IKJO. 
Hill  lifo  WfiK  Hhort,  but  liin  work  wum  woll  done,  an<l  hin  oxit  wm4 

pottcnftil  find  Imppy. 

For  Hhofd  (Urc-uit  tlio  promdinrn  wnrn.  for  1H'21,  Anldi^y  Ij. 
llo/'/<4;  for  1825,  .I«r<itniuli  .Im'kMoti,  Imhuc  V.  Enoclm;  for  1H20, 
Jcmiah  Hrowdi^r,  William   H.  Ilollynian. 

Tlio  Uev.  .bmiah  Un.wd^r  wan  adniilt«t(|  on  trial  l»y  tlirt  T«m- 
IM.MMi-o  (V.nfrninc.^  l»nKinnin«  Ooti.hnr  1,  IHI'J,  and  ho  locatrd 
at  tho  HOHHion  of  tho  (Innf^nmro  ludd  in  th"  latti^r  part  of  1H27. 

Thf  Ilov.  ThonniH  I'aynn  and  th«  H<'V.  .John  \\  Ford  wnro 
th©  |>mic'h«r»  appointed  to  Hlu.al  Circuit  for  IH27.  Tho  Itnv. 
John  F.  Ford  had  junt  1mm. n  adnjittcd  into  tho  Tcnn.'MMi'o  Con- 
fnronco  on  trial.  Thi«  wan  \m  lant  ymr  in  Alalmfna.  Jlo  lo- 
c!fit<Ml  at  tlj"  KoHttion  of  tho  'IVinnriHHoo  (Jonft^runco  h«ld  thu  lutter 

jrnrt  of  1H2:^ 

Tho  pri'aclMrn  ai)point«d  to  Hhoal  dircuit  woro,  for  1H2H,  VXmn 
Tidwidl,  .iimnph  Millor;  for  IH2U.  ThoniaH  I'ayno,  William  K 
Fottnr.  Thin  waM  tho  hint  work  (.f  tlm  llnv.  TlH.maM  I'ayno  itt 
Alabama.  11  Ih  lirHt  uppointm«uit  in  thn  (!<,nf«Mvnc«  wan  for 
1827,  ftn<l  h«i  loctttted  nt  tho  woHnion  of  thn  (!onf«uiincn  hold  in 
Novonjbor,  \WM.  TIiIh  njipointmonfc  for  1821)  wan  th^  llr»t  and 
the  lant  work  of  tho  Uov.  William  K.  Fottitr  in  Alftbama.  Um 
had  jtmt  b^tm  admitt*'d  on  trial  in  th«  Ctmfyroneo,  and  Im  lo- 
cat<ul  in  Kovi<mbi«r,  18!J4. 

The  li©v.  Charl««  Hibloy  artd  tho  Tlov.  Thoman  T/oyd  wore  ap- 
fwinted  to  Hhoal  Cinmit  for  18;H).  That  wan  tho  bo^infiitiK  of 
Hibloy'u  minintry,  nnd  aftor  n.  trial  of  thn'o  yoar»  in  tho  itincjf- 
uncy  h«  wttn  (liHC(»ntinttnd. 

For  18*U  tho  appointmont  roadM-.  Hhoal,  (iilbort  D.  Taylor, 
Honry  0.  j4«htfoot.  Tho  Unv.  Hwiry  0.  Li^htfo^.t  wan  on 
trial  f(»r  that  yoar,  and  wan  diH<;oTjtinuod  at  tho  imd  thuroof. 

Th«  appointmont  for  18:12  wax:  Hhoal,  V^U^v  Hurnum,  Htith 
M.  Harwell    Tho  Itov.  FtHor  Ibirnum  (donfid  hi«  two  yoarw  on 


The  J'Jnhnijniinil  and  Adnmrnnnil  of  the  Work 

trial  with  tho  year  18:12.  and  wan  diMcotttinmid  at  tho  on(l  thorn, 
of;  and  tho  Jlnv.  Htith  M.  llarwoll  oIoh.mI  Ium  Jirnt  yoar  on  trial 
tliat  yi'ar,  and  wan  diMiMintinm^d  at  itn  expiration. 

Tlio  Hhoal  ('ircuit  wan  troatnd  aw  an  inforior  appointniont. 
Heldomdid  it  havo  othor  than  itioxporionood  mon  to  admiuiHtor 
itH  alTairn  and  dinpotmo  the  gcmpol  to  itH  i)ooplo. 

At  tho  ohmo  of  I8lli  thoro  word  roportod  on  Hhoal  (5irenittw<i 
liundn'il  and  twcnty^nino  whito  and  thr«*ti  eolonnl  mmnbors. 
At  tho  (doHo  of  1h:J2  thoro  woro  roportod  four  hundred  and 
thirty  whito  and  buty-Mix  oolorod  nuunbori*  in  Maid  C'lrotiit. 
Thoro  had  boon  tho  muw  fluotmitiium  in  tho  momborKJiip  of 
thiMOirouit  during  tlo*  poriod  from  18|1)  to  lH:i2  nn  found  in 
othor  CHrcuitH.  For  iuMtanoo,  in  IH.'JO  thoro  woro  two  Inindrod 
and  ol^(ht  mon^  whit©  mondiorn  than  thoro  woro  in  i8:i2. 

At  tho  timi»  of  it«  or^^ratiization  tho  (Jahawba  (Jirtniit  waH  om 

of  lirHt  importanco.     FroaohorH  of  nativo  ability,  and  Momo  who 

att/iinod  to  oniinonoo,  i*orvod  it  from  timo  in  tinm.     Aw  haN  aU 

roady  boon  rolabd,  tho  Uov.  Fln^no/or  lb-am  did,  in  tho  yoar 

IHIH.  (.ri^ani/o  tho  HooiotioH  which  at  tho  lirf^t  conntiitJtod  tho 

mombor»hii)  «»f  tluit  Cirotiit.     Tho  Drnt  yoar  of  itn  oxintonoo  m 

a  Circuit  wan  181'J,  and  tho  Uov.  ThonuiM  HtrinKhold  wan  ap- 

pointed  to  it  for  that  yoar,  thcmgh  ho  wont  to  anothor  hold  bo- 

foro  tho  ymr  chmod.     Jlrothor  Moarn,  who  had  boon  appointed 

to  <»rKHni'/o  a  w«»rk  on  tho  Jbdohehatch©,  h(*arin«  rumors  o! 

deprodatiouM  oommitiod   by  panMini^   Indianw  in  tho  Held  a»- 

mj^nod  him,  (h^dinod  to  otdor  Maid  hold  in  tho  beKinnin^  «»f  tho 

yoar.  nnd  joined   HtriuKliold   in    hin  C-ircuit.     Uy  an  arran^o- 

mont  reluctantly  Manctionod  by  tho   proMidin«  ehlor.   the   Uov. 

Thomas  D.  Tortor,  UnMhor  HtriuKliold  wont,  afb'r  <he  yoar 

had  <'onMidorably  advanoml,  and  tho  doprodationn  alludod  to 

had   Htd)Hidod,  to  tho  Uutohohatcho,  and  Jtoarn  romained  and 

Horvod  tho  Cahawba  (/Irctnt  without  Htrint/ftidd  tho  romaindor 

ol  the  year.     It  Im  a  fact  woll   attoNt^^l  that  Htrin^lhdd   and 

Hoarn  worvod  tho  Cahawba  Circuit  tot/othor  a  part  of  tho  year 

IHIO,  and  that  HtriuKJiohl  inwb^ad  nf  I  learn  toiled  at  tho  or^au- 
ization  of  H(MiotioH  on  Uutohohalfdjo  that  yoar. 

For  1820  tho  Uov.  Morodith  llonnoau  was  appoinbd  to  Cahaw- 

ba  Circuit- 
In  tho  MiMMiMMtppi  Cotiformie©  tor  1821  thor©  ap|)oared  a  new 
District.     It  wan  tho  ('ahawba  Diwtrlot,  and  axtindod  from  tit© 


uo 


History  of  Methodism  in  AJahnma. 


bead  waters  of  Mulberry  Creek  on  the  south  to  the  Tennessee 
Kiver  on  the  north,  and  was  constituted  of  the  Cahawba,  Frank- 
lin, Marion,  and  Tuskaloosa  Circuits.  Cahawba  Circuit  lay 
along  the  Cahawba  Valley,  and  the  Franklin  Circuit  was  just 
south  of  the  Tennessee  Kiver  in  the  counties  of  Franklin,  Law- 
rence, and  Morgan.  For  this  year,  1821,  the  Eev.  Thomas  Nixon 
was  the  piesiding  elder  of  this  new  District,  and  he  was  also  the 
preacher  in  charge  of  the  Cahawba  Circuit.  This  was  the  last  and 
the  second  year  of  Nixon's  ministry  in  Alabama.  The  year  be- 
fore he  was  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Alabama  Circuit.  While 
on  the  Caiiawba  District  and  Circuit  in  1821,  Nixon  fell  under 
some  evil  occurrence  in  which  he  was  finally,  after  due  process, 
expelled  from  the  connection.  So  the  case  is  reported  in  the  Gen- 
eral Minutes,  Volume  L,  page  398.  He  furnished  late  in  life,  as 
given  by  Dr.  McFerrin  in  his  "  History  of  Methodism  in  Tennes- 
see," Volume  XL,  pages  202-205,  a  statement  concerning  himself, 
in  which  he  gave  a  catalogue  of  the  appointments  which  he  served 
in  his  ministry,  beginning  with  his  admission  into  the  Tennes- 
see Conference  on  trial  in  the  latter  part  of  1812,  and  closing 
with  183G;  but  in  this  statement,  as  it  is  published,  he  studious- 
ly avoided  any  allusion  to  his  being  presiding  elder  of  the  Ca- 
hawba District  and  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Cahawba  Circuit. 
His  own  statement  concerning  his  ministry,  in  view  of  the  facts 
of  the  case,  is  destitute  of  the  elements  of  truth.  It  is  not  to 
be  supposed  that  the  Cahawba  Circuit  advanced  or  improved 
any  that  year.  There  was  no  report  made  of  that  circuit  for 
that  year,  1821.  The  statistics  were  copied  verbatim  from  the 
Minutes  of  the  previous  year. 

Mr.  Nixon  was  finally  restored  to  the  ministry,  and  at  the 
close  of  1832  he  was,  through  some  process,  re-admitted  to  the 
Mississippi  Conference.  He  located  at  the  close  of  1836,  and 
was  asrain  re-admitted  into  the  same  Conference  at  the  close 
of  1866,  and  died  a  member  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  in 
1872. 

At  the  session  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  held  at  Wash- 
ington, Mississippi,  beginning  December  7, 1821,  in  assigning  the 
preachers  to  the  pastoral  charges  for  1822,  the  Eev.  John  C. 
Burruss  was  assigned  to  the  Cahawba  District  as  presiding  eld- 
er, and  the  Eev.  Benjamin  M.  Drake  and  the  Eev.  John  E.  Lam- 
buth  were  assigned  to  the  Cahawba  Circuit  as  preachers,  assist- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work. 


141 


ant  and  junior.  This  was  the  first  and  the  last  appointment 
filled  by  the  Eev.  John  C.  Burruss  as  a  traveling  preacher  m 
Alabama.  He  had  resided  for  a  time,  and  exercised  his  minis- 
try in  a  local  capacity,  in  Lawrence  and  Franklin  Counties, 
Alabama.  He  started  as  a  preacher  in  the  Virginia  Conference, 
havincT  been  received  on  trial  in  that  Conference  in  February, 
1814  Ind  received  into  full  connection  in  the  same  Conference 
in  January,  1816.  He  located  at  the  same  time  he  was  received 
into  full  connection.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Mississippi  Con- 
ference  from  the  beginning  of  1822  to  the  close  of  1835,  except 
the  years  1830  and  1831,  when  he  was  in  the  local  ranks  ihe 
last  pastoral  charge  he  served  was  New  Orleans  m  1835.  He 
was  the  brother  of  the  wife  of  the  Eev.  Alexander  Sale. 

The  Cahawba  Circuit  was  the  first  and  the  last  charge  served 
in  Alabama  by  the  Eev.  Benjamin  M.  Drake.     When  he  was 
appointed  to  that  work  he  had  just  reached  his  majority   was 
not  yet  in  full  connection  in  the  Conference,  and  he  had  just 
come  through  from  Kentucky  in.  company  with  his  colleague, 
the  Eev.  John  Eussell  Lambuth.     These  two  men,  Drake  and 
Lambuth,  left  the  Kentucky  Conference  for  the  Mississippi 
Conference  at  the  instance  and  solicitation  of  Bishop  George. 
In  their  journey  from  Kentucky  to  the  seat  of  the  Mississippi 
Conference  Bishop  George  joined  them  at  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
and  traveled  with  them  on  horseback  to  Washington.     Drake  was 
born  in  Eobeson  County,  North  Carolina,  September  11, 1800,  and 
was  carried  when  a  child  by  his  parents  to  Muhlenburg  County, 
Kentucky,  where,  when  about  eighteen  years  old,  he  received  the 
spirit  of  adoption,  was  justified  from  all  his  sins,  and  called  to 
separate  himself  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.     His  heart  was 
filled    with    joy  and    his    mouth  with   praise.     He  was   soon 
licensed  to  preach,  and  was  put  to  work.      He  was  received  on 
trial  into  the  Annual  Conference  in  October,  1820,  and  appoint- 
ed for  the  following  Conference  year  to  the  Fountain  Head  Cir- 
cuit, which  was  then  in  the  newly  organized  Kentucky  Con- 
ference.    At    the  Mississippi  Conference  at  the  close  of    the 
Conference  year  1822  he  was  admitted  into  full  connection  in 
the  Conference,  and  in  the  course  of  time  was  admitted  to  full 
orders  in  the  ministry.     In  1852  the  degree  of  D.D.  was  con- 
ferred on  him  by  Centenary  College.     He  was  elected  to  and 
served  in  every  General  Conference  held  from  1828  to  18o8. 


Ii2 


nistonj  of  Methodism  in  Alahama, 


He  died  in  Mississippi,  May  8, 18G0.     He  had  an  enviable  rep- 
utation, one  "  upon  which  a  shadow  never  fell.'* 

In  the  year  1822,  while  Drake  and  Lambuth  served  that  Ca- 
hawba  Circuit,  there  was  added  to  it  a  Society  of  which  it  is  prop- 
er to  speak  particularly.  Parallel  with  the  Coosa  Eiver,  and 
from  eight  to  ten  miles  west  thereof,  there  is  a  small  stream 
about  fifteen  miles  long  called  Wolf  Creek.  This  creek  is  in 
Saint  Clair  County,  and  it  forms  a  junction  with  Kelly's  Creek 
just  at  the  south-western  line  of  the  county.  Just  seven  years 
after  General  Jackson  had  released  from  Indian  title  and  occu- 
pancy this  fair  section  bordered  by  the  beautiful  Coosa,  an  ar- 
dent and  impulsive  man  from  East  Tennessee  by  the  name  of 
Abel  Gilliland  unloaded  his  goods  and  pitched  his  tent  on  the 
banks  of  this  AYolf  Creek.  This  man  Gilliland  was  a  Methodist, 
devout,  impetuous,  and  zealous.  By  his  prayers  and  his  songs 
he  consecrated  to  God  the  spot  where  he  pitched  his  tent. 
He  soon  erected  him  a  cabin  and  consecrated  that  to  the  service 
of  God  as  well  as  to  his  own  use  as  a  habitation.  He  was  in  the 
wilderness  where  roamed  the  wolf,  the  bear  and  the  panther,  the 
fox  and  the  deer,  and  where  the  priest  of  God  was  not  heard 
and  the  sacrifice  of  religion  was  not  offered.  The  nearest 
preaching  place  to  his  new  habitation  was  twenty-five  miles  or 
more  away.  He  commenced  a  local  ministry,  gathered  the  scat- 
tered inhabitants  in  the  region,  and  informed  them  of  his  pur- 
pose to  introduce  the  Christian  religion  among  them  and  secure 
for  the  community  the  means  of  grace  for  edification  in  divine 
things.  When  he  had  completed  the  rude  preparations  es- 
teemed necessary  to  the  work  anticipated,  and  he  had  enlisted 
the  attention  of  his  pioneer  neighbors  in  his  purposes,  Brother 
Gilliland  went  to  one  of  the  appointments  of  the  Kev.  Mr. 
Drake  in  the  Cahawba  Valley,  and  engaged  Mr.  Drake,  who  had 
charge  of  the  Cahawba  Circuit,  to  go  to  his  house  and  there  es- 
tablish a  preaching  place  and  organize  a  Society.  Mr.  Drake 
went  and  preached  and  organized  a  Society  in  the  frontier  cab- 
in of  Abel  Gilliland.  Soon  a  humble  house  of  worship  was 
erected  near  Mr.  Gilliland's  residence,  and  from  that  day  till 
1886  Gilliland's  Chapel  was  occupied  by  a  Methodist  Society, 
and  there  the  word  of  God  was  preached  and  the  sacraments 
duly  administered.  In  1886  that  sacred  place  was  sold  and  the 
Society  moved  to  Eden.     Eden  is  a  little  village  on  Wolf  Creek, 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         143 


about  three  miles  from  the  spot  where  so  long  stood  Gilliland's 
Chapel.  Mr.  Gilliland  lived  only  about  five  years  after  he  set- 
tled on  Wolf  Creek,  but  his  works  lived  after  him,  and  from 
that  place  he  will  go  up  to  the  judgment  with  the  hosts  who 
have  lived,  labored,  and  died  in  that  community. 

The  preachers  for  Cahawba  Circuit  for  1823  were  Thomas 
Owens,  John  Patton;  for  1824,  Edmund  Pearson,  James  Nich- 
olson; for  1825,  Hugh  A.  McPhail,  John  G.Lee;  for  1826,  John 
Booth,  Benjamin  A.  Houghton. 

The  Mississippi  Conference  met  at  Midway,  Mississippi  Terri- 
tory, November  7,  1817.  There  and  then  two  men,  and  only 
two— John  Booth  and  Wiley  Ledbetter— were  admitted  on 
trial  into  the  Conference.  At  the  session  of  the  Conference  at 
Washington,  Mississippi,  November  17,  1819,  the  same  two  men 
were  admitted  into  full  connection  in  the  Conference  and  or- 
dained deacons.  At  the  session  of  the  Conference  at  the  same 
place  December  7,  1821,  these  two  men  with  two  others,  John, 
Seaton  and  Ebenezer  Hearn,  who  in  the  transfer  of  appoint- 
ments had  been  transferred  from  the  Tennessee  to  the  Missis- 
sippi Conference,  were  ordained  elders.  At  the  Conference  ses- 
sion held  at  John  McRae's,  on  Chickasawhay  Kiver,  Mississippi, 
December  5,  1822,  the  Eev.  John  Booth  located,  and  at  the 
Conference  at  Washington,  Mississippi,  December  8,  1825,  he 
was  re-admitted  to  the  Conference,  and  at  the  session  of  the 
Conference  held  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  December  14,  1826, 
he  again  located.  This  terminated  his  itinerant  career.  Just 
two  years  of  his  itinerant  ministry  were  given  to  Alabama: 
1822  to  Conecuh  Circuit  and  1826  to  Cahawba  Circuit.  The 
other  years  were  given  to  appointments  in  the  bounds  of  Mis- 

sissi[)pi. 

For  1827  there  was  only  one  preacher  appointed  to  the  Ca- 
hawba Circuit:  Eugene  V.  LeVert.  For  1828  the  preachers  for 
that  Circuit  were  Joseph  McDowell,  Daniel  H.  Norwood;  for 
1829,  David  Harkey ;  for  1830,  David  Harkey,  Daniel  Sears. 

The  Pvev.  Daniel  Sears  had  just  been  admitted  on  trial  in 
the  Conference,  and  this  his  first  appointment  was  his  last  in 
Alabama.  The  year  1831  he  had  an  appointment  in  Missis- 
sippi, and  in  arranging  the  appointments  for  1832,  preparatory 
to  the  organization  of  the  Alabama  Conference,  he  went  into 
the  Mississippi  Conference. 


144 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         145 


For  1831  the  preachers  for  Cahavvba  Circuit  were  Leroy  Mas- 
sengale,  Jacob  Segrest;  for  1832,  Johu  Foust,  Stephen  Herrin. 

The  formation  of  the  Circuits  in  the  series  of  years  now 
under  consideration  was  governed  by  the  order  and  relations  of 
the  settlements  made  in  the  country,  and  the  settlements  fol- 
lowed naturally  the  course  of  the  streams  and  the  valleys,^  and 
were  limited  by  the  ridges  and  mountains  which  separated  the 
valleys.     The  Cahawba  Circuit  in  its  general  course  in  the  di- 
rection of  its  length  was  from  north-east  to  south-west,  and  for 
the  term  of  ten  years,  or  from  the  close  of  1818  until  the  for- 
mation of  the  Oakmulgee  Circuit  at  the   close    of   1828,    its 
boundaries  were  as  follows:  The  Coosa  River,  from  the  mouth 
of  Wills  Creek  co  the  mouth  of  Hatchett  Creek;  a  parallel  line 
from  the  mouth  of  Hatchett  Creek  to  the  head  waters  of  Mul- 
berry Creek,  the  Mulberry  Creek  to  its  mouth;  the  Alabama 
Eiver  from  the  mouth  of  Mulberry  Creek  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Cahawba  River,  the  head  waters  of  the  creeks  running  into  the 
Cahawba  River  on  the  west  and  north  side  of  that  river  along 
its  entire  course,  and  then  the  head  waters  of  the  creeks  run- 
ning into  the  Coosa  River  on  the  west  and  north  side  of  that 
river  up  to  Wills  Creek.     The   Cahawba  Circuit  at  that  time 
extended  to  the  Alabama  Circuit  on  the  south-east,  and  to  the 
Tuskaloosa  and  Jones's  Yalley  Circuits  on  the  west  and  north, 
and  was  from  thirty  to  fifty  miles   wide,  and  was  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  long.     At  that  time  the  Coosa  River 
was  the  western  boundary  of  the  lands  of  the  Creek  Indians, 
and  that  tribe  of  Indians  occupied  the  country  just  across  the 
river  from  the  Cahawba   Circuit,   and  the   Cherokee  Indians 
were  then  occupying  the  lands  just  across  Wills  Creek  from 
this  Circuit.     Marengo  Circuit  was  formed  at  the  close  of  1825, 
and  joined  the  Cahawba  Circuit  on  the  south-west. 

During  the  term  of  years  from  1818  to  1832  the  work  in  hand 
on  the  Cahawba  Circuit,  many  impediments  and  some  adverse 
occurrences  hereafter  to  be  noticed  to  the  contrary,  advanced 
satisfactorily.  As  inhabitants  moved  into  that  portion  of  the 
country  which  that  Circuit  traversed  Societies  were  multiplied 
and  the  membership  increased  in  numbers.  Though  it  is  im- 
possible to  give  at  this  date  a  perfect  list  of  the  appointments 
on  that  Circuit  during  the  series  of  years  now  under  review, 
yet  some  of  the  more  prominent  appointments  can  be  named. 


I 


On  Canoe  Creek,  at  Catawla  Town,  afterward  called  Ashville, 
an  appointment  was  established  and  a  Society  organized  in 
1818.  This  is  still  a  preaching  place,  and  there  is  still  a  So- 
ciety. 

At  Liberty  Chapel,  a  union  house  so  called,  five  miles  from 
Ashville  on  the  Cahawba  road,  a  preaching  place  for  the  Meth- 
odists was  established  in  the  beginning  of  their  work,  and  there 
they  had  a  Society  in  the  outset  of  their  administration.  Of 
late  years  their  Society  there  has  waned.  A  union  house  for 
worship  is  the  product  of  weakness,  the  precursor  of  division, 
the  guarantee  of  strife,  the  forerunner  of  decline  and  decay. 

Highland,  a  place  still  farther  down  the  Cahawba  Valley, 
was  from  the  first  a  preaching  place,  and  still  continues. 

Ebenezer,  about  five  miles  north  of  what  is  now  Montevallo, 
was  among  the  very  first  places  where  a  Society  was  organized 
and  a  Camp-ground  established.     There  prosperity  existed  for 

long  years. 

Near  the  present  Montevallo  was  a  central  and  leading  ap- 
pointment, where  in  1818  a  Quarterly  Conference  and  a  Camp- 
meeting  were  held.  Round  about  Montevallo  Methodism  has 
been  strong  and  influential  through  all  the  years  that  have 
elapsed. 

The  first  itinerant  preacher  who  ever  invaded  the  country, 
the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hearn,  preached  on  his  first  coming  at  the 
Falls  of  Cahawba,  since  called  Centerville.  Up  to  this  time,, 
however,  religion  has  not  prospered  at  Centerville.  The  very 
first  item  known  to  be  on  record  concerning  the  introduction  of 
Methodist  preaching  at  Centerville  is  coupled  with  the  state- 
ment that  at  that  time  there  was  living  there  an  apostate 
Methodist  preacher  who  never  reformed  and  who  was  never  re- 
claimed. The  probabilities  are  that  the  presence  and  influence 
of  that  apostate  preacher  planted  the  seeds  of  infidelity  and  re- 
tarded the  progress  of  the  divine  cause  at  that  place.  There 
has  never  been  a  place  where  a  Methodist  preacher  apostatized 
or  fell  into  any  grievous  sin  but  that  the  cause  of  Methodism 
languished  there  so  long  as  the  sin  or  apostasy  was  remembered. 
No  Church  has  ever  prospered  under  the  oversight  or  within 
the  influence  of  a  man  who  committed  sin  during  his  ministry. 
The  sin  of  a  preacher  pollutes  the  land  and  disgraces  the 
cause  of  righteousness. 
10 


s 


146 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         14:7 


Seven  or  eight  miles  east  of  the  Cahawba   River  and  six 
miles  north  of  the  Alabama  River,  in  or  near  Section  thirty- 
five,  Township  eighteen,  Range  ten,  east,  is  a  spot  which  may 
be  called  sacred,  a  spot  on  which,  about  the  middle  of  the  third 
decade  of  the  present  century,  a  house  for  divine  worship  was 
erected  by  a  Methodist  Society.     From  the  first  to  the  last  the 
place  was  known  as  Childer's  Chapel.     There  for  a  fifth  of  a 
century  or  more  divine  worship,  with  its  hallowed  influences 
and  immortal  results  was  maintained,  and  there  many  dead  in- 
terred remain  and  await  the  resurrection  day.     At  this  date  it 
is  impossible  to  recall  and  record  every  name  which  was  on  the 
roll  of  that  Society  at  its  organization.     A  few  names  are  still 
unforgotten,  and  they  go  to  record  on  this  page:  George  Chil- 
ders,  Elizabeth  Childers,  Noel  Pitts,  Caroline  Pinson,  and  Mrs. 
Jordan.     These  were  all  members  of  firmness  of  purpose  and 
strength  of  character.     Childers  and  Pitts  were  members  of 
that  Society  at  that  place  through  all  the  years  of  its  existence. 
George  Childers  was  the  man  for  whom  the  place  was  named. 
He  was  a  man  of  excellent  traits  of  character,  of  deep  piety,  of 
preeminence,  and  of  commanding  influence.     He  was  a  worthy 
leader.     His  power  and  influence  were  recognized.     Elizabeth 
Childers  was  the  wife  of  George  Childers,  and  in  her  maturer 
years  was  familiarly  called  "Aunt  Betsy."     She  was  a  woman 
of  great  firmness,  usefulness,  and  religious  devotion.     She  uni- 
formly went  from  the  service  of  the  holy  communion  filled  with 
the  divine  grace  and  sensible  of  the  heavenly  benediction,  and 
with  audible  shouts  she  gave  vent  to  her  emotions  and  praise  to 
her  Redeemer.     All  this  was  fitting.     Angels  shout,  and  why 
should  not  the  redeemed  of  earth  praise  God  with  heart  and 
voice  when  they  have  before  them  the  emblems  of  their  Sav- 
iour's dying  love,  and  are  inspired  by  so  many  demonstrations 
of  his  resurrection  power? 

In  1829  and  1830,  while  the  Rev.  David  Harkey  was  on  the 
Cahawba  Circuit,  a  house  of  worship  was  built  in  Saint  Clair 
County,  on  Broken  Arrow  Creek,  five  or  six  miles  from  the 
junction  of  said  creek  with  the  Coosa  River,  and  called  Hark- 
ey's  Chapel,  for  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Circuit.  Till 
this  day  the  Methodists  worship  there,  and  the  place  is  still 
known  as  Harkey's  Chapel,  though  the  log  house  built  when 
Harkey  was  there  has  given  place  to  a  house  made  of  better 


material,  and  there  is  now  a  railroad  town  there  called  Broken 
Arrow. 

The  last  year  of  Harkey's  ministry  on  the  Cahawba  Circuit, 
w^hen  Sears  was  his  colleague  on  the  work,  a  Society  which  had 
been  organized  at  Bethlehem  secured  a  deed  to  a  tract  of  land 
containing  six  and  a  half  acres  in  Section  twenty-eight. 
Township  nineteen.  Range  sixteen,  east,  and  erected  on  it  a 
house  of  worship.  The  deed  was  made  by  John  W.  Kidd  and 
Ann  P.  Kidd,  his  wife.  The  Trustees  to  whom  this  deed  was 
made  were  William  W.  Harper,  Isaac  Brinker,  Benjamin 
Hudgins,  George  B.  Nash,  and  Samuel  New.  The  deed  bears 
date  June  16,  1830,  and  is  in  the  handwriting  of  Judge  Leonard 
Tarrant.  The  persons  whose  names  are  given  in  this  deed  were 
all  members  of  the  Society  at  Bethlehem,  and  were  persons  of 
stability  and  worth.  John  W.  Kidd  was  in  his  day  a  pillar  in 
this  Society.  This  Bethlehem  Church  stands  on  a  lovely  spot 
in  a  magnificent  grove  in  which  there  is  a  very  superior  spring 
of  never  failing  water.  Bethlehem  Church  is  at  the  village 
now  called  Harpersville,  in  Shelby  County.  When  Camp-meet- 
ings were  the  order  of  the  day,  Bethlehem  was  one  of  the  noted 
Camp-grounds.  Though  Camp-meetings  have  been  long  aban- 
doned at  that  place,  yet  there  is  still  there  a  flourishing  Society 
and  a  large  and  intelligent  congregation. 

The  above  appointments,  ten  in  number,  were  of  central  im- 
portance on  the  Cahawba  Circuit.  Doubtless  there  were  in  the 
extensive  territory  included  in  that  Circuit  other  places  where 
preaching  was  had  and  Societies  existed,  for  in  those  days  nu- 
merous appointments  were  considered  a  means  of  grace  and  a 
matter  of  commendation,  and  preachers  commonly  had  twenty 
and  thirty  Societies  and  preaching  places  under  their  oversight, 
but  the  particulars  concerning  such  other  places  and  Societies 
are  not  now  in  hand. 

The  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  and  the  itinerant  ministry  of  the  Rev. 
John  Kesterson  were  coeval.  Both  appeared  first  for  the  year 
1819,  and  they  appeared  together  for  that  year.  While  the  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Hearn  explored  the  country  and  organized  the  Socie- 
ties which  at  the  first  constituted  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  in 
1818,  yet  it  first  appears  in  the  General  Minutes  for  1819,  and 
the  Rev.  John  Kesterson  was  the  preacher  appointed  to  it  for 
that  year.     He  had  just  been  received  on  trial  by  the  Tennessee 


148 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Conference  at  its  session  in  Nashville,  beginning  October  1, 
1818.     He  was  received  into  full  connection  at  the  close  of  1820, 
and  elected  to  deacon's  orders,  though  not  ordained  at  that  time. 
At  the  close  of  1823  he  was  ordained  elder,  and  at  the  close  of 
1824  he  located.     After  living  as  a  local  preacher  in  the  terri- 
tory embraced  in  the  Memphis  Conference  at  its  organization 
for  eighteen  years,  he  was  re-admitted  to  the  itinerant  work  by 
the  Memphis  Conference  at  the  close  of  1842,  and  again  lo- 
cated at  the  close  of  1847.     When  he  died  is  not  known.     He 
gave  about  eleven  years  of  his  life  to  the  itinerant  ministry. 
He  was  a  man  of  moderate  ability.     His  importance  m  the  his- 
tory of  Methodism  in  Alabama  is  found  alone  m  the  fact  that 
he  was  the  first  preacher  on  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  after  its 
formation.     He  served  in  Alabama  only  one  year.     He  was  the 
predecessor  on   the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  of   the    Eev.    Robert 

r^riine 

The  Rev.  Robert  Paine  was  on  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  for 
1820  having  been  appointed  to  that  Circuit  at  the  session  of 
the  Tennessee  Conference  held  at  Nashville,  beginning  Octo- 
ber  1,  1819.     These  dates  and  statements  are  correct  in  every 

For  1821  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  appears  in  the  General  Min- 
utes without  a  preacher.  The  Marion  Circuit,  which  lay  in  and 
around  Marion  County  north-west  of  Tuskaloosa,  also  appears 
in  the  General  Minutes  without  a  preacher  for  that  year.  At 
the  end  of  the  list  of  the  appointments  of  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  for  1821  are  found  these  words:  "Missionaries  to 
the  Mississippi  Conference,  Zach.  Williams,  Barnabas  Pipkin." 
These  two  missionaries  from  the  South  Carolina  Conference  to 
the  Missisippi  Conference  served  the  two  Circuits  which  were 
left  without  preachers.  The  Rev.  Zachariah  Williams  was  the 
preacher  on  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  for  that  year  1821,  and  the 
Rev.  Barnabas  Pipkin  was  the  preacher  on  the  Marion  Circuit 

""The^ preachers  on  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  for  1822  were  Sam- 
uel Patton,  Eugene  V.  LeVert;  for  lf2.^  Samuel  Patton,  Wil- 
liam  M.  Curtiss;  for  1824  Francis  R.   Cheatham,  Thomas  C. 

Th^Rev.  Thomas  C.  Brown  had  just  been  admitted  on  trial 
in  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  that  was  his  last  year  in  Al- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work, 


149 


abama.     At  the  close  of  1826  he  located;  at  the  close  of  1829  he 
was  re-admitted,  and  again  located  at  the  close  of  one  year. 

For  1825  the  preachers  on  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  were  Rob- 
ert L.  Walker,  John  O.  T.  Hawkins;  for  1826  Hugh  A.  McPhail, 
Thomas  Burpo;  for  1827  Thomas  Clinton,  Moses  Perry. 

This  was  the  last  year  of  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Clinton  in  Alabama.     Perhaps  no  man  ever  had  a  harder  life 
than  had  Thomas  Clinton,  and  yet,  perhaps,  no  man  was  ever 
more  religious,  devoted,  and  happy  than  he  through  his  whole 
Christian  career.     Ere  he  had  passed  five  summers  the  dark 
sliadow  of  orphanage  fell  upon  him,  his  father  and  mother  dy- 
ing of  yellow  fever  and  being  buried  in  the  same  grave,  and  he 
was  brought  up  from  his  infancy  without  a  known  living  kins- 
man in  the  world.     He  was  of  Irish  descent,  and  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  January,  1793.     Before  his  father 
and  mother  were  taken  off  by  the  yellow  fever  they  had  joined 
the  Methodists,  and  had  dedicated  the  infant  son  to  God  in 
holy  baptism.     On  January  2,  1808,  the  last  day  of  the  session 
of  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  six  men  were  ordained  dea- 
cons and  five  men  were  ordained    elders    in   the   old  Bethel 
Church  in  the  city  of  Charleston.  South  Carolina.     The  Rev. 
Matthew  P.  Sturdevant,  the  first  Methodist  preacher  ever  sent 
to  Alabama,  was  one  of  the  men  there  and  then  ordained   an 
elder.     On  that  historic  day  Thomas  Clinton,  through  youthful 
curiosity,  wandered  into  the  old  Bethel  Church,  heard  the  ordi- 
nation sermon,  and  witnessed  the  ordination  ceremonies,  and 
was  awakened  to  an  interest  in  the  great  gospel  theme  which 
offers  salvation  to  every  man,  and  formed  resolutions  which 
finally  eventuated  in  his  justification,  regeneration,  sanctifica- 
tion,  and  in  his  assumption  of  the  prerogatives  and  duties  of  the 
Christian  ministry.     At  the  session  of  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference held  in  Charleston   January,  1820,  when  he  was  just 
twenty-seven  years  old,  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Confer- 
ence, and  volunteered  to  go  as  a  missionary  in  the   bounds  of 
the  Mississippi  Conference.     At  the  end  of  the  list  of  the  ap- 
pointments of  the  South  Carolina  Conference  for  that  year  1820 
are  these  words:  "Missionaries  to  Mississippi,  Nicholas  Mcln- 
tyre,  Thomas  Clinton."     At  the  end  of  the  list  of  appointments 
of  the  Mississippi  Conference  for  that  same  year  are  found  the 
words:  "  Tombecbee,  N.  Mclntyre,  J.  Clinton."    The  "  J  "  is  an 


150 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


error.     It  was  evidently  intended  for  a  T.     These  two  men 
were  the  same  men  sent  as  missionaries  from  South  Carolina  to 
the  Mississippi  Conference.     There  is  one  other  item  of  histo- 
ry in  connection  with  the  case.     While  Mclntyre  and  Clinton 
had  been  assigned  by  the  bishop  to  Tombecbee  Circuit  and  the 
appointments  were  published  officially  and  correctly,  yet  when 
they  arrived  in  the  field  the  emergencies  of  the  case  induced 
Thomas  Grifiin,  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Alabama  District,  to 
change  Thomas  Clinton  from  the  Tombecbee  to  tshe  Alabama 
Circuit.     So  that  Clinton  that  year  served  the  Alabama  Circuit 
with  Thomas  Nixon  instead  of  Tombecbee  Circuit  with  Nicho- 
las Mclntyre.     Five  years  of  his  ministry,  the  years  1820, 1821, 
1822,  1826,  and  1827,  were  given  to  the  work  in  Alabama,  and 
the  pastoral  charges  which  he  served  in  the  State  in  addition  to 
those  already  given  were  the  Conecuh  and  the  Marion  Circuits. 
He  was  twice  on  the  Alabama  Circuit.     In  January,  1828,  just 
after  he  had  closed  his  year's  work  on  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit, 
he  was  married.     His  wife,  an  educated  and  a  pious  woman,  was  a 
Miss  A.  L.  Hanna,  and  was  the  sister  of  Miss  Elizabeth  Hanua, 
whom  the  Eev.  Barnabas  Pipkin  first  wedded.     The  children  of 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Clinton  were  ten  in  number,  and  these  chil- 
dren were  an  honor  to  him  and  their  mother,  though  sad  be- 
reavements came  to  the  fond  parents  through  the  early  demise 
of  a  number  of  these  loved  ones.     One  of  the  sons  was  a  Meth- 
odist preacher,  and  one  of  the  daughters  was  the  wife   of    a 
Methodist  preacher.     The  Rev.  Thomas  Clinton,  like  Zaccheus 
of  New  Testament  fame,  was  little  of  stature,  weighing  usually 
one  hundred  and  ten  pounds.     He  had  the  complexion  and  the 
features  characteristic  of  the  Irish  nation,  and  yet  his  features 
were  sufficiently  unique  to  be  peculiarly  his  own.     He  had  a  fair 
complexion,  cheek  bones  sufficiently  prominent  to  give  to  his 
face  in  the  general  outline  an  oval  form,  and  a  nose  of  sufficient 
dimensions  to  prevent  its  being  lost  sight  of,  if  not  of  sufficient 
length  to  create  wonder  and  merriment.     He  was  of  an  earnest 
nature  and  of  an  indomitable  courage,  and,  notwithstanding  he 
was  physically  small,  he  was  capable  of  untold  endurance,  and 
was  a  man  of  commanding  personal  influence.     He  was  indus- 
trious and  studious,  and  he  made  himself  a  theologian  of  more 
than  ordinary   attainments.     During  his  active  ministry   he 
served  Circuits,  Districts,  and  Missions—Missions  to  the  colored 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work. 


151 


people.  He  was  of  cheerful  spirit,  of  strict  integrity,  and  of 
eminent  piety.  He  died  in  the  faith  in  his  eighty-third  year 
October  28,  1875,  at  the  residence  of  the  Rev.  Barnabas  Pipkin, 
and  was  buried  in  his  own  family  cemetery  in  St.  Helena  Par- 
ish, Louisiana. 

The  preachers  on  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  were,  for  1828  Blan- 
ton  P.  Box;  for  1829  Eugene  Y.  LeVert,  Leroy  Massengale ;  for 
1830  Mark  Westmoreland;  for  1831  Nathan  Hopkins,  William 
Wier;  for  1832  Eugene  V.  LeVert.  Jacob  Matthews. 

The  Tuskaloosa  or  Black  Warrior  River,  rising  in  the  mountains 
ten  or  fifteen  miles  south  of  the  Tennessee  River,  and  forming 
a  junction  with  the  Tombigbee  River,  and  having  its  general 
course  from  north-east  to  south-west,  is,  following  its  meander- 
ings,  about  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  in  length.  The 
Tuskaloosa  Circuit  at  its  organization  and  for  four  years  there- 
after had  open  to  it  the  whole  country  of  from  forty  to  sixty 
miles  in  width  along  the  entire  course  of  this  river.  Murphree's 
Valley,  Jones's  Valley,  Roupe's  Valley,  and  all  that  section  low- 
er down  between  Sipsey  River  and  the  head  waters  of  the  creeks 
flowing  east  into  the  Cahawba  River  were  embraced  in  the  Tus- 
kaloosa Circuit  for  the  years  1819-1822  inclusive.  Societies 
were  formed  at  various  points  in  that  territory,  some  sooner, 

some  later. 

Here  and  now,  as  it  indicates  the  state  of  the  country  and 
the  character  of  the  people  at  that  day,  may  be  related  an  inci- 
dent which  occurred  at  a  point  first  embraced  in  the  Tuskaloo- 
sa Circuit,  and  with  which  one  man,  who  afterward  had  a  long 
residence  in  the  State  of  Alabama,  was  incidentally  connected. 

On  November  10,  1819,  a  man,  who  lacked  twenty-four  days 
of  being  twenty-four  years  old,  and  who  had  made  with  one  Miss 
Elizabeth  King  a  marriage  engagement  which  was  to  be  con- 
summated at  some  unnamed  time  in  the  future,  left  Sandymush, 
in  Buncombe  County,  North  Carolina,  and  at  the  close  of  twelve 
days  from  the  time  of  starting,  having  passed,  on  horseback, 
through  the  Cherokee  Nation,  stopped  on  Village  Creek,  in  Ala- 
bama. Here,  in  a  population  numerous  for  so  new  a  settlement, 
that  young  man  found  two  persons  whom  he  had  known  in 
Buncombe,  whence  he  and  they  had  come.  These  two  persons 
were  Mr.  Thomas  Holmes  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Prude.  Upon  the 
solicitation  and  recommendation  of  these   two  acquaintances 


152 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


this  young  man  secured  a  list  of  pupils,  supplanting  a  teacher 
in  the  community  by  the  name  of  Andrew  Moore,  and  on  the 
first  Monday  in  December,  1819,  opened  a  school  in  a  house 
near  Brown's  Spring.  Brown's  Spring,  which  is  now  in  the 
city  of  Birmingham,  was  so  called  for  Judge  John  Brown,  who 
first  settled  at  that  spring  and  was  living  there  when  that 
young  man  taught  that  school.  That  school  was  opened  a  few 
days  before  the  County  of  Jefferson  was  constituted  by  legisla- 
tive enactment,  and  there  was  then  neither  city  nor  town  any- 
where in  that  section.  The  place  at  which  the  seat  of  justice 
was  afterward  established  and  named  Ely  ton  and  incorporated 
as  a  town,  was  then  known  as  Frog  Level  Race  Ground.  The 
race  track  was  the  principal  thing  there  at  that  date,  and  horse 
racing  was  the  chief  business  carried  on  there  at  that  time. 
That  young  man  had  a  large  school,  and  many  of  his  pupils 
w^ere  grown  young  men,  some  of  them  being  as  old  as  he. 
Among  the  young  men  enrolled  as  pupils  and  in  actual  at- 
tendance upon  the  school  w^ere  Jacob  Brooks,  Washington 
Burford,  Thomas  Cawley,  Gersham  Kelley,  Moses  Kelley, 
Allen  Killough,  David  Killough,  James  Killough,  Peter  Law- 
ley,  James  McAdory,  David  Prude,  Jonathan  Prude.  One 
of  the  many  races  had  at  the  Frog  Level  Eace  Ground 
came  off  about  the  close  of  the  first  month  of  the  school. 
The  occasion  was  anticipated  with  deepest  interest.  Intense 
excitement  was  created  by  the  coming  event.  The  jockey 
clubs  and  sporting  fraternities  were  all  busy  and  active.  All 
who  at  any  time  ever  participated  in  horse  racing  were  in- 
tensely interested  in  that  occasion.  Few  there  were  who  were 
not  going  to  witness  and  participate  in  the  sport  of  that  day. 
None  were  more  completely  absorbed  by  the  anticipated  events 
than  the  young  men  and  boys  in  the  school  near  Brown's  Spring. 
They  were  going  to  the  races,  of  course.  That  was  a  foregone 
conclusion.  They  expected  to  take  part  in  the  contests  of  the 
day.  But  an  issue  which  was  not  anticipated,  was  made.  The  even- 
ing before  the  races,  the  teacher  delivered  to  his  school  a  lecture 
on  horse-racing.  In  that  lecture  he  denounced  the  sport  of  the 
race-course  as  an  unmitigated  evil.  He  maintained  that  attend- 
ance upon  and  participation  in  such  sports  were  fraught  with 
all  manner  of  bad  consequences.  He  closed  his  lecture  with 
the  announcement  that  the  pupils  would  not  be  permitted  to 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         153 


attend  the  races  the  next  day  on  penalty  of  expulsion  from  the 
school,  and  added  the  suggestion  that   if  any  were  determined 
to  attend  they  would  as  well  take  their  books  and  apparatus 
home  that  evening.     That  announcement  had  not  been  antici- 
pated by  the  pupils,  and  they  were  amazed.     After  the  lecture 
closed  and  the  school  was  dismissed  for  the  day,  the  young  men, 
twelve  or  thirteen  in  number,  held  a   consultation   to  decide 
what  action  they  would  take  and  what  course  to  pursue  in  the 
premises.     As  a  result  of  their  consultation  they  waited  on  the 
teacher,  and  demanded  that  he  reverse  his  decision  and  retract 
his  announcement.     David  Killough,  the  senior  among  them, 
acted  as  their  spokesman.     They  offered  as  reasons  in  the  prem- 
ises their  desires,  their  rights,  and  their  interests.     They  per- 
sonally desired  to  go  to  the  races,  they  had  an  inherent  right, 
which  no  man  could  take  from  them,  to  go,  and  there  were  in- 
terests with  their  friends  who  were  to  be  engaged  in  the  bets 
and  sports  of  the  day  which  demanded  that  they  should  be  in 
attendance.     They  plead,  they  entreated,  they  demanded.     The 
teacher  was  inflexible.     He  listened,  but  yielded  not.     His  de- 
cision   was    adhered   to,    his    announcement    reiterated.     The 
young  men  were  irritated  and  indignant.     They   were   on  the 
verge  of  resentment.     But,  notwithstanding  their  desires,  their 
rights,  their  interests,  and  their  indignation,  they  returned  next 
day  to  school.     They  took  special  pains,  however,  to  show  to 
the  teacher  their  anger.     The  people  gathered  in  throngs  at  the 
race  ground,  bets  were  made,  the  stakes  in  which  all  interest 
centered  were  deposited,  the  preparations  were  completed,  and 
the  races  came  off  just  after  noon.     Scarcely  had  the  contesting 
steeds  cleared  the  posts  when  one  of  them  flew  the  track  and 
threw  the  rider,  knocking  him  breathless,  though  not  killino- 
him,  as  it  happened.     The  other   steed   was   carried  through 
to  the  end  of  the  course,  and  the  purse  claimed  and   demand- 
ed.    Those  in  charge  of  the  steed   which   flew   the  track  de- 
clined to  surrender  the  stakes.    A  row  ensued.     Fighting  was 
the  order  of  the  hour.     There  were  thirty  or  forty  men  in  actual 
collision.     Fingers,   fists,   knives,   sticks,   and   teeth   were  the 
weapons  used  in  the  fray,  and  they  were  freely  used.   Abdomens 
were   cut,   cheeks   were   bruised,   ears  were  bitten,  eyes  were 
gouged,  features  were  mutilated,  fingers   and  jawbones  were 
broken,  muscles  were  lacerated,  noses  were  smashed,  scalps  were 


154 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


gashed.  There  was  much  blood,  and  many  wounds,  but  no  one, 
wonderful  as  it  is,  was  killed.  That  scene  of  carousal  depicts 
the  state  of  the  country  as  the  preachers  who  served  the  Tuska- 
loosa  Circuit  then  found  it.  Frog  Level  Race  Ground  and  the 
school-house  near  Brown's  Spring  were  in  sufficient  proximity 
for  those  at  the  school-house  to  hear  the  clatter  of  the  racers' 
hoofs  and  the  tumult  of  the  throng  who  participated  in  the 
revel  and  the  riot  of  the  day.  The  young  meu  at  the  school- 
house  heard  the  noise  and  the  uproar  at  the  race  ground,  and 
could  well  conjecture  what  was  going  on,  though  they  knew  not 
the  specific  causes  nor  the  actual  results.  They  were  greatly 
agitated,  but  not  one  of  them  left  for  the  scene  of  the  carousal. 
The  teacher  asserted  his  authority  and  restrained  those  under 
his  tuition.  The  man  who  held  this  reign  and  rule  against  the 
race-course  and  a  sporting  population  was  not  then  a  professing 
Christian,  but  he  was  subsequently  regenerated  by  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  that  very  school-house  in  which  he  opened 
and  maintained  that  sharp  contest  against  horse-racing.  That 
man  who  inaugurated  that  testimony  for  the  right  and  fol- 
lowed his  convictions  of  duty  was  none  other  than  Reuben 
Philips.  That  stand  for  order  and  morality  made  for  him  a 
fast  and  strong  friend  in  the  person  of  the  Rev.  David  Owen,  a 
local  preacher  who  lived  near  the  school-house.  Mr.  Philips  at 
that  time  remained  in  Jones's  Valley  only  a  few  months,  and 
did  not  return  there  to  live  any  more  until  1844. 

In  that  community  on  Village  Creek  round  about  Brown's 
Spring  and  Frog  Level  Race  Ground  was  one  of  the  preaching 
places  belonging  to  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  from  the  very  begin- 


ning. 


The  combined  movements  of  State  and  Church  and  individ- 
uals produce  events  and  make  history.  On  February  7,  1818, 
the  Territory  of  Alabama,  in  Legislative  Council  assembled,  did 
by  enactment  constitute  the  County  of  Tuskaloosa.  In  the 
months  of  that  same  year,  Dudley  Hargrove,  a  licensed  local 
preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  the  head  of  his 
family,  including  all  his  grown  sons  except  Benjamin,  the  sec- 
ond son,  emigrated  from  Hancock  County,  Georgia,  and  pitched 
his  tent  in  the  then  wilderness  by  a  big  spring,  one  of  the  sources 
of  Big  Sandy  Creek,  in  what  is  Section  thirty-five.  Township 
twenty-two  south.  Range  eight  west,  a  few  miles  south-east  of 


DANIEL  JONES  HAllGROVE, 


FIFTY  YEARS   A   CLASS  LEADER  AND  STEWARD. 


(irA) 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         155 


the  present  town  of  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama.  Soon  after  Hargrove 
had  pitched  his  tent  hard  by  the*  head  waters  of  Big  Sandy 
Creek  a  Soicety  was  organized  in  that  commuDity.  That  So- 
ciety has  continued  till  now,  1889,  though  the  meeting  houses  in 
which  that  Society  has  assembled  from  time  to  time  to  worship 
have  been  at  different  places  in  the  community  at  different  times. 
At  one  time  the  meeting  house  stood  right  near  the  place  first 
settled  by  Dudley  Hargrove.  The  house  now  in  use  is,  perhaps, 
three  miles  from  the  spot  originally  occupied,  and  is  named  Pleas- 
ant Hill,  sometimes  called  Hargrove's. 

The  Eev.  Dudley  Hargrove  was  really  the  patriarch  of  that 
Society,  organized  at  or  near  the  place  of  his  first  settlement  in 
Alabama,  and  his  eldest  son,  Daniel  J.  Hargrove,  was  the  first 
class-leader  there.  That  Society  has  always  been  an  appoint- 
ment of  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit,  or  whatever  Circuit  took  its 
place. 

One  of  the  first  preaching  places  established  in  that  section 
of  the  country  was  established  by  Dudley  Hargrove  at  the  house 
of  John  A.  Goodson,  not  far  from  Hill's  Creek,  and  in  the  edge 
of  what  is  now  Bibb  County. 

By  an  incident  in  his  life  the  Kev.  Dudley  Hargrove  became 
an  historic  character.  In  1819,  while  he  lived  on  Big  Sandy 
Creek,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Society  near  him,  he  was  rec- 
ommended by  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Tuskaloosa  Cir- 
cuit to  the  Tennessee  Annual  Conference,  to  be  held  at  Nash- 
ville, Tennesse,  October  1, 1819,  as  a  suitable  person  to  be  elect- 
ed and  ordained  a  local  deacon.  In  the  order  of  the  regular 
business  of  that  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  that  rec- 
ommendation from  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  was  presented,  and 
the  question,  "Shall  Dudley  Hargrove  be  elected  and  or- 
dained a  deacon?"  was  before  the  Church  in  official  form  and 
for  official  decision.  At  the  same  time  and  place  at  which  Har- 
grove's case  was  pending  there  was  presented  a  recommendation 
from  Shoal  Circuit  of  the  Kev.  Gilbert  D.  Taylor  for  admission 
on  trial  into  the  traveling  connection,  and  the  question,  "  Shall 
Gilbert  D.  Taylor  be  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Conference?'' 
was  officially  before  that  body  for  official  decision.  Each  of 
these  men  was  possessed  of  an  unblemished  character  so  far  as 
his  general  conduct  was  concerned,  and  each  had  endowments 
and  attainments  sufficient  to  qualify  him  for  the  position  he 


156 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alahaina, 


sought,  but  it  was  a  fact,  and  the  fact  was  made  known,  that  each 
of  these  men  was  a  slave-ho!der.     The  discussion  of  the  ques- 
tions, "  Shall  Hargrove  be  elected  and  ordained  a  deacon?  "  and 
"Shall   Taylor  be   admitted   on   trial   into   the   Conference?" 
turned  upon  their  being  slave-holders  and  upon  their  obligation 
to  emancipate  the  persons  held  in  slavery  by  them.     From  its 
organization  in  the  latter  part  of  1812  until  the  session  in  which 
the  acts  now  under  consideration  were  passed,  and  even  down  to 
a  later  date,  the  Tennessee  Conference  was  pronounced  in  its 
position  on  the  subject  of  slavery  as  it  existed  in  the  United 
States,  and  a  number  of  its  leading  members  were  bitterly  op- 
posed  to  slave-traders  and   slave-owners  holding  office  in  the 
Church,  or  exercising  the  prerogatives  of  the  ministry.     The 
presentation  of  these  men  for  position  and  office  in  the  Metho- 
dist ministry  made  an  issue  and  inaugurated  a  conflict.     The 
contest  was  sharply  defined,  and  went  on  in  earnest.     The  dis- 
cussion was  warm,  excited,  and  vehement.     Every  phase  of  the 
subject  was  touched  by  those  engaged  in  the  debate.     The  Con- 
ference decided  by  a  majority  of  at  least  three  not  to  elect  Har- 
grove to  deacon's  orders,  and  not  to  admit  Taylor  on  trial  into 
the  traveling  connection  because   they  were  slave-holders.     A 
protest  against  the  action  of  the  Conference  in  the  premises  was 
presented  and  put  to  record,  signed  by  sixteen  of  the  members. 
The  following  is  the  protest: 

"  Be  it  remembered  that,  whereas  the  Tennessee  Annual  Con- 
ference, held  in  Nashville,  October  1,  1819,  have  taken  a  course 
in  their  decisions  relative  to  the  admission  of  preachers  on  trial 
in  the  traveling  connection,  and  in  the  election  of  local  preach- 
ers to  ordination,  which  goes  to  fix  the  "principle  that  no  man, 
even  in  those  States  where  the  law  does  not  admit  of  emancipa- 
tion, shall  be  admitted  On  trial  or  ordained  to  the  office  of  dea- 
con or  elder,  if  it  is  understood  that  he  is  the  owner  of  a  slave  or 
slaves.  That  this  course  is  taken  is  not  to  be  denied,  and  it  is 
avoiredly  designed  to  fix  the  principle  already  mentioned.  Sever- 
al cases  might  be  mentioned,  but  it  is  deemed  unnecessary  to  in- 
stance any  except  the  case  of  Dr.  Gilbert  D.  Taylor,  proposed 
for  admission,  and  Dudley  Hargrove,  recommended  for  ordina- 
tion. We  deprecate  the  course  taken  as  oppressively  severe  in 
itself  and  ruinous  in  its  consequences,  and  we  disapprove  of  the 
principle  as  contrary  to  and  in  violation  of  the  order  and  disci- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         157 


pline  of  our  Church.  We  therefore  do  most  solemnly,  and  in 
the  fear  of  God,  as  members  of  this  Conference,  enter  our  pro- 
test against  the  proceedings  of  the  Conference — as  it  relates  to 
the  above-mentioned  course  and  principle. 

Thomas  L.  Douglass,  Ebenezer  Hearn, 
Thomas  D.  Porter,      Timothy  Carpenter, 
William  McMahon,    Thomas  Stringfield, 
Benjamin  Malone,       Benjamin  Edge, 
Lewis  Garrett,  Joshua  Boucher, 

Barnabas  McHenry,  William  Hartt, 
William  Allgood,  John  Johnson, 
William  Stribling,  Henry  B.  Bascom." 
From  the  history  of  Dudley  Hargrove's  application  for  dea- 
con's orders,  and  the  absolute  refusal  to  confer  on  him  said  or- 
ders because  he  was  a  slave-holder,  it  is  clearly  learned  and  ful- 
ly demonstrated  that  from  the  very  time  of  planting  Methodism 
in  Alabama  the  adherents  of  said  cause  in  said  State  were 
touched  by  the  existence  of  slavery  and  involved  in  the  agita- 
tion about  emancipation,  and  that  amid  the  angry  contentions 
and  bitter  disputes  which  arose  on  the  subject  some  were  de- 
prived of  their  rights  and  suffered  injuries.  From  the  same 
case  it  is  also  learned  that  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  will 
avenge  his  chosen  ones,  and  will  redress  the  wrongs  they  suffer. 
He,  sooner  or  later,  compensates  for  the  wrongs  inflicted.  He 
will,  under  the  on-going  of  his  wonderful  providence,  see  that 
justice  is  doiae  to  his  servant  who  has  been  cheated  of  his  rights 
and  deprived  of  his  prerogatives.  In  a  most  signal  manner  God 
rebuked  the  acts  which  had  been  committed  against  Hargrove 
and  Taylor.  In  the  case  of  Taylor,  the  Tennessee  Conference, 
five  years  after  its  action  against  him,  corrected  the  wrong  by 
admitting  him  to  the  ministry  which  he  so  humbly  sought,  and 
which  he  so  admirably  adorned  and  so  successfully  filled.  Dud- 
ley Hargrove,  who  died  about  1823,  did  not  live  long  enough  to 
receive  at  the  hands  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  a  correction 
of  the  untoward  act,  did  not  live  long  enough  to  receive  in  his 
own  person  the  justice  and  redress  due  him  in  the  case,  but 
there  was  at  last  a  most  signal  manifestation  of  divine  provi- 
dence rectifying  the  wrong  and  compensating  the  injury  which 
he  suffered.  A  little  more  than  sixty-two  years  after  Dudley 
Hargrove  was  refused  deacon's  orders  because  he  was  a  slave-. 


158 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


holder,  and  in  the  very  city  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  where  the 
act  of  refusing  the  orders  was  done,  his  son's  son,  the  Kev.  Rob- 
ert Kennon  Hargrove,  was  ordained  a  bishop,  in  the  light  of  the 
sun  and  in  the  presence  of  the  representatives  of  nearly  a  mil- 
lion of  Methodists.  God,  who  ever  keeps  covenant  with  his 
chosen  ones,  never  forgot  that  case,  and  he  dealt  with  the  case 
on  the  principle  on  which  he  dealt  with  Solomon  in  his  aposta- 
sy, when,  still  remembering  his  covenant  with  his  servant  Da- 
vid, he  said:  "I  will  surely  rend  the  kingdom  from  thee,  and 
will  give  it  to  thy  servant.  Notwithstanding,  in  thy  days  I  will 
not  do  it  for  David  thy  father's  sake:  but  I  will  rend  it  out  of 
the  hand  of  thy  son.  Howbeit  I  will  not  rend  away  all  the 
kingdom;  but  will  give  one  tribe  to  thy  son  for  David  my 
servant's  sake,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake  which  I  have  chosen." 
(1  Kings  xi.  11-13.) 

On  December  19,  1820,  the  State  of  Alabama,  by  legislative 
enactment,  constituted  and  bounded  the  County  known  and  dis- 
tinguished by  the  name  of  Pickens.  Near  the  same  time  Dud- 
ley Hargrove,  with  his  son,  Daniel  Hargrove,  left  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Lye  Branch  Church  and  settled  in  Pickens  County, 
near  Bear  Creek,  which  empties  into  Lubbub  Creek,  Section 
five.  Township  twenty,  Range  thirteen,  west,  twenty  or  twen- 
ty-five miles  north-west  of  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa.  These 
two  men,  father  and  son,  settled  homes  here  within  one  mile 
and  a  half  of  each  other.  Immediately  upon  settlement  in  that 
locality  these  men  had  a  Methodist  Society  organized,  which 
has  been  perpetuated  to  this  year  (1889),  and  has  ever  been 
known  as  Hargrove's  Church.  Dudley  Hargrove  died  at  his 
home  in  Pickens  County  in  1823.  A  large  piece  of  timber 
which  was  being  used  in  the  erection  of  a  gin -house  on  his 
farm,  accidentally  fell  on  him  and  killed  him.  Daniel  Har- 
grove remained  on  the  place  he  first  settled  in  Pickens  County 
until  his  death  in  1869.  For  a  half  century  he  served  the 
Methodist  Church  in  Alabama,  filling  the  offices  of  class  leader, 
steward,  and  trustee.  He  was  a  devout  and  useful  Christian. 
Dudley  Hargrove  was  a  cousin  of  Bishop  McKendree,  and  the 
grandfather  of  Bishop  Robert  Kennon  Hargrove,  as  has  been 
stated  in  another  place.  Daniel  Hargove,  here  mentioned,  was 
the  father  of  Bishop  Hargrove. 

At  a  place  afterward  known  as  Hard  wick's  Shelter  the  Rev. 


! 


MRS.  D.  J.  HARGROVE 
{N/e  Laodicea  Braktley), 

SIXTY-SEVEN    YEARS    A    METHODIST. 


(\nS) 


The  Enlargement  and  Advayicement  of  the  Work.         159 


?" 


Ebenezer  Hearn  preached  in  1818,  and  from  that  time  on  the 
Methodists  had  a  Society  there,  and  it  was  one  of  the  appoint- 
ments of  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  for  many  years.     The  place 
known  as  Hardwick's  Shelter  is  about  two  miles  west  of  south 
of  Tuskaloosa  and  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles  from  that 
town  and  not  more  than  four  furlongs  from  the  village  of  Car- 
thage.    A  man  by  the  name  of  Harper  was  appointed  class- 
leader.     Other    prominent   members  were  Mrs.  Hardwick,    a 
very  excellent  lady,  and  a  Mrs.  Toosan,  a  widow,  of  whom  it 
was  said  that  "  it  never  rained  or  snowed  hard  enough  to  pre- 
vent her  going  to  church."     Alfred  Massengale,  father  of  the 
Rev.  Leroy  Massengale,  was  a  member  at  Hardwick's  Shelter. 
A  Society  called  Center  was  organized  by  1820,  if  not  sooner, 
and  still   exists,  1889,  and  is  about   ten   miles   south   of  the 
town  of  Tuskaloosa,  and  has  always  been  one  of  the  appoint- 
ments on  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit.     Mrs.  Tutt  and  Mrs.   Clem- 
ents, two  widows  and  elect  ladies,  a  son  of  Mrs.  Clements,  and 
Leonard  Rush,  who  was   a  class-leader,  were  members  at  the 
organization  of  that  Society.     During  the  twenties  Robert  Mar- 
tin, a  man   who   came    from    South    Carolina   to    Tuskaloosa 
County,  Alabama,  in  1818,  and  who  was  a  prominent  citizen,  a 
useful  and  pious  man,  and  who  passed  to  his  reward  through  a 
peaceful  death   May   5,   1840,   was   a   class-leader   at    Center. 
Here  at  Center  in  the  fall   of  1827,  while  attending   a  class- 
meeting,  William  B.  Neal,  who  was  for  long  years  a  member  of 
the  Alabama  Conference,  was  convei-ted,  and  here  he  and  his 
father,  David  C.  Neal,  and  other  members  of  the  family  at  this 
time  joined  the  Church.     About  the  same  time  Benjamin  Ros- 
ser,  Jr.,  was  converted  at  a  Camp-meeting  held  on  Rum  Creek, 
about  three  miles  south  of  Tuskaloosa,  and  joined  the  Church 
at  Center.     He  has  been  a  leading  member  there  through  all 
the  years  since.     At  this  time  (1889),  he  still  lives. 

There  was  a  Methodist  Meeting-house  in  Jasper  County, 
Georgia,  called  Purity.  By  1820  a  number  of  the  members  of 
the  Society  at  that  place  had  emigrated  and  joined  themselves 
in  a  community  about  twelve  miles  from  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama, 
and  east  of  south  from  that  place.  A  Society  was  organized  in 
that  community,  and  the  place  of  worship  fixed  on  Bunche's 
Creek.  The  associations  of  the  old  Church  whence  these  new  set- 
tlers came  were  still  fresh  in  their  memories,  and  the  aflPections 


I 


it 


160 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


of  these  persons  still  entwined  about  the  sacred  place  where 
formerly  they  had  sung  the  songs  of  Zion  and  offered  the  sac- 
rifices of  praise,  and  which  place  they  had  so  recently  left,  and 
so  they  did  what  was  most  natural  for  them  to  do— they  named 
the  place  of  the  meeting  of  their  new  Society  on  Bunche's 
Creek  Purity.  Purity  Church  was,  from  its  organization  to  its 
discontinuance,  one  of"  the  appointments  of  the  Tuskaloosa 
Circuit.  Among  the  members  of  that  Society  at  the  date  of  its 
naming  may  be  mentioned  as  prominent,  Benjamin  Kosser, 
Sirmon  Lane,  Philip  Pless,  Joshua  B.  Shackleford,  and  a  Mrs. 
Morrow.  Lane  was  the  first  class-leader  of  the  Society,  and 
Rosser  was  appointed  class-leader  in  1821.  Nimrod  Hendrick 
was  a  member  of  that  Society,  and  he  was  through  life  a  man 
of  usefulness,  and  he  met  death  with  a  triumphant  faith. 

This  Society  at  Purity  was  blessed  with  a  most  remarkable 
revival  in  1826,  and  a  new  house  of  worship  was  built  that 
year.  That  second  house  was  erected  about  one  mile  from  the 
site  on  which  stood  the  first  one.  That  revival,  so  remarkable, 
commenced  in  the  conversion  of  a  Mrs.  Phillips  and  her  hus- 
band one  night  in  a  public  service  appointed  and  conducted  by 
Benjamin  Rosser,  one  of  the  class-leaders,  at  the  residence  of 
Mr.  Phillips.  The  next  day  was  the  regular  time  for  preaching 
at  Purity,  and  the  Eev.  Joshua  Boucher,  a  nephew  of  the  Rev. 
Joshua  Boucher  who  was  so  long  a  member  of  the  Tennessee 
Conference,  and  that  year  the  preacher  stationed  at  the  town  of 
Tuskaloosa,  preached  and  invited  mourners  to  the  altar,  and  a 
large  number  accepted  the  invitation.  Ere  the  meeting  closed 
there  were  nearly  one  hundred  conversions.  Purity  Church  as 
an  organization  is  extinct,  and  the  place  as  a  place  of  worship 
has  been  abandoned,  but  there  at  that  sacred  spot  in  the  old 
church-yard  repose  the  remains  of  many  men  and  women  who 
acted  well  their  part  in  the  drama  of  life,  and  who  await  the 
resurrection  morning  and  the  revelation  of  the  last  day. 

Benjamin  Rosser  was  born  in  Johnson  County,  North  Caro- 
lina, in  1785.  About  1800  he  removed  to  Jasper  County, 
GeoWia,  where  in  1811,  under  the  ministry  of  Lovick  Pierce 
and  Charles  W.  Kennon,  he  obtained  religion,  joined  the 
Church,  and  was  appointed  class-leader,  which  position  he 
filled  for  long  years.  In  1820  he  removed  to  Alabama,  as  has 
already  been  intimated.     On  September  24,  1847,  he  was  given 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         161 

a  license  to  exhort,  which  was  renewed  until  July  28, 1866.  He 
was  a  useful  man,  and  died  July  20,  1873,  in  Tuskaloosa 
County,  Alabama. 

In  1820  a  Society  was  organized  within  the  bounds  of  the 
then  Tuakaloosa  Circuit  in  the  house  of  Aaron  Murphree.  In 
process  of  time  that  Society  built  an  humble  house  of  worship, 
and  called  the  place  Ebenezer.  The  place  thus  named  and  con- 
secrated is  on  the  old  thoroughfare  in  Murphree's  Yalley,  four- 
teen or  fifteen  miles  south-east  from  Blountsville.  A  chapter 
might  be  devoted  to  that  Society,  did  space  permit.  Murphree, 
Ellis,  Bynum,  Hallmark,  Foust  are  names  which  have  been, 
through  all  the  years,  familiar  and  of  honor  in  that  community 
and  surrounding  country.  There  lived  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Ebenezer,  in  the  very  first  years  of  its  existence,  two  local 
preachers,  Peter  Foust  and  William  McDonald,  who  witnessed 
the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  and  numerous  conversions  in  that 
Society.  Of  the  members  of  that  Society  who  in  its  early  his- 
tory entered  the  Methodist  ministry  may  be  named  Jesse  Ellis, 
John  Foust,  William  Foust,  David  Foust,  Daniel  Easley,  and 
Cummings  Hallmark.  Jesse  Ellis  and  John  Foust  gave  them- 
selves to  the  itinerant  work;  the  others  remained  in  the  local 
ministry,  where  they  labored  long  and  efliciently.  It  is  not  in- 
tended to  convey  the  idea  that  all  these  here  named  were  mem- 
bers of  that  Society  at  its  organization,  for  some  of  them  were 
not  at  that  time  in  the  Church. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1820  a  Society  was  organized  a  little  low- 
er down  Murphree's  Valley  and  called  Shiloh.  That  Society 
has  ever  flourished,  and  still  exists,  1889.  Shiloh  is  at  the  place 
known  in  the  United  States  mail  service  as  Chepultepec.  Blake- 
ly.  Box,  Cornelius,  Hallmark,  Murphree,  Rennohave  been  famil- 
iar names  in  the  membership  of  that  long-lived  Society. 

Not  earlier  than  1819  nor  later  than  1822,  a  Society  was  or- 
ganized at  the  house  of  John  Blackburn,  probably  by  the  Rev. 
Daniel  Monaghan.  Then  a  house  was  built  in  the  neighbor- 
hood which  was  used  for  a  school -house  and  a  preaching  place, 
and  there  for  some  time  that  Society  had  its  place  of  meeting. 
Afterward  a  church  was  built,  and  it  was  named  Mount  Zion. 
That  Society  exists  until  this  day,  1889.  That  Mount  Zion  is 
eight  miles  north-west  of  the  town  of  Marion.  To  what  Cir- 
cuit it  belonged  at  its  organization  is  not  certainly  known,  but 
11 


1 

i 
It 


I 


!  II 
id 


11 


■.ft' 


162 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


it  is  very  probable  that  it  belonged  to  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit 
until  the  Brush  Creek  Circuit  was  formed.  Prominent  among 
its  first  members  were  John  Blackburn,  who  is  said  to  have 
been  its  first  steward,  and  his  wife;  James  Boyles,  who  is  said 
to  have  been  its  first  class-leader,  and  his  wife;  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Eichardson,  and  Mrs.  Ellen  Lyles.  This  Society  will  come  in 
view  again  at  a  later  day. 

About  eighteen  miles  east  of  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa  and  on 
the  rd&d  leading  to  Jones's  Valley  and  about  two  miles  from 
what  is  now  known  as  Clements  Station  on  the  Alabama  and 
Chattanooga  railroad  was  one  of  the  Societies  of  the  Tuskaloosa 
Circuit  That  Society  was  organized  in  1821  or  1822,  and  was 
called  Hopewell.  The  leading  men  there  were  Frederick 
Ray,  the  father  of  the  Rev.  Anderson  Ray,  once  an  active 
preacher  in  the  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  Conferences; 
John  Eads,  John  Collins,  John  Cameron,  the  father  of  the 
Rev.  J.  D.  Cameron,  D.D.,  and  the  Rev.  AVilliam  E.  Cam- 
eron, and  the  Rev.  Thomas  Cameron,  itinerant  preachers;  Mi- 
chael Ashford,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Chappell.  It  is  said 
that  Chappell  moved  from  there  to  Texas,  and  settled  the  place 
called  Chappell  Hill  It  is  said  that  Leonard  Rush,  mentioned 
in  another  Society,  was  at  one  time  a  member  at  Hopewell, 
and  that  he  was  the  father  of  the  Rev.  John  G.  Rush  who  was 
once  a  preacher  in  Alabama.  That  Society  at  Hopewell,  some- 
times  called  Hurricane,  in  the  first  decade  of  its  existence  was 
large  in  membership,  and  quite  prosperous  in  all  that  pertains  to 
spirituality.  In  that  day  there  was  a  Camp-ground  there  at 
which  large  congregations  assembled  and  great  spiritual  har- 
vests were  reaped.  The  first  decline  that  Society  ever  knew  was 
caused  by  the  emigration  of  its  members,  and  the  decline  was 
so  great  that  the  Society  almost  reached  the  point  of  desertion 
and  extinction.  It  was  afterward  visited  by  a  revival  This 
Society  will  be  mentioned  again  on  a  future  page. 

Sometime  between  1820  and  1825  a  Church  called  Asbury  was 
organized  about  twenty-two  miles  south  of  the  town  of  Tuska- 
loosa. It  is  said  that  William  Kennon,  a  brother  to  the  Rev. 
Robert  L.  and  the  Rev.  Charles  W.  Kennon,  was  the  leading 
spirit  at  that  Society.  That  was  one  of  the  Societies  of  the 
Tuskaloosa  Circuit. 

The  town  of  Tuskaloosa  was  one  of  the  appointments  on  the 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         163 


Tuskaloosa  Circuit  from  1818  to  1825,  when  it  was  made  a  Sta- 
tion. From  1819  to  1831  other  Societies,  of  which  there  is  no 
particular  account,  were  organized  about  the  Black  Warrior 
and  the  Sipsey  Rivers  and  attached  to  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit. 

In  the  territory  first  traversed  by  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  the 
growth  of  the  Church  was  constant  and  rapid.  In  the  member- 
ship in  that  section  there  was  not  that  fluctuation  and  instabili- 
ty which  was  in  some  other  regions  of  the  State.  Within  the 
territory  open  to  the  preachers  of  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  at  the 
beginning  of  1819  there  were  only  eighty-six  white  members, 
and  at  the  close  of  1832,  when  the  first  session  of  the  Alabama 
Conference  was  held,  there  were  in  that  same  territory  seven- 
teen hundred  and  seventy-nine  white  members  and  six  hundred 
and  ninety  colored  members.  What  in  1819  was  one  Circuit 
was  in  1832  four  Circuits  and  one  Station. 

Buttahatchee  was  named  in  the  appointments  for  1819  with 
the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hearn  as  preacher.  That  appointment  was 
made  for  a  section  of  country  through  the  center  of  which 
flowed  the  Buttahatchee  River.  The  w^ork  was  without  form 
and  void.  The  country  was  to  be  penetrated  and  inspected, 
and,  if  possible.  Societies  were  to  be  organized,  and  a  Circuit 
formed.  On  a  previous  page  has  been  narrated  how  and  why 
the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hearn  did  not  enter  that  field  for  that  year, 
notwithstanding  he  was  appointed  to  do  so;  and  how  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Stringfield  did  penetrate  that  section  after  the  year  had 
considerably  advanced.  It  seems  that  Stringfield  liad  good 
success  in  his  efforts,  and  that  he  organized  the  work,  for  at  the 
end  of  the  year  there  were  reported  from  that  appointment  to 
the  Conference,  not  by  the  name  of  Buttahatchee,  but  by  the 
name  of  Marion,  seventy-two  white  members. 

For  1820,  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  HeaVn  was  again  appointed  to 
that  work,  then  called  Marion.  What  was  then  Marion  Coun- 
ty, Alabama,  gave  name  to  the  appointment,  and  the  Circuit 
took  in  anywhere  round  about  that  county  and  extended  to  the 
Tombigbee  River  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  and  from  Cotton 
Gin  Port,  on  the  Tombigbee  River,  down  to  the  Sipsey  River. 
Brother  Hearn,  describing  the  condition  of  the  Circuit  as  it 
then  was,  says:  "For  a  distance  of  more  than  one  hundred 
miles  from  Cotton  Gin  Port  down  the  Tombigbee  there  was  not 
a  preaching  house;  so  I  had  to  preach  in  private  houses  or  in 


164 


BistoV'j  r)f  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         165 


the  woods,  either  of  which  was  iiDpleasant.  So  I  determined 
to  make  an  effort  to  secure  churches,  if  they  were  small  ones; 
so  I  gathered  as  many  men  as  I  could,  and  with  axes,  wedges, 
and  f°  ows,  we  went  to  a  high  hill  near  the  mouth  of  Coal  Fire 
Creek,  cleared  out  a  place,  cut  logs,  made  boards,  and  built  a 
house,  twenty  by  twenty-four  feet,  made  a  rough  pulpit,  and 
made  one  door,  but  as  we  could  not  get  any  planks  we  were  con- 
tent to  have  a  dirt  floor;  they  called  the  church  Ebenezer,  that 
being  my  Christian  name;  and  here  we  did  raise  our  Ebenezer. 
We  went  on  securing  houses  of  worship  as  we  could."  AVhat 
measure  of  success  was  achieved  in  building  houses  of  wor- 
ship in  addition  to  the  one  on  Coal  Fire  is  not  recorded.  The 
labors  of  the  year  were  closed  with  a  Camp-meeting,  and  the 
statement  is  left  on  record  that  they  "had  a  glorious  work"  on 
the  whole  Circuit.  One  hundred  and  forty-two  white  members 
and  five  colored  members  were  reported  to  the  Annual  Confer- 
ence on  the  Circuit. 

In  the  General  Minutes  for  1821  the  Marion  Circuit  is  left  as 
an  appointment  without  a  preacher.  This  was  in  accord  with 
an  act  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference  for  the  same  year. 
For  that  year  the  South  Carolina  Conference  sent  two  "  Mis- 
sionaries to  the  Mississippi  Conference,  Zachariali  Williams, 
Barnabas  Pipkin."  Williams,  as  has  been  stated  elsewhere, 
took  charge  of  Tuskaloosa  Circuit,  and  Pipkin  took  charge  of 
and  served  the  Marion  Circuit. 

For  1822  the  preachers  appointed  to  Marion  Circuit  were 
Thomas  Clinton,  Benjamin  F.  Lidden;  and  for  1823  Wiley  Led- 

better,  John  G.  Lee. 

That  Marion  Circuit  was  the  first  and  the  last  work  served  in 
Alabama  by  Wiley  Ledbetter.  He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the 
Mississippi  Conference  in  November,  1817,  and  into  full  con- 
nection in  that  Conference  in  November,  1819,  and  he  located 
in  December,  1825.  After  he  located  he  made  his  home  in  Per- 
ry County,  Mississippi.  The  Rev.  A.  C.  Ramsey,  once  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Alabama  Conference,  and  who  knew  Ledbetter  well, 
says  of  him,  in  a  manuscript  of  his  own  Life  and  Times: 
"Wiley  Ledbetter  was  in  1821  a  distinguished  preacher  of  the 
Mississippi  Conference,  a  man  of  great  force  and  power,  but 
who,  for  some  cause,  I  know  not  what,  finally  fell.  The  last 
time  I  saw  him  was  at  his  home  in  Perry  County,  and  at  a  wed- 


ding in  his  neighborhood,  where  I  was  called  on  to  marry  a  Mr. 
Reed  to  a  Miss  Myers,  in  1836.  He  had  entirely  given  up  relig- 
ion, and  was  trying  to  embrace  infidelity.  I  remonstrated  with 
him;  referred  him  to  what  he  once  was;  the  good  that  he  had 
tried  to  accomplish,  and  in  which  no  doubt  he  had  succeeded, 
referred  to  his  preaching  to  me  when  I  was  a  little  boy,  but  all 
to  no  effect.    A  few  years  afterward  I  heard  he  died."   (Page  61. ) 

How  sad  it  is  to  think  of  those  "  who  leave  the  paths  of  up- 
rightness, to  walk  in  the  ways  of  darkness!  " 

The  preachers  on  Marion  Circuit  for  1824  were  Thomas 
Owens,  Thomas  S.  Abernathy;  for  1825,  Peyton  S.  Graves;  for 
1826,  Thomas  E.  Ledbetter,  Isaac  V.  Enochs;  for  1827,  Leroy 
Massengale.  There  is  clear  testimony  that  the  Rev.  Jesse  Mize 
was  for  that  year  in  c-harge  of  the  Marion  Circuit,  and  the  Rev. 
Leroy  Massengale  was  his  colleague,  though  the  General  Min- 
utes show  only  Massengale  appointed  to  the  Circuit  for  that 
year.  The  Rev.  Jesse  Mize  was,  as  it  appears,  a  local  preacher 
put  in  charge  of  the  Circuit  by  the  presiding  elder. 

The  appointment  for  1828  was:  Marion,  Moses  Perry. 

The  Marion  Circuit  was  the  second  charge  served  by  the  Rev, 
Moses  Perry  as  an  itinerant  preacher,  and  the  first  and  last 
served  by  him  in  Alabama.  He  wound  up  his  year's  labor  on 
that  appointment  and  attended  the  session  of  the  Mississippi 
Conference  which  commenced  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1828,  when  he  was  received  into  full  connection  in  the 
Conference  and  ordained  deacon.  He  then  left  the  State  of 
Alabama,  and  he  never  returned  to  it.  From  that  time  till  No- 
vember, 1841,  he  had  appointments  in  connection  with  the  Mis- 
sion to  the  Choctaw  Indians.  He  then  located.  He  was  some- 
thing of  a  scholar,  and  was  a  teacher  as  well  as  a  preacher. 
He  married  an  Indian. 

For  1829  the  preachers  for  the  Marion  Circuit  were,  Felix 
Wood,  Blanton  P.  Box.  Wood  and  Box  had  just  been  admitted 
on  trial  in  the  Conference,  and  Wood  discontinued  at  the  end 
of  the  year. 

The  appointment  for  1830  was,  Marion,  Lewis  S.  Turner. 
That  closed  Turner's  work  in  Alabama.  He  located  in  Decem- 
ber, 1833. 

Preston  Cooper  was  the  preacher  on  Marion  Circuit  for  1831, 
and  that  was  his  first  and  last  year  in  Alabama.     He  joined  the 


I 


166 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


MethodisL  Episcopal  Church,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  Ma- 
rengo County,  Alabama,  in  1828.  He  was  received  on  trial  in 
the  Mississippi  Conference  at  the  session  which  commenced  in 
Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  December  25,  1828,  and  received  into 
fall  connection  at  the  session  at  Tuskaloosa,  commencing  No- 
vember 24,  1830,  and  was  elected  deacon  at  that  time,  though 
not  ordained  then  because  no  Bishop  was  present;  and  he  locat- 
ed in  December,  1837.  He  was  a  presiding  elder  two  years  in 
the  Mississippi  Conference,  after  the  Alabama  Conference  was 

organized. 

For  1832  the  Marion  Circuit  and  Columbus,  Mississippi,  were 
put  together  and  called  Columbus  and  Marion,  and  Nathan 
Hopkins  and  Anthony  S.  Dickinson  were  the  preachers  appoint- 
ed thereto. 

During  the  years  from  1819  to  1832  the  membership  in  the 
territory  embraced  in  what  was  first  called  Buttahatchee,  and 
then  Marion  increased  steadily  and  satisfactorily.  In  that  time 
the  numbers  increased  from  seventy-two  white  members  to 
eight  hundred  and  thirty-six  white  and  ninety-six  colored  mem- 
bers. The  largest  increase  was  in  that  part  of  the  Circuit 
which  lay  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  and  nearly  all  the  colored 
members  were  in  that  part  of  the  Circuit. 

For  the  years  from  1818  to  1832  the  Tombigbee  Circuit  comes 

into  view  again. 

Tombecbee,  John  McLendon,  Thomas  Owens.     That  was  the 
order  of  the  appointments  made  for  that  Circuit  for  the  year 
1818.     The  appointment  of  Thomas  Owens  was  made  at  the  ses- 
sion of  the  Mississippi  Conference  held  at  Midway,  Mississippi, 
commencing  November  7,  1817,  and  John  McLendon  received 
the  appointment  at  the  session  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference 
held  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  commencing  January  27,  1818.     The 
same  Bishop  appointed  both  of  these  preachers  to  Tombigbee, 
though  he  appointed  Owens  junior  preacher  at  Midway,  in  No- 
vember, 1817,  and  McLendon  preacher  in  charge  at  Augusta,  in 
January,  1818.     McLendon  was  an  elder  and  Owens  was  only 
a  deacon,  and  the  elder  was  put  in  charge  of  the  Circuit  and 
the  deacon  was  put  on  as  junior  preacher.     At  the  end  of  the  year 
there  were  reported  three  hundred  and  seventy  white  and  nine- 
ty-three colored  members,  which  was  an  increase  of  thirty -seven 
white  members  and  a  decrease  of  three  colored  members. 


Jlie  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Worh,         167 


That  one  year's  service  on  the  Tombigbee  Circuit  was  the 
only  service  rendered  by  the  Rev.  John  McLendon  in  Alabama. 
At  the  session  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  which  was 
held  at  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  January  12-19,  1814,  he 
was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  traveling  connection;  and  at  the  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  commenc- 
ing December  23,  1815,  he  was  admitted  into  full  connection 
and  ordained  deacon.  As  the  Journal  of  the  Conference 
shows,  the  session  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference  "  was  ap- 
pointed to  be  held  at  Louisville,  Georgia,  January  27,  1818, 
but  was  held  in  Augusta,  Georgia,  having  been  removed  from 
Louisville  with  the  consent  of  tlie  Conference."  At  that  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference  the  Eev.  John  McLendon  was  ordained 
an  elder,  transferred  to  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  appoint- 
ed, as  above  stated,  to  the  Tombigbee  Circuit.  The  last  ap- 
pointments which  he  served  as  an  itinerant  preacher  were  in 
the  State  of  Mississippi.  He  located  at  the  session  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Conference  held  at  Midway,  Mississippi,  commencing 
November  17,  1820. 

As  already  stated  in  another  place  in  this  chapter,  the  preach- 
ers for  Tombecbee  Circuit  for  1819  were  Thomas  Grifiin  and 
John  Murrow.  That  was  Murrow's  only  year  in  Alabama.  He 
was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  South  Carolina  Conference  at  the 
same  time  the  Rev.  John  McLendon  was  admitted,  and  followed 
McLendon  on  the  Tombecbee  Circuit  in  1819,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  year  returned  to  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  and  locat- 
ed at  the  close  of  1824. 

In  the  General  Minutes  for  1820  the  appointments  stand: 
Tombecbee,  Nicholas  Mclntyre,  J.  Clinton.  It  should  have 
been  Thomas  Clinton,  instead  of  J.  Clinton,  and  while  Thom- 
as Clinton  was  appointed  by  the  Bishop  to  the  Tombigbee  Cir- 
cuit, yet  when  the  field  had  been  surveyed  the  presiding  elder 
changed  him  to  the  Alabama  Circuit,  and  Mclntyre  served  the 
Tombigbee  Circuit  that  year  alone. 

The  preachers  for  Tombecbee  Circuit  were  for  1821  Meri- 
dith  Renneau;  for  1822,  Zachariah  Williams,  John  Patton;  for 
1823,  Henry  P.  Cook;  for  1824,  John  R.  Lambuth;  for  1825, 
Zachariah  Williams. 

With  the  year  1825  the  name  of  Zachariah  Williams  disap- 
apears  from  the  roll  of  preachers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 


168 


Hisfonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         169 


Church.  How  he  was  disposed  of  is  not  stated  in  the  General 
Minutes.  He  started  as  a  preacher  in  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference. The  South  Carolina  Conference  held  a  session  at 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  commencing  December  23,  1815. 
In  the  Journal  for  that  session  of  the  Conference  is  an  entry 
for  December  28,  as  follows:  "Zachariah  Williams  was  duly 
recommended  by  a  Quarterly  Conference  of  Keewee  Circuit, 
and  admitted  on  trial."  He  was  admitted  into  full  connection 
at  Augusta,  Georgia,  in  January,  1818,  and  ordained  deacon. 
He  was  ordained  an  elder  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  Janu- 
ary, 1820.  The  Journal  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  for 
the  session  held  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  commencing  Jan- 
uary 11,  1821,  shows  that  charges  were  made  against  Zachariah 
Williams  by  Hartwell  Spain,  January  15,  1821,  and  that  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  consisting  of  Nicholas  Talley,  Henry 
Bass,  and  Allen  Turner,  to  which  said  charges  were  referred, 
and  that  on  the  next  day,  January  16,  the  committee  re>)orted 
his  case:  "The  result  of  which  was  that  they  judge  that  he 
should  1.  Be  reproved  by  the  President  before  the  Conference; 
2.  That  he  should  be  deprived  of  his  parchment  as  elder  until 
our  next  Annual  Conference.  The  first  punishment  was  adopt- 
ed, and  the  second  did  not  pass.  He  was  called  in  and  re- 
proved accordingly."  From  that  session  of  the  Conference  he 
was  sent  a  missionary  to  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  as 
such  missionary  he  took  charge  of  Tuskaloosa  Circuit.  It  ap- 
pears therefore  that  he  came  to  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit,  Ala- 
bama, just  fresh  from  a  trial  and  reprimand  on  charges,  the 
nature  of  which  is  not  now  known.  He  united  with  the  Meth- 
odist Protestant  Church,  and  was  for  many  long  years  a  preach- 
er in  the  Alabama  Conference  of  that  Church,  and  finally,  in 
1856,  he  joined  the  Baptists  in  Alabama;  and  became  a  preach- 
er among  them,  and  for  many  years  lived  in  comparative  ob- 
scurity in  an  out-of-the-way  part  of  the  State,  on  the  borders  of 
Conecuh  and  Covington  Counties. 

The  appointment  for  1826  stands:  Tombecbee,  John  G.  Lee. 
The  Eev.  John  G.  Lee  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Mississippi 
Conference  at  the  close  of  1822,  and  he  located  at  the  close  of 

1827. 

For  1827:  Tombecbee,  Henry  J.  Brown. 

For  1828:  Tombecbee,  Anderson  G.  McDaniel, Lewis  S.Tur- 


ner. When  these  two  men,  McDaniel  and  Turner,  received  that 
appointment  they  had  been  on  trial  just  one  year,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  year's  work  on  Tombecbee  McDaniel  was  discontin- 
ued. 

The  preachers  on  Tombecbee  were  for  1829,  Lewis  S.  Tur- 
ner; for  1830  Daniel  Monaghan;  for  1831  Joshua  Peavy;  for 
1832  Job  Foster. 

The  Tombecbee  Circuit  for  the  year  1832  was  the  last  ap- 
pointment served  by  the  Kev.  Job  Foster  which  was  all  in- 
cluded in  the  State  of  Alabama.  For  1833  and  1834  he  served 
the  Chickasawhay  Circuit,  which,  though  it  was  then  included  in 
the  Alabama  Conference,  was  all  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  ex- 
cept one  appointment.  One  Society,  then  on  that  Circuit,  called 
Providence,  and  in  which  William  Godfrey,  a  prominent  man 
and  a  pious  Christian,  was  the  leading  member,  and  at  which 
large  congregations  assembled,  was  in  Washington  County,  Al- 
abama. At  the  end  of  1834  Foster  located,  but  was  again  a 
member  of  the  Alabama  Conference  for  the  years  1837  and 
1838,  and  for  those  years  served  again  the  Chickasawhay  Circuit. 
At  the  close  of  1838  he  again  located,  and  that  terminated  his 
itinerant  career.  He  was  first  received  on  trial  in  the  Missis- 
sippi Conference  in  December,  1829,  and  he  had  just  been  re- 
ceived into  full  connection  by  the  Mississippi  Conference  and 
ordained  deacon,  November,  1831,  when  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Tombecbee  Circuit. 

Some  of  those  who  were  intimately  associated  with  the  Kev. 
Job  Foster  regarded  him  a  good  man,  and  they  have  reported 
him  as  punctual  and  faithful  in  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  "  impulsive  and  eccentric.'*  His  excitable 
and  erratic  nature  led  him  into  grotesque  attitudes  and  be- 
trayed him  into  ludicrous  utterances.  Two  or  three  incidents 
in  his  life  may  suffice  for  an  insight  to  his  erratic  nature  and  a 
knowledge  of  his  odd  ways.  It  was  a  custom  with  him  to  sit 
flat  on  the  ground  and  talk  with  himself  when  in  his  religious 
moods.  It  was  also  a  remarkable  fact  that  others  were  never 
swept  into  the  torrent  of  his  ecstasies.  When  he  was  excited 
others  were  calm.  When  he  was  in  his  sublimest  raptures  oth- 
ers were  in  their  deepest  depression  and  thickest  gloom.  When 
he  was  in  charge  of  the  Tombigbee  Circuit  he  had  a  Camp- 
meeting  at  or  near  Suggsville,  wijich  was  one  of  the  appoint- 


!l 


i 


170 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


ments  on  that  Circuit.     At  one  of  the  services  of  the  occasion 
he  seated  himself  on  the  straw  in  front  of  the  altar  and  talked 
to  himself.     While  in  that  attitude  he  was  borne  away  with  rap- 
turous delight,  and  he  made  the  air  ring  and  the  hills  echo  with 
his  shouts.     He  shouted,   he  laughed,   he  talked.     As   usual, 
he  was  the  only  one  at   that  hour  apparently  happy.     While 
he  was  pouring  forth  the  expressions  of  his  overmastering  joy 
he  said,  "  I  will  bet  I  die  shouting,"  and  as  quick  as  thought  he 
added,  "if  it  were  lawful  to  bet."     Some  persons  in  the  con- 
gregation of  irreligious  proclivities  circulated  an  exaggerated 
statement  of  what  he  said.     They  reported  that  Foster  said: 
"  I'll  bet  my  horse  I'll  die  shouting."     There  was  no  need  of  ex- 
aggerating the   account,   for  the   performance  was  ridiculous 
enough  in  its  verity.     For  he  did  say,  "I  will  bet  I  die  shout- 
ing," and  added  as  an  afterthought,  "  if  it  were  lawful  to  bet." 
At  the  close  of  Foster's  year  on  the  Tombigbee  Circuit,  on 
November  27,  1832,  the  Alabama  Conference  met  in  its   first 
session  at  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  Bishop  James  Os- 
good Andrew  presiding.     The  last  convocation  of  that  session 
of  the  Conference  was  reached.     It  was  at  night.     The  purpose 
of  the  convocation  at  that  hour  was  to  administer  the  Lord's 
Supper,  and  announce  the  assignment  of  the  preachers  to  the 
several  charges  for  the  next  year.     Bishop  Andrew  officiated  in 
the    administration    of    the   sacrament.     Profound  quiet  pre- 
vailed for  a  time,  and  the  entire  audience  was  reverent  and  sol- 
emn.    Suddenly  Foster  was  seized  with  a  spasip  of  excitement, 
so  "happy,"  as  he  called  it,  that  he  could  neither  contain  nor  re- 
strain  himself.     With   a  spasmodic  lunge  he  threw  his  arms 
around  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Ramsey,  a  small  and  feeble  young  man, 
and  one  of  the  preachers  who  had  just  been  admitted  on  trial 
into  the  Conference,  who  was  sitting  near  him,  and  hugged  him 
with  such  a  furious  and  death-like  grip  that  it  seemed  that  he 
would  literally  squeeze  the  life  out  of  him  before  he  could  extri- 
cate himself.     When  Ramsey  had  finally  broken  his  grasp  and 
crawled  outof  hisembrace,  Foster,  as  quick  as  lightning,  rose  tohis 
feet  and  dashed  up  the  aisle  with  an  agility  which  was  amazing, 
and  with  antics  which  were  alarming,  and  with  a  medley  of  utter- 
ances which,  but  for  the  improprieties   of  the  whole  perform- 
ance, might  have  been  amusing.     As  he  flew  back  and  forth,  up 
and  down  the  aisle,  from  thfe  altar  to  the  door,  some  of  the 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         171 

young  men  who  were  seated  in  the  back  part  of  the  audience 
said:  "  We  will  have  to  put  side  lines  on  that  fellow  to  hold  him 
in  his  place,  and  to  keep  him  from  killing  himself  and  others." 

When  the  appointments  were  announced  for  the  ensuing 
year,  the  year  1833,  Foster  was  readout  to  the  Chickasawhay  Cir- 
cuit. During  the  year  he  held  a  Camp-meeting  on  his  Circuit  on 
or  near  Red  Creek.  The  Rev.  Paul  F.  Sterns,  then  serving 
what  was  called  Mobile  Mission,  and  who  was  a  very  quiet  man 
and  who  even  in  his  greatest  ecstasies  was  calm  and  composed, 
attended  that  Camp-meeting.  One  night  while  the  meeting  was 
going  on  Foster  was  seated  in  his  favorite  position  flat  on  the 
ground  in  Sister  Ramsey's  tent,  and  all  at  once  he  sprang  up 
from  the  ground,  and  went  dashing  over  the  tent,  knocking  over 
chairs,  and  pushing  the  individuals  with  whom  he  came  in  con- 
tact hither  and  thither.  Finally  in  his  furious  course  he  ap- 
proached the  Rev.  Paul  F.  Sterns,  and  grasped  him  rather  vio- 
lently, and  then  letting  go  his  grasp  on  him  he  laid  his  hands 
on  his  head,  and  with  vociferous  voice  and  in  a  tone  of  exclama- 
tion he  said:  "Brother  Saul,  receive  thy  sight."  All  this  he  did 
while  every  one  in  the  tent  and  on  the  campus  was  perfectly 
quiet  and  without  any  excess  of  emotion. 

This  erratic  man,  the  Rev.  Job  Foster,  finally  moved  to  Tex- 
as, and  at  last,  it  is  said,  upon  credible  testimony,  he  hanged 
himself.  His  erratic  nature  held  sway  over  him,  and  at  last  his 
life  terminated  by  suicide! 

In  the  list  of  appointments  appeared  a  new  pastoral  charge. 
It  did  not  appear  in  the  list  for  1819,  but  it  was  surveyed  and 
its  outline  established  that  year,  and  was  on  record  for  1820. 
It  was  called  Alabama,  and  the  territory  which  it  occupied  was 
on  the  Alabama  River,  having  its  first  and  leading  appoint- 
ments about  the  mouths  of  Pine  Woods  Creek,  Autauga  Creek, 
Catoma  Creek,  and  Swift  Creek,  and  in  its  general  outlines, 
extending  as  far  up  the  river  as  its  termination  at  the  junction 
of  the  Coosa  and  the  Tallapoosa  Rivers,  and  up  the  Coosa 
River  to  the  Coosa  Falls  or  Wetumpka,  and  as  far  down  the 
river  as  to  the  place  known  as  Benton,  and  extending  out  from 
the  river  on  both  sides. 

That  Alabama  Circuit  was  surveyed  and  outlined  by  the  Rev. 
Alexander  Talley,  a  Missionary  to  the  Alabama  Territory  from 
the  Soath  Carolina  Conference  for  the  year  1819.     That  the 


II 


I 


b 


172 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         173 


Eev.  Alexander  Talley  was  sent  to  the  Alabama  Territory  by 
the  South  Carolina  Conference  as  Missionary  for  the  year  1819, 
and  that  he  worked  that  year  in  the  field  thenceforward  occu- 
pied by  the  Alabama  Circuit,  is  certified  by  numerous  indubita- 
ble witnesses,  and  these  facts  are  established  beyond  all  ques- 
tion, and  that  notwithstanding  it  is  stated  in  his  memoir,  pub- 
lished in  the  General  Minutes,  that  he  was  sent  to  Mobile  for 
1819.  The  statements  in  his  memoir  are  altogether  unreliable, 
as  will  appear  fully  when  the  real  facts  in  the  case  transpire. 

It  is  impossible  at  this  stage  of  matters  to  give  with  absolute 
certainty  the  name  of  the  Methodist  who  first  settled  in  the 
bounds  of  what  was  for  many  years  the  Alabama  Circuit,  but  it 
is  a  fact  that  Mrs.  Martha  Lee  Bledsoe,  if  not  the  first  Metho- 
dist reaching  that  fair  and  beautiful  region,  was,  nevertheless, 
in  the  advance  of  Methodist  emigrants  to  that  section.  She 
took  up  her  abode  on  the  sunset  side  of  the  Coosa  Kiver,  a 
mile  or  so  from  Fort  Jackson,  in  August,  1815.  That  was  just 
one  year  after  a  treaty  had  been  made  and  concluded  between 
Maj.  Gen.  Andrew  Jackson,  on  behalf  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  and  the  chiefs,  deputies,  and  warriors  of  the  Creek 
Nation,  extinguishing  the  Indian  title  thereto  and  ceding  the 
region  of  country  about  the  Alabama  Eiver  and  further  out  to 
the  United  States  Government,  and  it  was  while  the  United 
States  troops  were  stationed  on  the  line  which  bounded  the 
ceded  territory,  superintending  the  removal  of  the  Indians 
across  the  said  line.  That  boundary  line  has  been  given  on  a 
preceding  page  in  Chapter  VI. 

A  slight  detail  in  biography  and  incident  will  narrate  how 
Mrs.  Martha  Lee  Bledsoe  was  led  to  emigrate  to  the  section  of 
country  which  was  once  traversed  by  the  Alabama  Circuit. 
Her  maiden  name  v/as  Wilder.  She  was  born  in  the  Colony  of 
Virginia  in  1770.  Her  father,  William  Wilder,  who  served 
through  the  seven  years  of  the  Eevolutionary  War  between  the 
United  Colopies  and  Great  Britain,  moved,  after  the  close  of 
that  war,  to  that  section  of  Georgia  now  included  in  Wilkes 
County.  When  a  young  lady  she  married  B.  H.  House,  who 
in  a  few  years  after  marriage  died,  leaving  her  with  four  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  two  daughters.  A  few  years  after  the  death 
of  her  first  husband  she  married  J.  Bledsoe,  of  Kentucky,  who 
died  about  one  year  after  marriage,  leaving  her  by  this  mar- 


riage one  daughter.     When  the  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain,  and  the  war  between  the  United  States  and 
the  Creek  Indians  commenced,  the  two  sons  of  Mrs.  Bledsoe, 
Jacob  P.  House  and  William  H.  House,  enlisted  in  the  military 
service,  and  they  were  employed  in  the  campaign  against  the 
Creek  Indians  and  the  British.     Being  a  widow  and  her  two 
sons  being  in  the  army,  Mrs.  Bledsoe  moved  from  Georgia  to 
Winchester,  Tennessee,  where  then  lived  her  married  daughter. 
When  the  time  of  service  for  which  they  had  enlisted  expired, 
her  t^vo  sons  were  honorably  discharged  from  the  army.     They 
were  mustered  out  of  service  at  Fort  Jackson.     Instead  of  re- 
turning to  tiieir  former  home,  they  took  up  their  abode  on  the 
soil  they  had  helped  to  redeem   from  savage  occupanc}^  and 
went  into  business  across  the  river  from  where  they  were  dis- 
charged from  the  military  service.     They  built  for  themselves 
a  storehouse  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Coosa  River  from 
Fort  Jackson  and  about  one  mile  from  the  fort,  and  supplying 
themselves  with  a  stock  of  goods,  which  they  had  transported 
from  Fort  Claiborne  on  the  Alabama  River  on  pole  boats,  they 
opened  a  traffic  with  the  Indians  and   also  with  the  United 
States   soldiers  who  were  stationed  at  the   fort  a  mile  away. 
Wlien  her  sons  were  settled  at  that  point  Mrs.  Bledsoe  sot  her 
face  to  go  into  that  land  to  sojourn  with  them,  and  in  the  month 
of  August,  1815,  having  passed  over  the  intervening  country 
between  Winchester,  Tennessee,  and  that  spot,  she  took  up  her 
abode  at  the  place  of  her  sons'  business,  on  the  very  line  which 
divided  the  ceded  territory  from  that  still  owned  and  still  to  be 
occupied   by   the   Indians.     Afterward   she  moved  from  that 
place  and  settled  a  home  in  the  pine  woods,  about  twelve  miles 
from  where  the  town  of  AVashington  was  established,  and  in 
the  bounds  once  included  in  what  was  established  as  Autauga 
County    she    lived  until   her  death  in  1832.     She   died   sud- 
denly near  Big  Island,  on  the  Coosa  River.     Mrs.  Bledsoe  was 
renewed  in  her  heart  in  her  childhood  under  the  AVesleyan 
ministry,  and  she  was  an  earnest  and  faithful  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  until  her  death.    For  a  half  cen- 
tury or  more  she  walked  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord.     She  at- 
tended upon  the  class-meetings  and  love-feasts.     She  was   at 
the   first   Camp-meeting  held  at  the  noted  Camp-ground   at 
Graves's  Ferry,  on  the  Alabama  River,  five  miles   below  the 


■V  : 


.i1  J. 


% 


174 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


to^n  of  AYasbington.  When  she  lived  at  the  place  a  mile  or  so 
from  Fort  Jackson  she  resorted  to  the  fort  to  hear  the  Chaplain 
to  the  soldiers  preach.  Two  of  her  daughters  and  one  of  her 
sons  were  Methodists,  while  one  of  her  sons  was  an  Episcopa- 
lian, and  her  youngest  daughter,  Mrs.  C.  M.  Brown,  who  in  this 
year  (1889)  is  still  living,  has  been  for  long  years  a  Presbyterian. 

Evidently  Mrs.  Bledsoe  and  her  children  were  among  the 
very  first  settlers  in  that  fascinating  region  from  Fort  Jackson 
to  the  Holy  Ground,  after  the  extinction  of  the  Indian  titles  to 
the  land  thereabouts.  It  is  a  tradition  that  Jacob  P.  House, 
the  son  of  Mrs.  Bledsoe  by  her  first  husband,  raised  the  first 
crop  of  corn  ever  raised  by  a  white  man  in  what  was  at  one 
time  Autauga  County,  after  the  cession  of  that  territory  by  the 
Indians  to  the  United  States  Government. 

The  County  of  Autauga  was  constituted  and  named  by  en- 
actment of  the  Legislative  Council  and  House  of  Representa- 
tives of  the  Alabama  Territory  in  General  Assembly  convened, 
on  November  21,  1818,  with  the  following  boundaries:  "Be- 
ginning on  the  Alabama  River  at  the  mouth  of  the  Lower  Mul- 
berry Creek,  thence  running  up  the  main  stream  thereof  to  its 
source,  thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  north  bank  of  the  Coosa 
River  opposite  the  upper  end  of  Proctor's  Island,  thence  down 
the  Coosa  to  its  junction  with  the  Tallapoosa  River,  thence 
dow^n  the  Alabama  to  the  beginning."  Upon  the  formation  of 
Autauga  County,  Montgomery  County  was  cod  fined  to  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  Alabama  River,  and  at  that  time  it  included 
"what  was  afterward  constituted  Lowndes  County. 

The  first  emigrants  to  Autauga  County  aggregated  at  one 
place  in  sufficient  numbers  to  make  a  village  or  town,  and  being 
patriotic  admirers  of  the  Father  of  his  country,  they  named  the 
town  Washington,  and  the  said  town  was  incorporated  by  an 
Act  of  the  Legislature  of  Alabama  passed  December  14,  1820. 
The  act  of  incorporation  defined  the  limits  and  designated  the 
location  of  the  town  as  follows:  "And  bo  it  further  enacted, 
That  all  that  part  of  fraction  thirty-three,  in  Township  seven- 
teen, and  Range  sixteen,  lying  west  of  the  Autauga  Creek,  and 
north-west  of  the  Alabama  River,  be,  and  the  same  shall  consti- 
tute the  corporation  limits  of  the  town  of  Washington." 

At  a  point  below  the  town  of  Washington  and  in  the  County 
of  Autauga,  is  a  noted  bend  of  the  Alabama  River,  which  at  the 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.  175 

beginning  of  the  incoming  of  emigrants  to  that  part  of  Alabama 
was  settled  by  a  number  of  Dutch  and  Dutch  descendants,  and 
has  since  and  on  that  account  been  called  Dutch  Bend. 

In  1819  Seaborn  Mims  took  up  his  abode  just  around  the 
point  on  the  Alabama  River  where  begins  the  noted  Dutch 
Bend,  and  jast  far  enough  around  the  point  to  be  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river,  and  there  he  laid  out  a  town 
and  named  it  Yernon.  That  town  attained  sufficient  impor- 
tance to  be  incorporated,  and  on  December  8,  1821,  it  was 
enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
State  of  Alabama  in  General  Assembly  convened,  "That  all 
that  part  of  fractions  thirty-five  and  thirty-six,  west  of  Alabama 
River,  in  Township  seventeen,  and  Range  fourteen,  be,  and  the 
same  constitute  the  corporate  limits  of  the  town  of  Y'ernon." 

Econachaca,  an  Indian  town,  familiarly  known  as  Holy 
Ground,  and  which  was  on  the  Alabama  River  just  opposite  the 
Dutch  Bend,  in  wdiat  was  in  1819  Montgomery  County,  and 
what  is  now  in  1889  Lowndes  County,  and  w  here  on  December 
23,  1813,  as  history  records,  a  decisive  battle  was  fought  between 
the  United  States  troops  under  the  lead  of  General  Claiborne 
and  the  Creek  warriors  under  the  lead  of  Weatherford,  was  the 
center  of  a  community  which  was  commenced  at  as  early  a  day 
as  the  settlements  at  Washington  and  in  Dutch  Bend. 

These  settlements  herein  named  were  noted  places  in  the 
then  Counties  of  Autauga  and  Montgomery  at  which  in  recon- 
noitering  the  territory  to  be  embraced  in  the  Alabama  Circuit 
Methodist  preaching  places  were  established. 

At  the  first  the  people  were  assembled  in  private  houses  and 
under  forest  trees  to  listen  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  and 
to  join  in  the  divine  worship;  and  though  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Talley  worked  as  a  missionary  in  that  region  during  the  year 
1819,  it  appears  that  little  was  accomplished  in  organizing  So- 
cieties and  in  erecting  houses  of  worship  before  1820. 

Near  the  site  of  the  Holy  Ground,  where  was  fought  the  fa- 
mous battle  in  which  General  Claiborne  achieved  a  complete 
victory,  and  Weatherford,  the  Indian  warrior,  displayed  unsur- 
passed chivalry,  a  Methodist  church  was  erected  as  early  as 
1820;  and  by  that  same  date  a  Society  was  organized  and  a  log 
cabin  was  erected  for  a  church  in  Dutch  Bend,  about  three 
miles  from  Y'^ernon.     That  church  was  named  Asbury. 


17G 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Wasliiiigton  was  one  of  the  preacliiDg  places  at  the  first. 
Tbroiii^li  1819  and  1820,  and  on  into  1821,  the  Methodists 
preached  in  Washington  in  private  houses,  usually  in  the  house 
of  Major  James  Howard.  A  house  was  built  and  fiuished  in  1821 
for  an  Academy  and  a  church  conjointly.  In  a  year  or  more 
the  place  was  abandoned  as  a  place  for  a  school  and  the  house 
was  henceforward  used  exclusively  as  a  Methodist  church. 

The  first  Camp-ground  established  in  Autauga  County  was  at 
or  near  Graves's  Ferry,  a  few  miles  from  the  town  of  AVashing- 
ton,  down  the  Alabama  Eiver,  and  was  known  as  Graves's 
Camp-ground,  so  called  for  William  Graves,  who  had  a  ferry  on 
the  river.  Camp-meetings  were  beld  there  for  many  years,  and 
great  numbers  of  men  and  women  were  turned  from  sin  to  holi- 
ness at  that  sacred  spot  who  made  noble  workers  and  noted 
saints.  The  first  Camp-meeting  was  held  there  in  the  latter 
half  of  the  year  1820,  and  the  Eev.  Thomas  Nixon,  the  Eev. 
Thomas  Clinton,  the  Eev.  Eli  Terry,  the  Eev.  Peyton  Bibb, 
and  others,  did  the  preaching  on  that  occasion.  Among  those 
who  at  that  time  and  place  received  th6  regenerating  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  were  two  men  who  became  itinerant  preachers, 
Peyton  S.  Graves  and  AVilliam  Alexander.  Peyton  S.  Graves, 
though  he  did  not  maintain  a  reputable  character  through  life, 
became  notorious  in  the  ranks  of  Methodism  in  that  section  of 
Alabama. 

One  of  the  most  thrilling  scenes  ever  disclosed  in  the  new 
settlements  on  the  Alabama  Eiver  was  witnessed  at  a  brook  on 
the  way  between  Graves's  Camp-ground  and  the  beautiful  little 
town  of  Vernon.  It  was  in  the  month  of  August  in  the  year 
1822.  A  Camp-meeting,  which  had  been  attended  with  divine 
power  and  unction,  had,  on  the  morning  on  which  said  scene 
occurred,  closed  with  the  usual  songs,  prayers,  good-bye  greet- 
ings, and  benediction;  and  the  crowds  who  had  attended  the  de- 
lightful services  of  the  occasion  were,  with  mingled  feelings  of 
sadness  and  of  joy,  wending  their  way  homeward.  They  were 
sad  on  account  of  leaving  the  sacred  place  and  the  holy  services, 
and  of  separating  from  friends  of  kindred  minds,  and  they  were 
joyous  on  account  of  the  anointing  they  had  received  from  the 
Holy  One.  Two  men  who  lived  at  Yernon,  John  Du  Bois  and 
AVilliam  McPherson,  journeyed  together,  Du  Bois  on  foot,  Mc- 
Pherson  on  horseback.     Peyton  S.  Graves,  one  of  the  three 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         177 


traveling  preachers  on  the  Alabama  Circuit  for  that  year,  had, 
by  his  preaching  on  the  occasion,  arrested  the  attention  of  these 
two  men  and  had  riveted  upon  their  consciences  divine  convic- 
tion.   Du  Bois  had  been  a  penitent  at  the  altar,  and  in  his  feelings 
had  oscillated  betwen  despair  and  hope.    He  had  passed  through 
all  the  stages  of  a  true  repentance,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
adjournment  of  the  meeting,  he  got  a  deep  insight  into  evangel- 
ical truth,  and  had  his  soul  regaled  with  divine  grace.     As  he 
and  his  immediate  companion  journeyed  he  descanted  on  his 
new-found  joys.     The  meanwhile  McPherson  was  pensive  and 
sad,  he  was  overwhelmed  with  the  magnitude  of  his  guilt  and 
the  enormity  of  his  sins.     In  the  moods  here  detailed  these  two 
companions  reached  the  brook  which  meandered  across  the  road 
on  which  they  journeyed,  and  there  they  halted  to  give  drink  to 
the  steed  which    McPherson   rode.     While    the    animal    was 
quenching  his  thirst  with  the  water  of  the  brook  there  fell  instant- 
ly upon  Du  Bois  a  divine  influence  which  was  overpowering  and 
inexpressible,  and  instantaneously  with  this  baptism  upon  Du 
Bois  McPherson  felt  the  regenerating  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
in  his  heart.     Instantly  McPherson  leaped  from  his  horse,  and 
uttered  his  joy  in  a  loud  tone,  literally  yelled  and  ran  like  a 
wild  Indian.     This  bestowment  of  heavenly  joy  upon  these  two- 
men  arrested  the  march  of  the  journeying  crowds.     They  halt-^ 
ed  upon  the  spot  and  joined  Du  Bois  and  McPherson  in  shout-^ 
ing  their  triumphs  and  in  praising  God,  and  many  more  were 
there  and  then  regenerated.     The  memory  of  that  hour  still 
abides,  for  there  is,  at  least,  one  who  yet  abides  on  these  mortal 
shores  and  who  still  maintains  the  Christian  faith  who  was  a. 
participant  in  the  transactions  of  that  hour.     William  McPher^ 
son,  at  this  date,  January  2,  1890,  still  lives,  and  through  all  the 
long  period  of  more  than  sixty-seven  years  which  have  now  in- 
tervened since  his  conversion  at  the  brook  he  has  maintained  a 
spotless  character  and  has  been  a  pillar  in  the  Church  of  God. 
Since  1835  he  has  resided  at  what  is  now  known  as  Fayetteville, 
in  Talladega   County,   Alabama,    and   he  has  done   much  for 
Methodism  in  the  country  where  he  has  lived.     John  Du  Bois 
was  long  a  local  preacher  in  Alabama. 

The  town  of  Vernon,  though  there  was  never  any  house  of 
worship  there,  early  became  a  center  of  religious  influence  and 
of  Methodist  usages.     The  Eev.  Alexander  Talley  located  at  the 
12 


178 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         179 


end  of  the  year  1819,  entered  upon  the  study  and  practice  of 
medicine,  and  made  his  home  at  Yernon,  and  as  a  local  preach- 
er exerted  a  powerful  influence  there  and  throughout  the  Ala- 
bama Circuit  which  he  surveyed  and  organized.     Much  of  the 
time  from  the  close  of  1819  to  the  close  of  1825,  while  he  was  in 
the  capacity  of  a  local  preacher,  Dr.  Talley  made  the  house  of 
Mr.  Seaborn  Mims  his  home.     The  home  of  Mr.  Mims,  a  sort  of 
inn  for  the  entertainment  of  boarders  and  travelers,  was,  in  1821, 
blessed  with  a  special  visit  from  the  divine  presence  from  which 
a  grand  revival  ensued.     In  that  year,  1821,  Mrs.  Mims,  the 
wife  of  Seaborn  Mims,  a  woman  of   strength  and  honor,  and 
whose  worth  was  "  far  above  rubies,"  became  deeply  concerned 
upon  the  subject  of  religion,  and  in  due  process  she  emerged 
from  the  burden  of  guilt  and  the  sorrows  of  sin.     Suddenly  her 
sighing  was  made  to  cease  and  her  joy  to  abound.     Her  ecstasy 
was  so  intense  that  she  could  not  restrain  herself,  and  she  made 
the  entire  premises  to  resound  with  her  shouts.     Her  conver- 
sion and  her  exclamations  of  joy  were  a  surprise  to  all  the  in- 
mates, a  promiscuous  company,  of  the  house.     Her  conversion 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  all  who  knew  her,  and  her  reli- 
gious influence  permeated  the  whole  town  and  the  surrounding 
country.     A  revival  inundated  the  whole  community,  and  near- 
ly the   entire  population  was   ere  long  converted.     Preachers 
and  class-leaders  were  overwhelmed  with  work,  and  saving  pow- 
er was  everywhere  felt  and  seen.     A  number  of  the  Mimses  were 
converted.     Mr.  Seaborn  Mims  was  one  of  the  grandest  work- 
ers in  the  Methodist  ranks  who  ever  lived  in  the  State  of  Ala- 
bama. 

It  was  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Seaborn  Mims,  in  the  town  of 
Yernon,  that  an  incident  occurred  with  Bishop  Eoberts  which 
has  had  many,  many  versions.  Said  incident  shall  be  related 
here  by  John  Du  Bois,  who  was  present  and  witnessed  the  whole 
affair:  "Late  one  evening  in  December,  1822,  after  the  busy  in- 
mates of  our  pleasant  home  had  come  in  from  their  labors,  a 
venerable  stranger  rode  up  and  asked  to  be  entertained  for  the 
night  He  was  kindly  received  by  Mr.  Mims,  our  generous 
host,  and  was  soon  seated  before  a  glowing  fire,  which  threw  its 
cheerful  light  and  radiant  heat  over  all  around.  The  tall  and 
commanding  figure  of  the  stranger,  his  elegant  manners  and 
pleasant  and  dignified  conversation,  inspired  every  one  with  a 


desire  to  know  who  he  was.  Tea  was  soon  announced,  and  after 
a  good  supper,  Mr.  Mims  proffered  to  show  him  to  his  room  that 
he  might  retire  early,  and  take  a  good  night's  rest.  It  was  our 
class-meeting  night,  and  Mr.  Mims  so  announced  to  him  by  way 
of  courtesy.  He  said  he  was  not  much  fatigued,  that  he  was  re- 
freshed by  his  supper,  and  that  it  would  be  his  pleasure  to  go 
with  us. 

"Arnold  Campbell,  a  local  preacher,  was  our  class-leader.  He 
was  a  young  man,  but  zealous  in  all  good  works.  Our  place  of 
meeting  was  in  the  Academy.  After  the  leader  had  discharged 
his  duty  to  each  member  of  the  class,  he  then  addressed  him- 
self to  the  visitor,  whose  response  was  so  full,  simple,  and  elo- 
quent, that  we  were  all  deeply  impressed,  and  still  more  anxious 
to  know  the  stranger;  but  the  conventional  code  and  primitive 
modesty  of  our  society  would  not  allow  us  to  be  very  inquisi- 
tive under  any  circumstances,  and  especially  to  strangers. 

"  When  we  reached  the  inn,  on  our  return  from  the  services, 
Mr.  Mims  again  offered  to  conduct  him  to  his  room,  but  he  re- 
plied: 'Before  retiring  let  us  have  prayers.'  The  Book  was 
handed,  an  appropriate  lesson  read,  and  then  followed  such  a 
prayer  as  we  have  seldom  heard.  By  this  time  curiosity  was 
at  its  height.  Brother  Campbell  and  some  others  went  with  him 
to  his  room.  Without  further  ceremony  Brother  Campbell 
asked  him  if  he  would  preach  for  him  the  next  day,  promising 
to  secure  for  him  a  congregation.  He  said:  *  How  do  you  know 
that  I  am  a  preacher?  I  guess  you  would  like  to  know  who  I 
am.  I  am  Kobert  K.  Eoberts.'  So,  by  entertaining  a  stranger, 
we  had  the  honor  of  entertaining  a  live  Bishop  unawares. 

"  He  consented  to  preach,  and  did  so  the  next  day,  very  much 
to  the  edification  and  spiritual  profit  of  the  people,  and  took  his 
leave  to  the  regions  far  beyond,  expressing  himself  as  much 
pleased  with  his  sojourn  ainong  us,  as  we  were  delighted  and 
profited  by  his  visit.'* 

About  two  miles  from  what  was  then  the  town  of  Montgomery, 
and  west  of  south  from  that  town,  a  Society,  which  was  thence- 
forward in  the  Alabama  Circuit,  was  organized  in  the  year  1821, 
and  a  log  house  was  erected  and  dedicated  to  divine  worship, 
and  the  place  was  known  as  "Mills  and  Westcott  Meeting 
House."  The  sobriquet  will  be  explained  when  it  is  stated  that 
Flora  Mills  and  Eliza  Westcott  were  members  of  the  Society 


t 
I 


180 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work, 


181 


there.     Mrs.  Flora  Mills  was  from  North  Carolina,  and  settled 
at  Alabama  Town,  which  was  a  little  way  west  of  what  was 
Montgomery,  after  its  name  was  changed  from  Philadelphia  to 
Montgomery,  and  she  settled   there  previous   to  April,  1819. 
Thomas  Hatchett  was  at  the  head  of  that  little  band  of  Chris- 
tians who   worshiped  at   the   "Mills   and  Westcott   Meeting 
House,"  and  Kachel  Hatchett  and  Susannah  Nichols  had  their 
names'enrolled  among  that  faithful  few.     In  that  log  house  they 
kept  the  charge  of  the  Lord,  and  offered  their  sacrifices  and 
sweet  incense  continually.     There  the  pure  word  of  God  was 
preached,  and  the  sacraments  duly  administered.     How  many 
and  who  were  baptized  in  that  unpretentious  house  is  not  now 
known,  but  it  is  known  that  W.  K.  Westcott,  now,  in  1890,  liv- 
ing in  the  city  of  Montgomery,  was  baptized  there.     Like  all 
things  earthly,  that  log  house  decayed,  and  by  the  beginning  of 
1828  it  was  so  dilapidated  that  it  was  no  longer  a  suitable  place 
for  divine  service.     In  that  year,  1828,  Thomas  Hatchett,  in  his 
liberality  and  enterprise,  built  a.  new  house,  designed  to  serve 
the  Society  in  place  of  the  old  one,  but  by  the  time  he  had  the 
new  house  ready  for  occupancy  and  sought  the  execution  of  the 
deed  to  the  lot  on  which  the  house  was  erected,  a  number  of  the 
Society  had  turned  Reformers  and  had  joined  the  Protestant 
Methodists,  and  the  man  who  owned  the  lot  deeded  lot  and 
house  to  the  new  organization,  and  left  Mr.  Hatchett  and  those 
who  adhered  to  the  doctrines  and  polity  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  to  seek  a  place  of  worship  at  another  locality. 

Francis  M.  Gilmer,  with  his  family,  moved  from  Oglethorpe 
County,  Georgia,  to  Alabama  Territory,  in  January,  1819,  and 
settled  in  Montgomery  County,  a  little  way  west  of  Of ucshee, 
or,  as  it  is  put  down  on  the  maps,  Oakfuskee  Creek,  then  the 
line  of  the  Creek  Nation,  and  about  twenty  miles  south-east  of 
what  was  then  the  town  of  Philadelphia,  what  was  afterward  in- 
corporated as  the  town  of  Montgomery.  He  and  his  wife  were 
Methodists,  having  joined  the  Church  in  1808.  From  the  time 
he  settled  at  that  new  home  he  had  preaching  in  his  house 
whenever  a  preacher  passed  that  way.  The  passing  of  preach- 
ers through  that  community  was,  for  many  years,  uncertain  and 
irregular.  No  Methodist  church  was  built  in  that  neighbor- 
hood until  after  1830.  In  1828,  the  Rev.  James  H.  Mellard, 
then  the  preacher  on  the  Alabama  Circuit,  preached  a  sermon 


at  the  house  of  Brother  Gilmer,  and  baptized  two  of  his  sons, 
George  N.  and  John.  Some  time  between  18o0  and  1835  a 
church  was  built  a  few  miles  from  the  residence  of  Brother 
Gilmer  at  which  he  and  his  family  from  that  time  held  mem- 
bership. 

Benajah  S.  Bibb,  Thomas  Jarrett,  Abner  McGhee,  and  William 
Taylor  moved  to  Montgomery  County,  Alabama,  and  located 
homes  and  domiciled  themselves  between  Catoma  and  Pintlala 
Creeks  about  the  year  1822.  William  Taylor's  place  was  eight 
miles  from  the  town  of  Montgomery,  and  exactly  south  of  that 
town,  and  in  Township  fifteen  and  Range  eighteen.  Benajah  S. 
Bibb's  place  was  five  or  six  miles  south-west  of  the  town  of 
Montgomery,  and  in  Township  fifteen  and  Range  seventeen. 
Abner  McGhee  possessed  himself  of  a  large  body  of  land,  and 
his  place,  perhaps,  became  central  to  the  community,  and  on  his 
land  and  near  the  Federal  Road  and  about  ten  miles  south-west 
of  the  town  of  Montgomery,  a  church  was  built,  so  soon  as  it 
could  be  conveniently  done  after  these  men  had  fixed  their  hab- 
itations, and  the  place  was  called  Hope  Hull,  after  the  great 
Methodist  man  of  that  name  in  Georgia.  This  Hope  Hull 
Church  was  one  of  the  appointments  on  the  Alabama  Circuit, 
but  only  for  a  few  years,  as  the  membership  of  that  Society  re- 
volted the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  joined  the  Reform- 
ers. 

By  1823,  perhaps  before  that,  a  Camp-ground  was  established 
near  Montgomery  at  which  great  and  efficient  sermons  were 
preached,  at  which  the  presence  and  power  of  God  were  mani- 
fested, and  at  which  grand  results  were  achieved.  As .  early  as 
the  establishment  of  the  Camp-ground  here  mentioned  a 
preaching  place  was  established  by  the  Methodists  at  the  town 
of  Coosauda,  which  was  at  that  time,  perhaps,  a  larger  place 
than  Monto-omery.  At  Wetumpka  also  there  were  Methodists 
living  at  that  early  date,  and  grand  times  were  had  there.  The 
times  were  pleasant  thereabout,  and  conversions  were  constant- 
ly occurring. 

Rocky  Mount,  in  Section  eight.  Township  seventeen.  Range 
seventeen,  became  a  center  of  social  and  literary  interest  at  an 
early  day.  There  an  academy  was  erected  and  maintained  for 
the  instruction  of  the  children  of  the  country.  An  act  of  the 
Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of  Alabama, 


II 


s 


182 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         183 


establishing  the  Kocky  Mount  Academy  in  Autauga  County  and 
constituting  the  Trustees  thereof  a  body  corporate,  was  passed 
and  approved  January  12,  1827.  John  G.  Graham,  Malcolm 
Smith,  Jacob  Whetstone,  William  Hall,  Littleton  Eeese,  Zach- 
ariah  T.  Watkins,  and  Peyton  Bibb  were  the  Trustees  named  in 
the  act  of  incorporation.  John  G.  Graham  and  Malcolm  Smith 
were  firm  Presbyterians.  Jacob  Whetstone  was  a  local  preach- 
er in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  firm,  tried,  true.  Pey- 
ton Bibb  was  a  Methodist,  and  a  local  preacher. 

All  these  places  above  named  were  in  the  Alabama  Circuit. 

Whatever  may  have  been  lacking  in  the  Alabama  Circuit  in 
the  first  decade  of  its  existence  in  the  way  of  houses  of  worship 
and  of  organized  charities,  there  was  not  lacking  gospel  truth 
preached  in  fervency;  and  the  Methodists  there  in  that  day  had 
vital  religion,  inward  holiness,  in  the  heart  power  and  joy  di- 
vine. As  indicative  of  what  they  held  as  a  doctrine  and  expe- 
rienced as  a  personal  attainment  there  may  be  given  here  the 
obituary  of  one  who  died  in  that  Circuit  in  1826: 

"  Died  in  Washington,  Autauga  County,  Alabama,  on  the  21st 
December  last,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Kush,  wife  of  Captain  Charles 
G.  Kush,  in  the  thirty-ninth  year  of  her  age. 

«  By  the  death  of  Mrs.  Eush,  a  blank  is  left  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, which  will  not  easily  be  filled;  and  though  the  friend  who 
pens  this  is,  in  general,  opposed  to  obituary  plaudits,  yet  there 
was  something  so  peculiarly  affecting  in  the  closing  scene  of 
this  excellent  woman's  life,  that  justice  to  her  fellow  mortals 
demands  it  should  be  made  public.  In  early  life  she  became  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  South  Carolina,  her  native 
State,  but  without  experiencing  the  power  of  religion  otherwise 
than  as  a  moral  restraint  upon  her  actions.  The  pious  precepts, 
however,  which  she  had  received  from  her  father,  and  the  cor- 
rect example  of  an  excellent  mother,  had  implanted  in  her  mind 
the  seeds  of  virtue,  and  fixed  in  her  heart  those  pure  and 
amiable  qualities  which  constituted  her  a  dutiful  and  loving 
wife,  a  kind  and  affectionate  mother,  an  obliging  and  charitable 
neighbor,  and  to  all  outward  appearance  a  good  and  faithful 
Christian.  But,  possessed  as  she  was,  of  so  many  engaging 
qualities,  she  was  still  a  stranger  to  the  efficacy  of  the  blood  of 
Christ  as  exhibited  in  the  knowledge  of  sins  forgiven. 

"After  her  removal  to  Alabama,  she  remained  for  some  years 


like  a  sheep  strayed  from  the  fold,  having  no  members  of  the 
same  Church  with  whom  to  associate.  But  finding  her  faith 
declining,  and  her  practice  less  restrained  than  formerly,  she  be- 
came satisfied  of  the  necessity  of  being  united  with  the  visible 
Church  on  earth,  to  enable  her  to  claim  a  seat  among  the  Church 
of  the  First  Born  in  heaven.  Under  such  impressions  she  con- 
nected herself  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Washing- 
ton, and  again  partook  at  the  table  of  the  Lord.  But  still  she 
was  a  stranger  to  the  knowledge  of  pardoning  grace.  But  thank 
the  Lord,  he  was  not  unmindful  of  his  promise,  after  near  two 
weeks  from  the  birth  of  her  child,  of  most  excruciating  pain, 
from  which  only  by  the  skill  and  constant  attention  of  her  phy- 
sician, Dr.  Withers,  she  obtained  occasional  intervals,  her 
prayers  and  those  of  her  pious  friends  were  at  length  an- 
swered; her  soul  was  comforted,  her  fears  dissipated,  and 
her  pains  assuaged;  she  shouted  victory  aloud,  and  gave  glory 
to  God.  Then  opened  a  scene  of  holy  transport,  mingled  with 
heavenly  consolation  to  her  believing  husband  and  friends, 
which  it  is  impossible  for  pen  to  describe  or  imagination  to 
conceive.  Believed,  as  it  were,  from  pain,  while  in  the  very 
agonies  of  death,  her  soul  was  strong  in  the  Lord.  All  the 
powers  of  her  mind  revived,  and  better  preaching  was  seldom  if 

ever  heard. 

"  Having  been  for  some  days  persuaded  that  her  dissolution 
was  at  hand,  she  had  devoted  all  the  time  her  severe  sufferings 
would  allow  to  wrestling  with  God,  being  determined  not  to 
give  up  till  she  was  blessed  with  the  evidence  of  her  accept- 
ance. When  that  was  obtained  a  calm  serenity  possessed  her 
soul,  and  she  seemed  anxiously  to  desire  that  every  member 
of  her  family  and  all  her  neighbors  should  be  able  to  feel  that 
happiness  and  calm  resignation  which  she  felt;  and  with  a 
view  of  impressing  her  dying  charge  more  deeply  upon  them, 
after  requesting  to  hear  prayer,  she  called  her  husband  and 
children,  brothers,  sisters,  servants,  and  neighbors  separately  to 
her  bedside,  and  warned  them  by  the  torment  she  had  suffered 
to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come;  to  begin  early  to  prepare  to 
meet  their  God;  that  religion  would  afford  them  a  happy  life 
and  a  triumphantly  glorious  and  happy  death.  Her  address  to 
the  physician  was  peculiarly  interesting.  She  thanked  him  for 
his  unremitted  attention;  expressed  her  belief  that  some  of  the 


. '. 


18^ 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


most  important  days  of  her  life  were,  under  God,  owing  to  his 
skill  and  assiduity,  and  besought  him  to  get  religion,  to  seek 
for  that  jewel  of  great  price,  that  all-important  acquisition, 
which  will  not  only  give  happiness  in  this  life,  but  eternal  en- 
joyment in  heaven.  And  while  in  the  act  of  thus  exhorting  her 
friends  to  seek  their  soul's  salvation,  her  spirit  took  its  peace- 
ful flight,  and  is  now,  we  trust,  in  the  realms  of  immortal  bliss. 
Such  is  the  death  of  the  righteous,  may  mine  be  like  hers! " 

Of  those  who  were  prominent  and  valiant  as  Methodists  in 
the  Alabama  Circuit,  and  who  came  to  the  country  at  an  early 
day,  may  be  mentioned,  in  addition  to  those  whose  names  have 
already  been  given:  The  Eev.  Moses  Andrew,  the  Kev.  Pey- 
ton Bibb,  the  Eev.  Britton  Capel,  the  Kev.  Arnold  Campbell, 
the  Eev.  James  H.  Mellard,  the  Eev.  Eli  Terry,  the  Eev.  Wil- 
liam Terry,  Mrs.  Ashley,  Jesse  Box,  Emanuel  Golson,  Wil- 
liam Graves,  Bruner  Harris,  William  Hester,  Mark  Howard, 
James  Howard,  Joseph  W.  Houck,  Lewis  Houser,  William 
Keener,  Thomas  C.  Ledbetter,  Thomas  E.  Ledbetter,  Marshal 
Mims,  Shadrack  Mims,  David  Mims,  Eudolph  Murph,  Elijah 
Myers,  James  Mitchell,  James  E.  Nicholson,  Stephen  Pierce, 
Charles  G.  Eush,  Thomas  Smith,  George  Stoudenmire,  Benjamin 
Taylor,  Henry  Webster,  Henry  Whetstone,  Stephen  White. 

Others  there  were,  whose  names  are  not  given,  who  came 
among  the  very  first,  and  who  were  persons  of  prominence  and 
piety.  The  names  here  given  are  put  down  alphabetically,  and 
not  in  the  order  of  the  time  of  said  persons  coming  to  the 
country,  nor  in  the  order  of  the  time  of  their  attaching  them- 
selves to  the  Church. 

Andrew,  Capel,  and  Mellard  had  been  members  of  the  South 
Carolina  Conference  and  influential  men  in  the  itinerant  ranks, 
but  they  had  located,  and  then  had  emigrated  to  Alabama. 
Perhaps  Mellard  was  the  last  of  the  three  to  take  up  his  abode 
in  the  beautiful  land  of  Alabama,  and  he  is  said  to  have  come 
to  the  State  by  1821.     He  preached  in  Montgomery,  August 

26,  1821. 

The  Eev.  Moses  Andrew  was  born  in  Georgia,  and  was  for 
four  years,  or  from  December,  1808,  till  December,  1812,  an  itin- 
erant preacher  in  the  pastoral  work,  during  which  time  he  was 
ordained  deacon  and  elder.  He  came  to  Alabama  in  1820.  In 
1823  he  was  a  citizen  of  the  town  of  Montgomery.     In  1826 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.  185 

and  1827  he  lived  at  or  near  the  town  of  Coosauda.  He  lived, 
first  and  last^  in  various  places  in  that  section  of  Alabama.  He 
was  a  physician  as  well  as  a  local  preacher,  following  his  pro- 
fession while  he  lived  in  Alabama.  He  was  a  popular  physi- 
cian and  an  eminent  preacher.  He  was  a  successful  champion 
of  the  divine  cause.  He  was  a  zealous  and  an  able  defender  of 
the  doctrines  and  polity  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  to 
the  day  of  his  death.  He  resisted  with  all  his  power  and  influ- 
ence the  disruption  of  the  Church,  inaugurated,  fostered,  and 
consummated  by  the  Eeformers  or  the  Protestant  Metho- 
dists. He  was  a  kinsman  of  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew.  He 
was  something  above  medium  height  and  of  consumptive 
mold.  He  died  and  was  buried  near  where  the  town  of  Haynes- 
ville  now  is,  in  1834.  He  died  of  consumption  in  his  forty- 
fourth  year. 

The  Eev.  Britton  Capel  came  to  Alabama  in  company  with 
William  Graves,  the  father  of  the  Eev.  Peyton  Smith  Graves, 
in  perhaps  the  latter  part  of  1817.  Capel  settled  seven  or 
eight  miles  south  of  the  Alabama  Eiver  and  two  or  three  miles 
west  of  Pintlala  Creek,  and  in  the  bounds  of  what  was  then 
Montgomery  County,  and  in  the  bounds  of  Lowndes  Coun- 
ty when  that  county  was  organized.  For  eleven  years  he  was 
an  itinerant  preacher.  He  was  received  on  trial  in  the  South 
Carolina  Conference  in  January,  1799,  and  was  received  into 
full  connection  in  that  Conference  and  ordained  deacon  in  Jan- 
uary, 1801,  and  was  ordained  elder  in  January,  1803.  In  1805 
and  1806  he  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Selueda  District,  with 
Charleston  as  one  of  the  pastoral  charges  in  the  District,  and  in 
1807,  1808,  and  1809  he  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Ogeechee 
District,  with  Augusta  as  one  of  the  pastoral  charges  of  the 
District.  At  the  Conference  in  December,  1809,  he  located.  He 
was  a  local  preacher  in  the  Alabama  Circuit  eight  or  ten  years. 
The  Eev.  John  Du  Bois,  who  knew  him  in  Alabama,  and  heard 
him  preach  in  the  Alabama  Circuit,  says: 

"  Eev.  Britton  Capel  was  a  preacher  of  the  primitive  type, 
but  a  man  of  moving  powers.  He  was  not  exactly  ubiquitous, 
but  was  a  sort  of  ecclesiastical  wanderer,  that  went  about  sow- 
ing the  seeds  of  kindness  and  gospel  truth,  with  the  eloquence 
of  a  pious  soul. 

"  His  advent  into  a  neighborhood  was  hailed  with  delight  by 


{:■ 


186 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


all  good  persons,  and  was  to  them  the  harbinger  of  a  spiritual 
feast.  His  visits  were  never  long,  but  their  impressions  were 
deep  and  lasting.  At  the  family  altar,  in  the  social  circle,  and 
along  the  dusty  highway,  he  labored  to  do  good  and  honor  the 
Master.  His  manners  were  pleasant  and  simple,  his  life  consist- 
ent and  pure.  As  a  faithful  servant  he  found  peace  in  the  vine- 
yard of  the  Lord,  and  delighted  in  the  sanctuary  of  the  Most 
High.  The  pulpit  seemed  to  be  his  native  element;  and  though 
simplicity  marked  his  efforts,  the  genius  of  eloquence  possessed 

him." 

More  will  be  said  of  him  hereafter  in  another  connection. 
Graves  who  came  with  Capel  to  Alabama  settled  on  the  Ala- 
bama River  a  few  miles  below  the  town  of  Washington  and  es- 
tablished a  ferry  on  that  river  which  was  called  by  his  name. 
As  stated  in  another  connection  the  first  Camp-ground  estab- 
lished in  Autauga  County  was  established  near  his  place  in  the 
latter  part  of  1820  and  named  Graves's  Camp-ground. 

The  Rev.  Peyton  Bibb,  and  his  brother  who  was  the  Govern- 
or of  the  Alabama  Territory,  and  the  first  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Alabama,  moved  to  Alabama  when  it  was  a  Territory, 
and  they  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Coosauda  town. 

Mark  Howard  moved  to  the  section  now  embraced  in  Autau- 
ga County  before  the  county  was  made,  and  while  Alabama  was 
a  Territory  Leonidas  Howard,  the  son  of  Mark  Howard,  who 
lives  now  near  Mulberry,  Autauga  County,  Alabama,  and  in  the 
same  neighborhood  in  which  he  has  lived  more  than  seventy 
years,  and  who  was  born  in  Georgia  September  13,  1816,  recol- 
lects being  baptized  in  Autauga  County,  Alabama,  in  1820,  by 
the  Rev.  Alexander  Talley,  and  recollects  seeing  his  father  bap- 
tized the  same  day  by  the  same  preacher.  The  son  was  bap- 
tized by  sprinkling,  the  father  was  baptized  by  immersion. 

James  Howard  moved  to  the  town  of  Washington  in  January, 
1818,  and  joined  the  Church  there  in  1821.  James  E.  Nicholson, 
William  Hester,  and  Stephen  Pierce  moved  to  the  town  of 
Washington  about  the  same  time  James  Howard  did,  and  they 
and  their  wives  were  members  of  the  Church  there.  Thomas 
Smith  moved  to  that  section  of  country  in  January,  1818. 

The  Mims  brothers,  all  except  Seaborn,  moved  to  the  vicinity 
of  Yernon  in  1820.  John  Du  Bois,  Thomas  C.  Ledbetter, 
Thomas  E.  Ledbetter,  and  Joseph  W.  Houck  took  up  abode  at 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         187 

Vernon  and  vicinity  in  January,  1821.     William   McPherson 
came  in  1822. 

The  Methodist  and  Baptist  Churches  were  co-etaneous  in  that 
section  of  the  country,  and  the  Baptists  there  were  the  most 
persistent  antagonists  with  which  the  Methodists  had  to  con- 
tend. In  the  month  of  January,  1819,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Tal- 
ley reached  the  Alabama  River,  when  and  where  he  commenced 
his  ministry  to  the  settlers  thereabout.  History  asserts  that 
"Elim,"  a  Baptist  church,  was  "nearly  six  miles"  from  the 
town  of  Montgomery,  and  north-east  from  the  town,  and  that  it 
was  the  "  first  Christian  Church  "  established  in  "  Montgomery 
County,"  and,  moreover,  that  it  was  constituted  "June  19, 1819, 
by  a  Presbytery  consisting  of  the  Rev.  James  McLemore,  and 
Electius  Thompson."  The  Baptist  historian  also  states  that 
the  "Alabama  Baptist  Association  was  constituted  December 
13,  1819,  of  four  churches,  Antioch,  Bethel,  Elim,  and  Reho- 
both,  all  of  Montgomery  County,"  and  that  "  in  1820  Union  and 
Swift  Creek  churches,  in  Autauga "  County  "  were  received  " 
into  the  Association.  The  data  here  furnished  show  that  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Talley,  the  Methodist  preacher,  was  at  work  in 
that  region  a  few  months  before  any  Baptist  Church  was  or- 
ganized therein,  and  that  in  the  outline  of  their  work  the  two 
Churches,  the  Methodists  and  the  Baptists,  commenced  their 
operations  and  planted  their  organizations  there  about  the  same 
time. 

The  Rev.  L.  C.  Davis  was  the  first  Moderator  of  the  "Alabama 
Baptist  Association,"  and  he  presided  over  its  deliberations  two 
of  its  annual  sessions  in  succession.  The  style  of  the  men  who 
at  that  time  composed  that  Association  may  be  known  by  the 
style  of  the  man  chosen  as  their  Moderator,  and  the  style  of 
Moderator  may  be  gathered  from  the  appellation  given  him;  he 
was  commonly  called  "  Club  Axe  Davis." 

The  Baptists  in  that  day  and  in  that  section,  as  well  as  in 
other  sections,  boasted  of  their  ignorance,  and  set  forth  said 
ignorance  as  the  evidence  of  their  Christian  merit,  and  as  an 
evidence  that  they  were  in  the  apostolic  succession,  and  that  as 
preachers  they  had  a  divine  call,  and  belonged  to  a  scriptural 
ministry.  They  proscribed  learning  and  set  a  premium  upon 
illiteracy.  They  interpreted  Paul's  words,  "Let  every  man 
abide  in  the  same  calling  wherein  he  was  called,"  as  meaning: 


188 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Let  every  man  who  is  called  of  God  to  preach  who  was  not  edu- 
cated before  his  call  remain  uneducated.  They  insisted  with 
no  little  pertinacity  that  whom  God  called  to  preach  he  would 
qualify  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  that  without  educa- 
tion, without  reading,  and  without  study.  They  maintained 
with  a  tenacity  worthy  of  a  better  cause  than  one  founded  in 
ignorance  that  the  preacher  called  of  God  would  have  nothing 
to  do  but  to  open  his  mouth  and  God  would  fill  it  wnth  suitable 
words.  It  was  a  common  occurrence  in  that  time  and  country 
for  Baptist  preachers  in  their  public  harangues  in  the  pulpit  to 
boast  that  they  were  not  "college  bred."  They  have  been 
known  to  assert  in  the  delivery  of  their  sermons  that  they  had 
"  never  swallowed  a  dictionary,"  or  as  they  pronounced  it  a 
"dixonary."  They  have  been  known  commonly  to  announce 
to  their  audience  that  they  "did  not  know  where  or  what  their 
text  for  the  hour  was,  nor  what  they  were  going  to  say 
about  it,  that  they  would  speak  as  the  Lord  directed  them." 
The  truth  of  the  declaration  that  they  did  not  know  what  they 
were  going  to  say  in  the  interpretation  of  the  text  was  usually 
demonstrated,  but  it  was  not  always  manifest  that  the  Lord 
guided  them  in  what  they  said. 

The  Baptists  were  Calvinists,  Fatalists,  Antinomians.  They 
stated  in  their  creeds  and  asserted  in  their  pulpits,  not  in  very 
scholarly  terms,  nor  in  very  elegant  diction,  nor  in  very  elevated 
style,  but  in  very  positive  words,  that  God  did,  from  all  eterni- 
ty, by  his  determinate  counsel  and  foreknowledge,  and  that 
without  any  reference  to  contingencies  and  conditions,  fore-dr- 
dain  whatsoever  comes  to  pass;  and  that  God  did,  by  a  decree 
by  him  made  before  the  foundations  of  the  world  were  laid,  and 
made  according  to  his  eternal  and  immutable  purpose,  predesti- 
nate a  certain  and  definite  number  of  persons  to  everlasting 
life,  and  fore-ordain  and  reprobate  a  certain  and  definite  number 
to  everlasting  death ;  and  that  the  elect  have  been  redeemed  by 
Christ,  and  will  be  irresistibly  and  effectually  called,  and,  that 
having  been  given  in  covenant  to  the  Son  by  the  Father  from 
eternity,  they  cannot  totally  and  finally  fall  away;  and  that  the 
reprobate,  left  out  of  the  eternal  covenant  of  grace,  are  not  re- 
deemed by  Christ,  and  nothing  can  be  done  for  their  salvation. 
With  the  doctrines  of  divine  sovereignty,  human  bondage,  lim- 
ited atonement,  absolute  decrees,  irresistible  grace,  personal  and 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         189 


predetermined  election  and  reprobation  the  Baptists  fought 
most  valiantly  against  the  establishment  of  Methodism.  They 
fought  with  a  zeal  which  indicated  that  they  earnestly  desired 
to  contribute  to  the  consummation  of  the  decrees  so  absolute  in 
their  nature  and  so  ancient  in  their  origin.  These  Baptists  have 
been  known  to  occupy  the  hours  allotted  to  the  public  services 
of  the  Sabbath  in  trying  to  prove  that  from  eternity  it  had  been 
predetermined  just  how,  where,  and  when  every  one  should  be 
born  and  should  die.  They  would  harangue  interminably  to 
show  that  the  very  time  and  manner  of  one's  death  were  fixed 
from  before  all  worlds,  and  that  no  course  of  conduct  and  no 
fortuitous  circumstances  would  or  could  have  anything  to  do  in 
the  termination  of  life.  They  would  caricature  the  doctrines  of 
Arminianism,  and  ridicule  the  experiences  and  denounce  the 
professions  of  Methodists.  They  opposed  and  denounced  the 
class-meetings,  the  love-feasts,  and  the  prayer  meetings  held  by 
the  Methodists,  and  also  their  custom  of  holding  divine  services 
at  night.  They  charged  that  the  class-meetings  and  love-feasts 
were  held  for  inquisitorial  and  dissolute  purposes,  and  that  night 
services  were  occasions  for  carrying  forward  works  of  darkness 
and  committing  deeds  of  evil.  One  of  the  worst  offenses,  as  they 
esteemed  it,  which  they  charged  against  the  Methodists  was  that 
they  had  made  a  Bible  of  their  own,  and  one  to  suit  themselves 
and  with  which  to  vindicate  their  many  heresies.  The  basis 
for  this  charge  was  that  Mr.  Wesley  had  made  and  published  a 
translation  of  the  New  Testament.  For  this  act  these  Baptists 
fulminated  their  anathemas  against  the  Methodists,  and  sus- 
tained their  denunciations  with  the  words  of  Revelation:  "For 
I  testify  unto  every  man  that  heareth  the  words  of  the  prophecy 
of  this  book.  If  any  man  shall  add  unto  these  things,  God  shall 
add  unto  him  the  plagues  that  are  written  in  this  book;  and  if 
any  man  shall  take  away  from  the  words  of  the  book  of  this 
prophecy,  God  shall  take  away  his  part  out  of  the  book  of  life, 
and  out  of  the  holy  city,  and  from  the  things  which  are  written 
in  this  book." 

Those  Baptists  claimed  to  be,  in  some  sense,  the  successors 
of  John  the  Baptist,  and  they  were  persistent  in  anathematiz- 
ing the  followers  of  Mr.  Wesley  because  they  presumed  to  bap- 
tize persons  by  a  mode  other  than  immersion,  and  because  they 
would  confer  baptism  on  children.     They  declared  that  immer- 


190 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


sion  only  is  baptism,  and  that  they  considered  "infant  baptism 
the  most  damnable  "  of  all  heresies,  and  that  it  has  done  more 
to  "  corrupt  the  Church  of  God,  and  make  it  a  den  of  robbers, 
than  all  other  inventions  of  the  wicked  one ! "  They  asserted  that 
there  were  none  like  the  Methodists  who  had  sold  themselves  to 
work  wickedness  and  commit  abominations  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord;  and  they  attributed  to  the  Methodists  the  characteristics 
of  the  woman  seen  in  the  Apocalyptic  vision  upon  whose  "  fore- 
head was  a  name  written.  Mystery,  Babylon  the  great,  the 
mother  of  harlots  and  abominations  of  the  earth."  Many  of 
these  Antinomians  would  not  attend  any  of  the  services  of  the 
Methodists  lest  they  might  thereby  partake  of  the  grievous 
crime  of  bidding  them  God  speed. 

The  preachers  on  the  Alabama  Circuit  were:  1820,  Thomas 
Nixon,  Thomas  Clinton;  1821,  Nicholas  Mclntyre;  1822,  Mere- 
dith Renneau,  Nicholas  T.  Snead,  Peyton  S.  Graves.  This  year 
and  this  appointment  closed  the  work  of  the  Eev.  Meredith 
Renneau  in  Alabama;  and  also  closed  the  itinerant  ministry  of 
the  Rev.  Nicholas  T.  Snead.  Mr.  Renneau  had  served  one  year 
on  the  Cahawba  Circuit,  and  one  year  on  the  Tombecbee  Cir- 
cuit. For  two  years  he  filled  appointments  in  the  State  of 
Mississippi,  and  then  located  at  the  close  of  1824.  Mr.  Snead 
was  two  years  on  trial  and  both  years  was  in  Alabama.  He  was 
discontinued  at  the  end  of  his  year  on  the  Alabama  Circuit. 
He  was  never  in  full  connection  in  the  Conference. 

But  to  proceed  with  the  preachers  on  the  Alabama  Circuit; 
they  were:  1823,  Joshua  Boucher,  Eugene  V.  LeVert;  1824, 
Samuel  Patton,  Richard  Pipkin. 

This  closed  the  last  and  the  third  year  of  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Patton  in  Alabama.  For  1822  and  1823  he  was  in  charge  of 
the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit.  While  he  served  the  Tuskaloosa  Cir- 
cuit he  was  a  single  man.  At  the  close  of  his  term  there  in- 
stead of  going  to  the  session  of  the  Mississippi  Conference 
which  met  at  Natchez,  Mississippi,  December  25,  1823,  he  went 
in  the  month  of  November  to  Sullivan  County,  Tennessee, 
where  on  the  27th  of  that  month  he  consummated  an  engage- 
ment which  he  had  with  Miss  Nancy  Morrison,  and  entered  into 
the  holy  bonds  of  matrimony.  He  reached  his  field  of  labor  so 
soon  as  he  could  after  the  announcement  of  the  appointment 
and  commenced  his  ministry  on  the  Alabama  Circuit.     He  and 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         191 

his  wife  boarded  for  the  year  with  Sister  Ledbetter  at  the  town 
of  Washington,  Autauga  County,  and  he  moved  around  the  Cir- 
cuit with  his  accustomed  zeal  and  success. 

At  the  close  of  the  year's  work  Brother  Patton  repaired  to 
the  town  of  Tuskaloosa,  Tuskaloosa  County,  Alabama,  where 
the  Mississippi  Conference  assembled  December  22,  1824, 
Bishop  Joshua  Soule  presiding.  At  that  session  of  the  Confer- 
ence he  was  ordained  an  elder  by  Bishop  Soule,  and  he  located 
for  the  purpose,  though  it  was  a  little  irregular,  of  going  to  the 
Holston  Conference.  He  reentered  the  itinerant  ministry  at 
the  Holston  Conference  at  the  close  of  1825.  His  official  rela- 
tions to  Alabama  Methodism  commenced  and  terminated  in  the 
bounds  of  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit.  His  ministry  in  Alabama 
was  laborious  and  efficient.  In  the  Holston  Conference  his 
ministry  was  long  and  useful.  He  was  a  leader  in  Israel,  a 
good  and  great  man. 

In  the  house  of  Sister  Ledbetter,  at  the  town  of  Washington, 
Autauga  County,  Alabama,  on  September  19,  1824,  was  born  to 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Patton  and  Nancy  Patton  their  first  child,  a 
son,  and  to  the  boy  they  gave  the  name  of  James  Otterbein. 
He  was  named  Otterbein  for  William  Otterbein,  the  native 
German,  the  profound  scholar,  the  able  divine,  the  eloquent 
preacher,  and  the  founder  of  the  Church  known  as  the  "United 
Brethren  in  Christ."  This  James  Otterbein  Patton,  born  at 
the  junction  of  the  Alabama  River  and  the  Autauga  Creek,  and 
brought  up  in  the  Holston  country,  has  long  been  a  consistent 
Methodist  and  a  useful  man.  He  still  lives,  and  is  at  present 
and  has  been  for  years  a  citizen  of  his  native  State. 

Preachers  for  Alabama  Circuit  were:  1825,  Marcus  C.  Hen- 
derson, James  Nicholson.  Henderson  located  at  the  close  of 
1825.  He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Mississippi  Conference 
at  the  close  of  1822.     He  was  on  Jones's  Yalley  Circuit  for  1824. 

For  Alabama  Circuit:  1826,  Thomas  Clinton,  John  O.  T. 
Hawkins.  This  was  the  second  and  the  last  year  of  Hawkins  in 
Alabama.  The  year  before  this  he  was  on  the  Tuskaloosa  Cir- 
cuit, and  after  1826  he  passed  out  of  Alabama  into  the  State  of 
Mississippi. 

Preachers  on  the  Alabama  Circuit  were:  1827,  Hugh  Mc- 
Phail,  James  A.  Hughes;  1828,  James  H.  Mellard,  Peyton  S. 
Graves. 


s 


192 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         193 


The  year  1828  and  the  work  od  the  Alabama  Circuit  for  that 
year  closed  the  ministerial  labors  of  the  Kev.  Peyton  S.  Graves, 
in  connection  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.     It  was  at 
Graves's  Camp-ground  in  the  bounds  of  the  Alabama  Circuit, 
and  under  the  ministrations  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  1820,  as  has  been  stated  on  a  previous  page,  that  Peyton 
Smith  Graves  professed  the  attainment  of  religion  and  was  re- 
ceived into  the  Church;  and  it  was  on  the  Alabama  Circuit  in 
1828  that  he  closed  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  the  Church 
under  whose  auspices  he  was  inducted  into  the  Christian  re- 
ligion.    How  sad  one  feels  as  the  history  of  that  gifted  man 
passes  in  review!     December  25,  1828,  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence met  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama.     The  General  Minutes  for 
that  session  of  the  Conference  contains  the  following  record: 
"Who   have  been   expelled  from   the   connection  this    year? 
Peyton  S.  Graves."     Falsehood  and  fraud  were   the  charges 
formulated  against  him.     To  these  charges  he  did  not  respond, 
but  while  they  were  pending  he  joined  the  party  known  as  the 
"Eeformers."     Nevertheless  the   Mississippi   Annual  Confer- 
ence, to  which  he  belonged,   and  to  which  he  was  properly 
amenable  at  the  time  the  charges  were  instituted  against  him, 
proceeded,  as  of  legal  right  and  of  ecclesiastical  duty,  with  the 
investigation  of  said  charges,  and  expelled  him  from  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.     The  Keformers  gave  him  shield  and 
shelter,  and  he  became  an  earnest  and  active  advocate  of  the 
(laims  of  that  party,  and  a  zealous  persecutor  of  the  Methodist 

Episcopal  Church. 

Preachers  on  the  Alabama  Circuit  were:  1829,  Joseph  Mc- 
Dowell, Nathan  Hopkins;  1830,  James  A.  Hughes,  David  Bar- 
On  July  2,  1830,  the  Rev.  James  A.  Hughes,  writing  from 
Autauga  County,  Alabama,  then  in  the  bounds  of  his  Circuit, 
stated:  "We  have  received  above  one  hundred  members  since 
our  last  Conference."  Truly  their  labors  were  blessed  of  God 
and  crowned  with  success. 

The  Rev.  James  A.  Hughes  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  joined 
the  Church  in  Alabama,  and  was  received  on  trial  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi Conference,  and  was  appointed  to  the  Alabama  Cir- 
cuit for  1827,  when  in  the  nineteenth  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
then  two  years  on  the  Conecuh  Circuit,  then  back  again  on  the 


Alabama  Circuit  in  the  twenty-third  year  of  his  age.  His  last 
appointment  was  Washington,  Mississippi,  for  1831.  That  year 
he  died.  He  was  ordained  an  elder  at  the  close  of  his  last  year 
on  the  Alabama  Circuit.  He  was  modest  in  his  bearing,  dili- 
gent in  his  work,  patient  in  his  sufferings,  and  triumphant  in 
his  death. 

The  preachers  on  the  Alabama  Circuit  were:  1831,  Benjamin 
r.  Coxe,  Francis  H.  Jones. 

That  was  the  first  and  last  year  of  the  Rev.  Benjamin  F. 
Coxe  in  Alabama.  He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Mississippi 
Conference  at  the  close  of  1828,  and  he  located  at  the  close  of 
1832,  having  been  ordained  an  elder  at  the  same  time. 

The  preachers  for  the  Alabama  Circuit  were:  1832,  Daniel 
D.  Brewer,  Paul  F.  Stearnes. 

That  was  the  last  year  the  Rev.  Daniel  D.  Brewer  was  in 
Alabama.  He  was  on  the  Marengo  Circuit  in  1830.  Pie  was 
born  in  North  Carolina,  what  year  is  not  known,  and  was 
brought  into  the  kingdom  of  light  in  Louisiana  in  the  year 
1827.  At  the  close  of  1828  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the 
Mississippi  Conference.  He  died  in  the  bounds  of  the  Rapides 
Circuit,  Louisiana  District,  in  1833.  His  talents  were  not  of 
brilliant  order,  his  ministry  was  limited  to  five  brief  years,  but 
he  was  preeminently  successful,  and  had  many  seals  to  his  min- 
istry. Though  the  illness  which  terminated  his  life  was  pro- 
tracted and  severe,  his  death  was  peaceful  and  triumphant. 

Previous  to  1832  there  was  no  provision  for  giving  in  the 
General  Minutes  any  financial  statistics.  Previous  to  that  pe- 
riod there  was  no  published  item  which  showed  the  permanent 
results  achieved,  or  indicated  the  real  progress  made  by  the 
Church,  except  what  was  given  in  answer  to  the  thirteenth  ques- 
tion: "What  numbers  are  in  Society?"  At  the  session  of  the 
Mississippi  Conference  held  at  Midway,  commencing  November 
17,  1820,  the  first  report  of  the  members  in  Society  in  the  Ala- 
bama Circuit  was  made,  and  the  report  showed  that  there  were 
two  hundred  and  fifty-five  white  and  twenty-one  colored  mem- 
bers in  that  Circuit  at  that  date.  The  report  made  at  the  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference  held  at  John  McRea's,  Chickasawhay 
River,  December  5, 1822,  shows  that  at  that  time  there  were  in 
the  bounds  of  the  Alabama  Circuit,  thirteen  hundred  and  nine- 
ty-four white  and  eighty-four  colored  members.  That  was  the 
13 


194 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


largest  number  of  white  members  ever  reported  on  that  Circuit, 
though  not  the  largest  number  of  colored  members.  For  the 
next  year,  the  year  1823,  there  were  reported  on  that  Circuit 
only  six  huudred  and  thirty-nine  white  and  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  colored  members.  The  increase  for  1822  was  un- 
precedented, and  the  decrease  following  the  next  year  was,  per- 
haps, unparalleled.  The  special  influences  which  contributed 
to  the  unusual  increase  the  one  year  and  the  extraordinary  de- 
crease the  other  year,  are  at  this  date  unknown.  Perhaps  they 
were  not  apparent  causes.  Without  tracing  all  the  fluctuations 
of  the  membership  in  all  the  intervening  years,  suffice  it  to  state 
that  at  the  close  of  1832  there  were  five  hundred  and  ten  white 
and  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  colored  members  in  the  Ala- 
bama Circuit. 


CHAPTEE  yill. 

The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work  of 

Methodism  in  Alabama. 

FOR  1820  no  new  pastoral  charges  were  organized  in  Alaba- 
ma, and  only  two  were  organized  for  1821.  These  two  new 
Circuits  for  that  year  were  Jackson  and  Conecuh.  The  Jackson 
Circuit,  so  named  because  it  occupied  the  County  of  Jackson, 
Alabama,  was  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  State,  and  the 
Conecuh  Circuit  was  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  State, 
just  above  the  line  of  Florida.  Jackson  Circuit  was  in  the  Ten- 
nessee District  in  the  Tennessee  Conference,  and  the  Conecuh 
Circuit  was  in  the  Alabama  District  in  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence. 

While  the  Jackson  Circuit  was  in  the  list  of  appointments  for 
1821,  no  preacher  of  the  Conference  was  appointed  to  it  for  that 
year,  and  the  data  are  not  at  hand  to  ascertain  who  served  it. 
No  doubt  it  was  supplied  and  served  in  some  way,  either  by  a 
local  preacher  or  by  an  itinerant  preacher  in  proximity  to  it, 
under  the  direction  of  the  presiding  elder.  At  the  end  of  that 
year,  as  the  statistics  show,  there  were  one  hundred  and  fifty 
white  members  in  its  bounds. 

For  1822  Elias  Tidwell  and  Richard  Neely  were  appointed  to 
Jackson,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  they  reported  to  the  Annual 
Conference  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  white  members  under 
their  jurisdiction. 

Thomas  A.  Young  and  Greenberry  Garrett  were  assigned  to 
Jackson  Circuit  for  1823.  At  the  end  of  that  year  there  were 
three  hundred  and  fourteen  white  and  twenty  colored  members 
in  Society  on  that  Circuit.  That  year  closed  the  ministerial 
work  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  A.  Young  in  Alabama.  He  was  a 
preacher  of  some  ability,  but,  having  married,  he  located  at  the 
close  of  1826,  and  went  into  seclusion. 

For  1824  the  appointments  read:  Jackson,  James  McFerrin, 
Arthur  McClure.  That  was  the  first  year  of  the  itinerant  min- 
istry of  the  Rev.  James  McFerrin.     He  had  been  living,  as  a 

(195) 


196 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


local  preacher,  one  or  two  years  at  or  near  Belle  Fontte,  and  m  the 
bounds  of  the  Jackson  Circuit;  and  he  and  those  of  his  family 
who  then  had  membership  in  the  Church  held  their  member- 
ship in  the  Jackson  Circuit.  This  James  McFerrin  was  the  fa- 
ther of  the  Eev.  John  Berry  McFerrin,  who  afterward  filled  so 
many  prominent  places  in  the  Church. 

For  1825  the  appointments  read:  Jackson,  James  McFerrin, 
Alexander  L.  P.  Green.  That  was  the  lirst  appointment  received 
by  the  Eev.  A.  L.  P.  Green  as  an  itinerant  preacher.  That  year 
there  were  in  the  Jackson  Circuit  those  destined  to  bo  historic 
men:  James  McFerrin,  A.  L.  P.  Green,  John  B.  McFerrin. 
John  B.  McFerrin  was  then  a  young  man,  under  his  majority, 
livincr  with  his  father  at  or  near  Belle  Fontte,  and  having  his 
ChuiTh  membership  in  one  of  the  Societies  of  the  Jackson  Cir- 
cuit,  under  the  pastoral  oversight  of  his  father.  That  year  he 
was  licensed  to  preach. 

The  next  year,  1826,  the  appointments  were:  Jackson,  George 
W  Morris,  Alexander  L.  P.  Green.  In  1825  the  membership  in- 
creased from  four  hundred  and  five  white  and  thirty  colored  to 
seven  hundred  and  thirty-two  white  and  thirty  colored  members. 
For  1826  there  were  only  eight  white  and  thirty-two  colored 
members  more  than  there  were  the  year  before. 

For  1827  the  following  were  the  appointments:  Jackson, 
Thomas  M.  King,  James  E.  Brown,  Eichard  Neely,  Sup.  That 
was  King  s  first  and  last  appointment  as  an  itinerant  preacher. 

The  preachers  for  Jackson  Circuit  for  1828  were:  George  W. 
Morris,  Samuel  E.  Davidson,  Sup.;  1829,  Jacob  Ellinger;  1830, 
Nathan  S.  Johnson,  Isaac  H.  Harris. 

The  Jackson  Circuit  was  the  first  and  the  last  work  in  Alaba- 
ma committed  to  the  Eev.  Nathan  S.  Johnson  and  the  Eev. 
Isaac  H.  Harris.  Johnson  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Ken- 
tucky Conference  at  the  close  of  1826,  and  Harris  had  just 
been  received  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  Conference  when  he  was 
appointed  to  the  Jackson  Circuit.  After  1830  these  two  men 
had  appointments  in  the  bounds  of  the  State  of  Tennessee,  and 
they  both  located  at  the  close  of  1834 

The  preachers  for  Jackson  Circuit  were:  1831,  Hiram  M. 
Glass,    Asbury   Davidson;    1832,    Elisha   J.    Dodson,    Eobert 

Gregory. 

The  Jackson  Circuit  was  the  last  appointment  served  in  Ala- 


TJie  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         197 

bama  by  the  Eev.  Elisha  J.  Dodson.  He  w^as  a  native  of  North 
Carolina.  He  was  carried  by  his  father  in  the  days  of  his  child- 
hood to  Kentucky.  He  was  trained,  under  his  parents,  in  the 
Calvinistic  doctrines,  but  he  was  led  away  from  the  doctrines  in 
which  he  was  early  trained  by  Camp-meeting  influences  with 
which  he  came  in  contact  under  the  auspices  of  Methodism. 
About  the  time  he  reached  his  majority,  while  attending  a  Camp- 
meeting,  he  experienced  in  his  own  heart  the  saving  power  of 
the  gospe),  and  soon  after  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  When  about  thirty  years  of  age  he  w\as  licensed  to 
l^reach,  and  for  ten  years  he  was  a  local  preacher,  a  part  of 
which  time  he  lived  in  Madison  County,  Alabama.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1828,  when  he  only  lacked  till  March  31,  1829,  of  being 
forty-one  years  old,  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee 
Conference.  He  served  as  an  itinerant  preacher  in  Alabama 
four  years;  two  years  he  was  on  the  Lawrence  Circuit,  one  year 
on  the  Madison  Circuit,  and,  as  above  stated,  one  year  on  the 
Jackson  Circuit.  The  other  appointments  which  he  filled  were 
in  the  State  of  Tennessee.  He  died  while  serving  the  Bedford 
Circuit,  July  29, 1812.  As  a  minister  of  the  gospel  he  was  able, 
zealous,  and  successful.  As  a  man  he  was  amiable  and  cheer- 
ful. When  the  final  issue  came  upon  him  he  expressed  resig- 
nation to  the  will  of  God,  and  readiness  to  live  or  die.  He 
joined  the  throng  who  live  and  reign  with  Christ  on  shores 
immortal. 

The  Eev.  Eobert  Gregory  closed  his  w^ork  in  Alabama  at  the 
end  of  a  term  of  two  years,  1832,  1833,  on  the  Jackson  Circuit. 
He  was  on  the  Lawrence  Circuit  the  year  before  he  went  to  the 
Jackson  Circuit.  He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee 
Conference  at  the  close  of  1829,  and  continued  in  the  itinerant 
ministry  until  the  close  of  1844,  and  was  a  part  of  the  time  in 
the  Arkansas  and  the  Memphis  Conferences.  He  was  presiding 
elder  for  a  few  years  in  Arkansas. 

At  the  close  of  1832  there  were  in  the  bounds  of  the  Jackson 
Circuit  five  hundred  and  twenty-five  white  and  thirty-eight  col- 
ored members. 

Belle  Fontte,  Bolivar,  Doran's  Cove,  Maynard's  Cove,  Steven- 
son, and  Blue  Spring,  east  of  Santa  Creek,  were  central  in  the 
Jackson  Circuit. 

While  the  Conecuh  Circuit  appeared  in  the  list  of  appoint- 


•■■ 


198 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         199 


ments  for  the  first  time  for  1821,  having  been  pat  down  as  an 
appointment  at  the  session  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  com- 
mencing November  17,  1820,  it  had  been  previously  surveyed 
prepara'tory  to  its  organization,  and  it  was  reported  then  to  have 
two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  white  and  fifty  colored  members 

within  its  bounds. 

At  its  first  organization  the  Conecuh  Circuit  embraced  nearly 
all  Conecuh  County,  and  a  very  large  part  of  Monroe  County, 
and  extended,  if  not  at  first,  afterward  into  Baldwin  County,  and 
irto  Butler  County.     The  central  points  at  which  Societies  were 
organized  in  the  beginning  of  the  work  on  that  Circuit  were 
Sardis,  at  or  near  Bellville,  Claiborne,  Mount  Zion,  and  a  Soci- 
ety in  Burnt  Corn  neighborhood,  afterward  called  Puryearville. 
In  after  years  Monroeville,  Khode's  Church,  on  Eandon's  Creek, 
Henderson's  Church,  near  Mount  Pleasant,  all  three  in  Monroe 
County,  Davis's   Church,  near  Montgomery  Hill   in   Baldwin 
County,  Thick  Woods,  about  one  mile  west  of  the  present  town 
of  Evergreen  in  Conecuh  County,  and  Concord,  in  the  Forks  of 
Sepulga,  were  appointments  on  the  Conecuh  Circuit. 

The'Society  in  the  neighborhood  of  Burnt  Corn  w^as  near  the 
line  of  Monroe  and  Conecuh  Counties,  and  Isaac  Betts,  George 
AVatson,  and  Mrs.  Puryear  were  leading  members  there.  The 
Ptev.  James  King  was  a  member  there  from  the  beginning  of 
1821  to  perhaps  1834 

On  the  road  leading  from  Pine  Orchard  to  Claiborne,  and 

passing  between  Limestone  and  Flat  Creeks  was  Mount  Zion. 

There  Is  only  a  scrap  of  the  history  of  Mount  Zion  preserved, 

and  that  shows  that  the  first  house  of  worship  built  there  became 

a  rendezvous  for  hogs,  and  became  infested  with  fleas,  and  that 

the  last  religious  service  held  in  that  house  was  held  in  1835, 

and  consisted  of  a  single  prayer  offered,  under  great  difficulties, 

by  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Circuit,  for  the  edification  of 

three  devout  members  of  his  flock,  and  that  an  effort  to  cleanse 

the  house  of  the  Lord  by  fire  resulted  in  its  reduction  to  ashes. 

The  scrap  of  history  is  given  here  from  the  manuscript  of  the 

Kev.  A.  C.  Eamsey  with  slight  emendation:  "There  stood  an 

old  church  on  the  road  leading  from  Pine  Orchard  to  Claiborne 

called  *  Mount  Zion,'  which  was  dilapidated,  almost  forsaken; 

hogs  had  been  sleeping  under  it  for  months,  probably  for  years. 

OiTone  of  my  rounds  I  was  accompanied  by  old  Brother  Nathan 


Sirmon.  On  the  day  which  I  was  to  preach  at  Mount  Zion  he 
and  I  rode  up  to  the  place  and  hitched  our  horses  near  the 
church.  By  the  time  we  had  dismounted  and  removed  our  sad- 
dles the  horses  began  to  stamp  and  move  about,  but  to  this  we 
gave  no  particular  concern.  Two  women,  who  with  Brother 
Sirmon  and  me,  constituted  the  entire  congregation  of  the  day, 
were  sitting  in  the  door  of  the  church,  and  as  we  approached  the 
door  in  which  they  were  sitting  they  said  to  us,  *If  you  do  not 
mind  you  will  get  fieas  on  you;  there  are  lots  of  them  here.' 
This  warning  induced  a  survey  of  the  situation,  and  the  fact 
was  revealed  that  we  were  already  literally  covered  with  the 
agile  insects.  My  buffalo -rug  and  my  saddle-bags,  each  end  of 
which  was  covered  with  bear-skin,  which  I  had  on  my  arm, 
furnished  ample  concealment  for  innumerable  of  these  pestifer- 
ous creatures.  So  soon  as  the  true  situation  had  transpired  I 
said  to  Brother  Sirmon,  *  Let  us  leave  here.*  He  replied,  *  O 
no,  not  until  we  have  prayers.  We  must  not  let  the  devil  run 
us  off  with  fleas.'  I  yielded  to  his  sentiment,  and  we  had  a 
prayer,  which  was  offered  while  fighting  and  scratching.  The 
prayer  over,  we  left  the  infested  place,  as  soon  as  we  could. 
Brother  Sirmon  and  I  took  to  the  woods,  and  under  cover  of 
the  forest  growth  we  knocked  off  and  killed  many  of  the  an- 
noying creatures  which  had  secreted  themselves  in  our  clothes 
and  had  crowded  our  saddle-bags,  saddle-blankets,  and  buffalo- 
ruo-  though  it  took  at  least  a  week  to  get  entirely  rid  of  the 
troublesome  creatures.  We  spent  the  night  in  the  community 
Avith  Brother  Stacy.  I  did  not  leave  another  appointment  at 
that  Meeting-house,  but  moved  the  preaching  place  to  Brother 
Stacy's  residence.  The  citizens  undertook  finally  to  destroy 
the  fleas  at  the  Meeting-house,  and  they  succeeded  effectually. 
The  house  was  a  little  distance  from  the  ground.  They  scat- 
tered a  considerable  quantity  of  pine  straw  under  the  house 
and  set  it  afire.  The  flames  burned  up  the  old  house,  fleas, 
and  all."  The  Rev.  A.  C.  Ramsey,  from  whom  the  above  nar- 
rative has  been  secured,  was  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the 
Conecuh  Circuit  at  the  time  the  incidents  here  recorded  took 
place,  which  was  in  the  year  1835. 

Claiborne  was  the  most  aspiring  place  in  the  Conecuh  Cir- 
cuit. Twice  in  the  first  decade  of  its  existence  as  a  Society  did 
Claiborne  attempt  to  be  a  Station  and  have  a  preacher  all  its 


200 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         201 


own,  once  io  1827,  and  again  in  1830,  but  it  did  not  succeed  in 
this  attempt  but  a  year  at  a  time,  before  18-10. 

About  the  time  the  preachers  for  the  Conecuh  Circuit  for 
1822  reached  the  work,  the  Methodists  had  a  royal  day  in 
Claiborne.  Bishop  Enoch  George,  on  his  way  from  Washing- 
ton, Mississippi,  where  he  had  held  the  session  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Conference,  to  Augusta,  Georgia,  where  he  was  to  hold 
the  South  Carolina  Conference,  made  his  advent  in  the  town  of 
Claiborne,  and  there  tarried  and  preached  and  administered  the 
affairs  of  the  Church  committed  to  his  hands;  in  testimony 
whereof  is  the  following  credential:  "KNOW  ALL  MEN  BY 
THESE  PKESENTS,  That  I,  Enoch  George,  one  of  the  Bish- 
ops of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  America,  under  the 
protection  of  ALMIGHTY  GOD,  and  with  a  single  eye  to  his 
Glory,  by  the  imposition  of  my  hands  and  prayer  (being  assist- 
ed by  the  Elders  present)  have  this  day  set  apart  Lewis  Pipkin 
for  the  office  of  an  Elder  in  the  said  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  a  man  whom  I  judge  to  be  well  qualified  for  that  work: 
And  I  do  hereby  recommend  him  to  all  whom  it  may  concern, 
as  a  proper  person  to  administer  the  Sacraments  and  Ordi- 
nances, and  to  feed  the  flock  of  Christ.  IN  TESTIMONY 
WHEREOF,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal,  this  1st 
day  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  twenty-two.    Enoch  George. 

"  Claiborne,  Alabama." 

Bishop  George  passed  through  Claiborne  a  number  of  times 
on  his  way  to  and  from  the  Conferences  over  which  he  presided. 

The  Church  at  or  near  Bellville  was  called  Sardis,  and  was 
one  of  the  strongest  Societies  belonging  to  the  Conecuh  Circuit. 
In  that  Church  in  1822  Bishop  Enoch  George  set  apart  the 
Rev.  James  King,  a  local  preacher,  for  the  office  of  an  elder  in 
the  Church  of  God.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  on  one  occa- 
sion Bishop  George  favored  the  Church  at  Bellville  with  his 
presence  and  ministry,  and  may  have  done  so  on  more  than  one 
occasion. 

For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  or  more  Lewis  Pipkin,  a 
local  preacher,  and  a  farmer  by  secular  occupation,  was  a  lead- 
ing and  an  influential  member  at  Sardis.  Perhaps,  he  was  a 
member  at  its  organization.  It  is  probable  that  he  gathered 
the  first  Methodist  Class  ever  formed  at  that  place. 


I 


The  Rev.  Lewis  Pipkin  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  North 
Carolina,  1777.  He  removed  from  his  native  State  to  South 
Carolina,  but  at  what  date  is  not  accurately  given.  From  South 
Carolina  he  moved  to  Alabama,  and  settled,  as  has  already  been 
intimated,  at  what  was  afterward  called  Bellville,  but  in  what 
year  is  not  reliably  stated,  probably  in  1816,  certainly  before 
1822.  The  year  1846  found  him  a  citizen,  with  the  privileges  of 
a  citizen,  of  what  was  then  Ouachita  and  what  is  now  Nevada 
County,  Arkansas.  In  that  county  and  State,  and  in  the  last 
months  of  1864  or  the  first  months  of  1865  he  died.  His  body 
sleeps  in  the  grave-yard  at  Mount  Vernon  Church  in  the  county 
and  State  above  given. 

It  cannot  be  stated  authoritatively  at  what  time  Brother  Pip- 
kin joined  the  Church,  or  at  what  time  he  was  licensed  to 
preach.  He  was  set  apart  for  the  office  of  a  deacon  by  Bishop 
Francis  Asbury  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  December  25, 1810. 
His  parchment  for  a  deacon,  given  him  by  Bishop  Asbury,  and 
now  in  hand,  is  authority  for  this  statement.  As  already  stated 
he  was  ordained  an  elder  by  Bishop  George  at  Claiborne,  Ala- 
bama, January  1,  1822. 

In  his  mature  years  the  Rev.  Lewis  Pipkin  was  in  height 
five  feet  ten  inches,  with  erect  form,  and  weighing  about  one 
hundred  and  seventy  pounds.  He  had  blue  eyes,  fair  complex- 
ion, light  brown  hair,  and  a  prominent  forehead.  He  was  of 
sanguine  temperament  He  was  not  given  to  despondency,  but 
was  always  hopeful  and  cheerful.  He  was  affable  without  levity, 
and  dignified  and  serious  without  moroseness.  He  was  as  meek 
as  Moses,  as  pathetic  as  Jeremiah,  as  devout  as  Cornelius,  and  as 
rapturous  as  Paul. 

Throughout  his  long  life,  even  in  his  old  age,  when  he  was 
blind  and  had  to  be  led  to  the  grove  by  another,  he  had  his  reg- 
ular hours  for  secret  prayer.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for 
him  to  be  overcome  in  the  public  worship  with  emotion,  and  for 
his  hearty  shouts  to  attest  the  joy  which  filled  his  soul.  Often 
he  would  break  forth  in  singing  the  sacred  songs  w^hich  expressed 
his  love  for  Jesus,  and  which  gave  vent  to  his  blissful  anticipa- 
tions. It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  him  to  stand  and  exhort 
and  entreat  sinners  in  persuasive  tones  and  with  eyes  suffused 
with  tears. 

His  style  as  a  preacher  was  plain  and  succinct.     His  manner 


202 


History  of  Metliodism  in  Alabama. 


was  deeply  earnest,  and  his  preaching  was  truly  edifyiog.  He 
was  familiar  with  the  Scriptures,  and  understood  the  literature, 
doctrines,  and  polity  of  the  Church. 

He  was  abundant  in  labors  as  a  local  preacher  in  the  bounds 
of  the  Conecuh  Circuit  throughout  the  years  he  lived  at  Bell- 
ville,  and  his  personal  and  ministerial  influence  was  extensive 
and  salutary.     His  character  was  admired,  and  his  example  was 

commended. 

The  Eev.  Barnabas  Pipkin  and  the  Eev.  Stephen  Pipkin,  once 
members  of  the  Mississippi  Conference,  were  his  brothers. 

In  his  twenty-second  year  Lewis  Pipkin  married  Miss  Fari- 
bey  Beasley,  a  woman  worthy  of  him,  an  honor  and  a  help  to 
him.  She  was  industrious  and  discreet.  Her  personal  charac- 
ter was  lovely,  and  her  Christian  life  a  benediction.  In  the  dy- 
ing moment  her  faith  and  peace  abounded,  and  words  of  praise 
to'^God  were  on  her  lips.  She  died  in  1856,  and  her  mortal 
body  rests  in  the  grave-yard  of  Mount  Yernon  Church  in  Arkan- 
sas. Brother  and  Sister  Pipkin  brought  up  ten  children  of 
their  own,  four  sons  and  six  daughters;  and  every  one  of  them 
joined  the  Methodist  Church,  and  honored  their  parents  and 
their  Church,  and  lived  lives  devoted  to  God.  There  is  a  con- 
siderable tribe  of  the  descendants  of  this  household  in  Arkan- 
sas and  Texas;  they  are  Methodists,  and  of  the  tribe  a  number 
of   preachers    have   been    raised   up— men   of   piety   and   of 

influence. 

In  the  neighborhood  which  has  long  been  known  as  Forks  of 
Sepulga,  at  an  early  day,  a  Methodist  Society  was  organized, 
and  by  or  before  1830  a  house  of  worship  was  built  in  that 
neighborhood  in  the  north-eastern  corner  of  Conecuh  County, 
and  in  Section  twenty-six,  Township  eight,  Eange  eleven,  and 
one  mile  from  Sepulga  Post-office,  and  within  one-half  mile  of 
the  residence  of  Nathan  Sirmon,  and  named  Concord.  That 
Church  still  exists,  1890,  and  still  bears  the  name  of  Concord. 
Nathan  Sirmon,  Joshua  Calloway,  and  John  Sirmon  were  promi- 
nent men  and  members  of  that  Society  at  its  organization. 
Nathan  Sirmon  was  class-leader.  Joshua  Calloway  and  John 
Sirmon  were  local  preachers. 

The  Kev.  Joshua  Calloway  was  a  holy  man,  and  a  zealous  and 
useful  preacher.  He  often  attended  his  appointments  under  in- 
conveniences and  with  much  fatigue,  even  going  on  foot  ten  and 


Mj^jjilgj 


TJie  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         203 

m  — - 

fifteen  miles.     His  descendants   are   still   in  the  country,  and 
members  of  the  Church  at  Concord. 

Nathan  Sirmon  was  a  man  of  humble  deportment,  and  amiable 
disposition,  who  sympathized  with  the  poor  and  administered  to 
the  relief  of  the  distressed.  For  forty-four  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Church,  thirty  years  a  class-leader,  and  for  twenty 
years  claimed  and  enjoyed  the  special  blessing  of  sanctification, 
and  lived  a  sanctified  life.  He  was  noted  for  integrity  and  pi- 
ety. Throughout  the  days  of  his  last  sickness  on  earth  he  was 
in  ecstasies  of  joy,  and  on  April  16,  1850,  in  the  sixty-fourth 
year  of  his  age,  at  his  home  near  Concord  Church,  he  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus. 

The  Rev.  John  Sirmon  was  the  son  of  Nathan  Sirmon,  and 
was  one  of  the  most  noted  men  in  the  Forks  of  Sepulga.  He 
was  a  preacher  of  remarkable  spiritual  power.  He  had  a  good 
report  of  them  that  were  without.  The  descendants  of  Nathan 
and  John  Sirmon  are  still  in  the  land,  and  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church. 

John  Wright,  Sheldrick  Kendrick,  James  Wright,  Allen  Page, 
and  William  Russell  were  leading  members  at  Concord.  John 
Wright  and  his  wife,  the  father  and  mother  of  the  Rev.  David 
J.  Wright  now,  1890,  a  member  of  the  Alabama  Conference, 
joined  the  Church  at  Concord  in  1830.  At  the  house  of  John 
Wright  the  preachers  of  the  Conecuh  Circuit  used  to  rest  and 
have  their  wants  supplied  and  their  washing  done.  The  bless- 
ings of  God  have  been  upon  Concord,  and  upon  the  descendants 
of  those  who  first  constituted  its  membership. 

The  first  preacher  ever  appointed  to  Conecuh  Circuit  was 
Thomas  Clinton;  and  at  the  close  of  his  year  there  he  reported 
two  hundred  and  sixty  white  and  one  hundred  and  fifteen  col- 
ored members;  sixty-five  colored  members  more  than  were  re- 
ported to  be  there  the  year  before,  and  eight  white  members 
less. 

The  preachers  for  that  Circuit  for  1822  were  John  Booth, 
Francis  R.  Cheatham.  The  members  reported  at  the  end  of 
that  year  were  four  hundred  and  twenty-one  white  and  nineteen 
colored,  a  very  remarkable  decrease  in  colored  members. 

The  appointments  for  1823  were:  Conecuh,  Barnabas  Pipkin, 
Sup.,  Elijah  B.  McKay.  At  the  session  of  the  Conference  at  the 
close  of  that  year  the  number  of  members  reported  for  Conecuh 


204 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Circuit  were  three  hundred  and  twenty-eight  whites  and  eighty- 
two  colored.  The  Kev.  Elijah  B.  McKay  had  just  been  admit- 
ted on  trial  in  the  Conference  when  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Conecuh  Circuit,  and  that  was  the  last  work  he  served  in  the 
bounds  of  the  State  of  Alabama.  He  filled  appointments  in  the 
States  of  Mississippi  and  Louisiana. 

For  1824:  Conecuh,  Zachariah  Williams,  Eobert  L.  Walker; 
1825:  John  Cotton,  Samuel  Davis. 

The  Eev.  Samuel  Davis  had  just  been  admitted  on  trial  in 
the  Conference  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  Conecuh  Circuit, 
and  he  was  discontinued  at  the  end  of  the  year. 

The  preachers  for  Conecuh  Circuit  for  1826  were:  William 
Spruill,  Eichard  H.  Herbert. 

The  Conecuh  Circuit  and  the  year  1826  closed  the  work  of  the 
Eev.  Eichard  H.  Herbert  in  Alabama.  At  the  close  of  1829, 
having  attained  deacon's  and  elder's  orders,  he  located. 

For  1827:  Conecuh,  Eobert  L.  Walker,  Lewis  Turner;  1828: 
Conecuh,  Henry  J.  Brown,  James  A.  Hughes;  1829:  Conecuh, 
James  A.  Hughes,  John  A.  Cotton. 

The  following  letters,  put  in  print  by  the  Christian  Advocate, 
and  Journal  and  Zion's  Herald,  transmit  to  this  generation  an 
account  of  the  state  of  religion  in  the  Conecuh  Circuit  at  the 

dates  which  they  bear: 

"Claiborne,  Alabama,  June  22, 1829. 

"  Notwithstanding  I  prefer  hearing  to  speaking,  I  think  duty 
calls  me  in  thje  present  instance  to  say  a  little  in  behalf  of  the 
cause  of  God.  As  I  am  much  cheered  and  strengthened  by  the 
good  news  you  send  us  of  the  work  of  God  in  other  places,  so  I 
trust  others  may  be  refreshed  by  learning  what  he  is  doing  for 
us  on  Conecuh  Circuit.  Almost  every  appointment  in  the  Cir- 
cuit has  been  favored  with  an  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  within 
the  last  three  months.  One  hundred  and  fifty  have  joined  on 
probation,  many  of  whom  profess  to  have  found  the  pearl  of 
great  price,  and  the  others  seem  struggling  after  liberty,  while 
several  backsliders  have  been  reclaimed.  Glory  be  to  God  for 
his  goodness  unto  the  children  of  men. 

^  "  James  A.  Hughes." 

"Conecuh  Circuit,  S.  Alabama,  July  22, 1829. 
**Messrs.  Editors:— The  dawn  of  what  we  trust  will  prove  a 
bright  day  has  arisen  on  us.     Two  hundred  and  thirty  have 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         205 


been  added  to  the  Churches  since  the  beginning  of  this  year, 
which  is  a  wonderful  accession  compared  with  any  former  pe- 
riod. The  congregations  are  uncommonly  numerous  and  atten- 
tive. A  general  interest  is  manifested  on  the  subject  of  religion. 
It  is  the  theme  of  conversation  in  almost  every  circle.  It  is 
rare  to  see  two  persons  together,  whether  of  a  religious  or  irre- 
ligious character,  but  what  this  is  the  topic  of  discourse.  The 
professors,  too,  are  much  stirred  up;  and  within  my  knowledge 
several  backsliders  have  been  reclaimed. 
"  Yours  Fraternally,  W.  A.  Stewart." 

For  1830  the  appointments  were:  Conecuh,  John  A.  Cotton, 
Blanton  P.  Box.  The  following  letter,  put  in  print  and  pre- 
served to  the  present,  is  the  sole  item  which  has  come  to  hand 
concerning  the  work  in  that  Circuit  for  that  year: 

"  Bellville,  Alabama,  July  14,  1830. 
"The  Lord  is  doing  wonders  for  us  here.  Last  Sabbath  I 
preached  at  Bellville  to  a  large  and  attentive  congregation,  and 
the  Lord  made  bare  his  arm  in  the  awakening  and  conversion 
of  souls.  Two  professed  to  find  peace  in  believing.  Twelve 
joined  class  as  seekers.     May  they  soon  find. 

"  J.  A.  Cotton.*' 

The  last  appointment  received  in  Alabama  by  the  Eev.  John 
A.  Cotton  and  by  the  Eev.  Blanton  Powell  Box  was  the  Cone- 
cuh Circuit  for  1830.  Both  these  preachers  were  then  on  trial 
in  the  Conference  for  the  third  year.  At  the  close  of  that  year 
Cotton  was  received  into  full  connection  and  ordained  deacon, 
and  Box  was  discontinued.  Box  was  brought  np  in  humble 
circumstances,  and  knew  from  his  youth  what  it  was  to  contend 
with  adversity.  He  lived  for  many  years  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Conecuh  Circuit  as  a  local  preacher,  and  was,  for  a  time  at 
least,  the  Eecording  Steward  of  the  Circuit.  He  was  an  effi- 
cient local  preacher  and  an  influential  citizen  of  Conecuh 
County,  though  he  became  embarrassed  financially,  and  that,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  involved  his  influence.  He  finally  moved  to 
the  State  of  Arkansas,  and  died  in  Camden,  Arkansas,  March 
21,  1851,  in  the  forty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  When  told  that  he 
must  die,  his  reply  was:  "All  is  right!  I  am  not  taken  by  sur- 
prise. I  am  ready  to  live  or  die."  He  was  a  native  of  South 
Carolina,  and  he  obtained  a  saving  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ 


20G 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


in  the  State  of  Indiana,  entered  the  ministry  in  Alabama,  and 
Lis  body  rests  in  the  soil  of  Arkansas. 

The  Eev.  John  A.  Cotton  was  for  the  three  years  succeeding 
the  last  year  he  was  on  the  Conecuh  Circuit,  appointed  to  serve 
Circuits  in  the  bounds  of  the  State  of  Mississippi.  At  the  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference  which  met  at  Natchez,  Mississippi,  No- 
vember 13,  1833,  he  was,  for  breach  of  the  seventh  Command- 
ment committed  by  him,  deprived  of  his  ministerial  office.  In 
the  course  of  two  years  he  was,  through  some  process,  restored 
to  the  ministry  and  again  admitted  into  the  Mississippi  Con- 
ference on  trial,  and  given  an  appointment  in  the  State  of  Mis- 
sissippi, but  at  the  end  of  one  year  he  was  discontinued.  His 
light  went  out  in  uncleanness. 

The  Kev.  John  Cotton  who  was  one  of  the  preachers  on  the 
Conecuh  Circuit  for  1825  must  not  be  confounded  with  the 
Eev.  John  A.  Cotton  whose  fall  from  his  ministry  is  here  re- 
lated; they  were  different  men. 

The  preachers  on  the  Conecuh  Circuit  for  1831  were :  Thomas 
Burpo  and  William  Howie;  and  for  1832,  Joshua  Peavy  and 
Charles  McCleod. 

The  number  of  members  on  the  Conecuh  Circuit  at  the  close 
of  1832  was  five  hundred  and  seventy-nine  white  and  two  hun- 
dred and  seven  colored. 

The  Kev.  Joshua  Peavy  was  born  in  Brunswick  County, 
North  Carolina,  July  3,  1784.  In  January,  1818,  he  pitched  his 
tent  in  the  County  of  Monroe,  in  the  Alabama  Territory.  He 
pitched  his  tent  in  that  part  of  Monroe  County  which  was,  by 
an  act  of  the  Legislative  Council  and  House  of  Eepresentatives 
of  the  Alabama  Territory,  passed  February  13,  1818,  made 
Conecuh  County.  He  brought  with  him  to  Alabama  Territory 
a  wife  and  five  daughters,  and  his  eldest  son  was  born  in  the 
very  same  month  that  Conecuh  County  was  constituted.  The 
Eev.  Joshua  Peavy  and  his  family  were  in  Conecuh  County 
nearly  three  years  before  any  regular  preacher  was  appointed 
to  the  Conecuh  Circuit.  It  is  not  known  when  or  where  he  was 
licensed  to  preach.  It  is  said  that  he  commenced  preaching  in 
South  Carolina.     He  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Enoch 

George  at  some   point  in  Alabama,  11,  1821.     He  was 

received  on  trial  in  the  Mississippi  Conference  at  the  session 
bef^inning  December  25,  1828,  and  he  was  appointed  for  1829  to 


■MHMII 


Tlie  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         207 

the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit.  At  the  end  of  1829  he  was  discon- 
tinued, and  again  received  on  trial  in  the  Conference  in  No- 
vember, 1830,  and  for  1831  was  appointed  to  the  Tombecbee 
Circuit,  and  he  was  again  discontinued  at  the  session  of  the 
Alabama  Conference  beginning  November  27,  1832.  That  was 
the  first  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference,  and  the  last  itin- 
erant work  of  the  Eev.  Joshua  Peavy.  He  was  an  elder  elect 
when  he  was  received  on  trial  in  the  Conference  in  November, 
1830,  and  he  was  ordained  an  elder  by  Bishop  John  Emory,  in 
the  city  of  Montgomery,  Alabama,  December  13,  1833.  After 
severing  his  connection  with  the  Conference,  which  he  did  on 
account  of  impaired  health,  he  continued  to  reside  in  Conecuh 
County  until  some  time  after  1835.  He  finally  moved  to  AVil- 
cox  County,  and  settled  on  Gravel  Creek  near  Mount  Carmel, 
or  Gravel  Creek  Church.  There  he  had  his  home  until  his 
death.  He  died  January  5,  1852.  The  Eev.  A.  C.  Eamsey 
preached  his  funeral  from  the  text:  "I  have  fought  a  good 
fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith:  hence- 
forth there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which 
the  Lord,  the  righteous  judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day:  and 
not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love  his  appearing." 
(2  Tim.  iv.  7,  8.) 

The  Eev.  Joshua  Peavy  was  of  very  dark  complexion,  and  in 
his  youth  was  destitute  of  educational  facilities.  It  was  said 
that  when  he  commenced  preaching  he  commenced  to  educate 
himself,  and  that  as  he  was  scarcely  able  to  read  he  then  com- 
menced the  study  of  the  spelling  book.  His  knowledge  of  the 
science  of  language  was  ever  defective.  There  were  many 
inaccuracies  in  his  speech.  But  he  was  endowed  with  ex- 
traordinary mental  powers.  He  had  the  power  of  appli- 
cation and  of  investigation.  He  had  a  retentive  mind  and  a 
thirst  for  knowledge.  While  he  knew  nothing  of  the  elegance 
of  diction,  and  while  his  knowledge  of  his  mother- tongue  was 
imperfect,  yet  by  diligence  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  he 
became  one  of  the  most  thorough  divines  in  the  section  of 
country  in  which  he  lived.  It  was  generally  conceded  that  he 
had  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  and  he  was  considered 
a  lucid  and  an  edifying  preacher.  He  made  extensive  acquisi- 
tions in  Methodist  literature.  He  read  and  in  some  measure 
mastered  Wesley's  Sermons,  Fletcher's  Checks,  Clarke's  Com- 


203 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


mentaries,  and  Watson's  Institutes.     By  those  who  associated 
with    him  he  was   esteemed  a   first  rate   commentator.     His 
method  o£  unfolding  and  enforcing  the  Scriptures  was  instruct- 
ive and  convincing.     He  made  his  statemeuts  in  concise  form, 
and  his  reasoning  was  convincing.     He  elucidated  his  themes 
and  established  his  propositions.     He  was  a  doctrinal  preacher, 
and  had  a  fondness  for  contests  and  combats  on  controverted 
points  of  doctrine.     He  was  in  the  arena,  and  whenever  the 
doctrines  which  he  had  espoused  were  apsailed  he  engaged  in 
their  defense,  and  he  was  a  champion  whose  shield  was  never 
broken,   and  whose  cause   never  suffered.     When  he  drew  a 
l^nce  he  transfixed  his  enemy.     He  was  a  master  in  polemics. 
The  following  occurrence  may  serve  to  indicate  the  alacrity 
with  which  he  met  heretics,  and  the  zeal  with  which  he  en- 
gaged in  driving  away  erroneous  doctrines:    In   1835,   while 
Peavy  still  resided  in  Conecuh  County,  a  preacher  who  was  dis- 
seminating the  doctrines  of  Universalism,  and  who  had  previ- 
ously resided  in  the  North,  made  his  advent  in  the  community 
of  Bellville,  and  at  once  obtained  permission  to  preach  in  the 
Baptist  Church  in  that  vicinity.     He  advertised  as  extensively 
as  the  facilities  at  his  command  would  enable  him  to  do,  that  at 
the  coming  appointment  he  would  preach  on  the  subject  of 
Dives  and  Lazarus,  and  that  the  time  would  be  devoted  mainly 
to  an  exposition  of  the  language:  "And  in  hell  he  lifted  up  his 
eyes,  being  in  torments."     The  day  for  the  sermon  arrived,  the 
people  assembled,  and  the  preacher  performed  his  task  in  his 
own  way.     He  did,  no  doubt,  the  best  he  could  in  the  defense 
of  Universalism.     The  Rev.   Joshua  Peavy  made  one  of  the 
congregation,  and  heard  the  sermon,  the  purpose  of  which  was 
to  prove  that  the  rich  man  was  only  in  the  grave  and  not  in 
hell,  a  place  of  eternal  punishment,  and  that  Hades  means  only 
the  grave  and  Gehenna  means  no  more  than  the  valley  on  the 
borders  of  Jerusalem.    When  the  Universalist  ended  his  ser- 
mon the  Rev.  Joshua  Peavy  announced  to  the  congregation 
that  he  would  preach  on  the  same  theme  two  weeks  from  that 
day,  and  that  he  would  refute  the  doctrines  which  had  been  an- 
nounced by  the  Universalist  preacher.     He  invited  all  the  con- 
gregation to  be  present  to  hear  what  he  would  have  to  say  on 
the  subject,  and  especially  requested  the  Universalist  preacher 
to  attend  and  hear  the  sermon  which  would  demolish  his  foun- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         209 

dations.  The  news  of  what  was  to  be,  spread  rapidly,  and 
when  the  day  for  the  delivery  of  the  sermon  arrived,  there  was 
a  vast  concourse  of  persons  assembled — such  a  multitude  that 
the  Methodist  Church  which  stood  near  the  town  of  Bellville, 
where  the  sermon  was  to  be  preached,  though  it  was  a  large 
frame  building,  could  not  contain  the  congregation.  Such  an 
assembly  had  not  been  seen  in  that  section  for  years,  if  ever. 
Seats  were  improvised  and  arranged  in  the  grove  under  thi9 
shade  of  the  trees  for  the  multitude,  and  Brother  Peavy  pro- 
ceeded with  the  service,  and  delivered  his  sermon  in  the  expo- 
sition of  the  Scriptures  descriptive  of  the  character  and  fate  of 
Dives  and  Lazarus,  and  the  Scriptures  which  pertain  to  the  ex- 
istence of  a  state  of  future  retribution.  He  had  selected  every 
passage  and  incident  in  the  Bible  which  pertained  to  the  sub- 
ject of  a  future  state  of  retribution.  He  had  prepared  himself 
thoroughly  for  the  work  of  the  day.  He  read  and  commented 
upon  every  passage  and  incident  bearing  on  the  subject  in  hand, 
and  then  presented  a  powerful  argument  on  the  subject  drawn 
from  the  nature  of  God,  from  the  nature  of  the  divine  law, 
from  the  nature  of  sin,  and  from  the  character  of  the  wicked. 
For  two  hours  he  held  his  vast  audience  in  silent  and  profound 
attention.  The  Universalist  preacher  who  had  delivered  the 
sermon  which  Peavy  was  refuting  was  present,  took  notes  of 
the  discourse,  and  afterward  published  in  a  newspaper  of  Uni- 
versalist faith  a  reply  to  Peavy's  sermon,  but  no  further  notice 
was  taken  of  the  matter.  The  Universalist  preacher  soon  quit 
preaching  and  took  up  another  calling.  While  Universalism 
had  a  few  adherents  in  that  section  of  the  State,  especially 
about  Burnt  Corn,  the  cause  never  prospered  there  from  the 
day  the  Rev.  Joshua  Peavy  gave  it  such  a  refutation. 

That  man,  the  Rev.  Joshua  Peavy,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Alabama,  and  as  a  Methodist  preacher  he  worked  in  Alabama  a 
third  of  a  century.  Two  of  his  sons,  the  Rev.  William  N. 
Peavy  and  the  Rev.  John  W.  Peavy,  were  once  members  of  the 
Alabama  Conference  and  worked  in  the  regular  pastorate  for  a 
number  of  years.  Two  of  his  grandsons,  the  Rev.  Joshua  S. 
Peavy  and  the  Rev.  John  R.  Peavy,  are  now  members  of  the 
Alabama  Conference.  His  sons  and  his  grandsons  attained 
good  rank  as  preachers. 

In  1821  a  work  was  done  which,  though  the  result  was  a  little 
14 


210 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


delayed,  eventuated  in  the  organization  of  the  Cedar  Creek  Cir- 
cuit. At  that  time  there  was  a  section  of  country  between  the 
Alabama,  the  Cahawba,  the  Conecuh,  the  Tombecbee,  and  the 
Tuskaloosa  Circuits,  which  was  outside  of  all  these  pastoral 
charges  and  unoccupied  by  any.  Into  that  unoccupied  section 
of  country,  in  1821,  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Alabama  District, 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Griffin,  upon  whose  borders  it  lay,  extended 
his  labors,  and,  with  such  of  his  assistant  preachers  as  could  be 
commanded  for  the  work,  he  held  a  number  of  meetings.  A 
few  paragraphs  from  a  report  of  that  work  made  by  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Griffin,  and  which  paragraphs  are  still  extant,  may  be 
given  here.  They  will  furnish  the  best  information  which  can 
be  given  concerning  the  state  of  the  country,  and  the  character 
and  difficulties  of  the  work  of  that  day:  • 

"  On  the  2nd  of  August  we  commenced  a  Camp  Meeting  on 
the  banks  of  the  Alabama  River,  thirty  miles  below  the  town  of 
Cahawba,  the  seat  of  government  for  this  State.  From  the  pau- 
city of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  affliction  many  were  suffering 
from  a  prevailing  fever,  there  were  not  many  that  attended  this 
meeting.  Some  disorder  was  witnessed;  but  he  that  command- 
ed the  boisterous  winds  to  be  still,  appeared  in  our  behalf,  and, 
before  the  exercises  closed,  some  were  brought,  as  we  have  rea- 
son to  believe,  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth. 

"August  10th,  another  meeting  began  thirty  miles  above  Ca- 
hawba, on  the  bank  of  the  above-mentioned  river.  A  numerous 
concourse  of  people  attended,  and  much  good  was  done.  On 
Tuesday  morning,  I  requested  all  who  had  obtained  an  evidence 
of  their  conversion  to  God,  to  come  forward  to  the  altar,  when 
thirty-seven  presented  themselves.  The  two  last  Meetings  were 
held  in  a  forest,  and  the  Indians  were  fishing  in  the  river,  while 
we  were  preaching  and  praying;  the  bears  were  ravaging  the 
corn-fields,  and  the  wolves  and  tigers  were  howling  and  scream- 
ing in  the  very  woods  in  the  neighborhood  of  our  meeting. 

"These  accounts  may  seem  unimportant  to  those  who  are  ac- 
customed to  more  numerous  congregations,  and  who  have  the 
privilege  of  assembling  in  convenient  houses;  but  to  us,  who  are 
struggling  with  many  difficulties  in  this  newly  settled  conntry, 
it  is  highly  gratifying,  and  fills  us  with  a  pleasing  hope  of  yet 
seeing  the  desert  blossom  as  the  rose,'' 

The  work  of  penetrating  that  section  by  the  divine  embassa- 


liHiiiaiiaM 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,  211 

dors  and  of  gathering  a  membership  therein  went  on,  and  at  the 
session  of  the  Annual  Conference  held  at  John  McRae's,  Chick- 
asawhay  River,  December  5,  1822,  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit  was 
incorporated  in  the  list  of  appointments  for  the  ensuing  year. 

There  is  a  large  stream  which  has  its  source  in  the  region  of 
Fort  Deposit,  and  has  a  length,  including  its  meanderings,  of 
from  fifty  to  seventy-five  miles,  and  forms  a  junction  with  the 
Alabama  River  about  six  miles  south  of  the  mouth  of  the  Ca- 
hawba River,  and  the  once  town  of  Cahawba  and  capital  of  the 
State  of  Alabama.  It  is  called  Cedar  Creek,  and  for  that  stream 
the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit  was  named.  At  its  first  organization, 
and  it  may  be  said  as  long  as  it  had  a  name  and  an  existence, 
the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit  covered  a  vast  scope  of  country.  It  ex- 
tended from  Big  Swamp  Creek  to  Flat  Creek,  and  from  the 
Alabama  River  to  the  head  waters  of  Pigeon  Creek.  There  were 
appointments  belonging  to  that  Circuit  in  the  Counties  of  But- 
ler, Dallas,  Lowndes,  Monroe,  and  Wilcox. 

Shady  Grove  was  the  name  of  one  of  the  oldest  Churches  in 
the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit.  That  Church  was  at  its  first  location 
about  three  miles  west  of  what  is  now  Camden,  the  seat  of  jus- 
tice for  Wilcox  County.  It  was  afterward  moved  about  one 
mile  east  from  where  it  was  first  established. 

In  1816  William  Hobbs  and  Benjamin  Dunn  emigrated  to  Al- 
abama and  settled  in  or  near  the  confines  of  what  has  long  been 
known  as  Possom  Bend.     Others  also  settled  there  at  that  early 
date.     Hobbs  and  Dunn,  together  with  several  members  of  their 
families,  were  active  and  devoted  Methodists.     Hobbs  and  Dunn 
were  Class  Leaders  and  exhorters.     These  two  men  held  Class 
Meetings  and  other  meetings  for  religious  services  with  such  as 
could  be  assembled  for  the  purpose.     For  some  time  after  these 
men  established  themselves  in  that  section  there  were  no  reg- 
ular preachers  in  the  country,  and  these  men  had  to  hold  their 
services  for  several  years  in  private  residences.     Occasionally  a 
preacher  would  pass  through  the  country  and  preach  for  them. 
In  1822  Hobbs  and  Dunn,  with  the  help  of  a  few  others,  built 
a  house  of  worship.     It  was  a  very  common  house,  built  of  poles. 
That  was  Shady  Grove.     About  that  time  Glover,  Williamson, 
and  Holly,  with  large  families,  and  others  also,  became  citizens 
of  that  community,  and  became  members  of  the  Church  at 
Shady  Grove.    About  1826  a  neat  house,  built  of  hewed  logs, 


f^m^miii^si^mm^ 


212 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


I 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,  213 


was  erected  in  lieu  of  the  one  made  of  poles.  The  hewed-log 
house  was  located  about  one  mile  east  of  the  first  one,  but  took 
the  place  of  the  house  built  of  poles,  and  was  called  Shady  Grove. 

About  the  time  the  new  church  was  built  or  a  very  short 
while  after  a  numerous  family  by  the  name  of  Stearns  located 
in  the  community  of  Shady  Grove.  They  were  all  Methodists. 
The  Eev.  Paul  F.  Stearns  was  a  local  preacher  who  worked 
there  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  living  in  that  neigh- 
borhood when  he  was  recommended  to  the  Annual  Conference 
for  admission  into  the  traveling  connection. 

Just  about  the  time  the  new  house  was  built  John  Hollis,  who 
was  a  member  of  that  Society,  and  who  married  a  Miss  Glover, 
who  was  also  a  member,  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  he  preached 
in  that  section  as  a  local  preacher  for  ten  or  twelve  years,  then 
moved  west.     He  was  a  useful  man,  and  died  in  the  faith. 

In  the  very  early  history  of  Shady  Grove  the  Blues,  the  Ca- 
pells,  the  Dannellys,  and  the  Hawkinses  came  in  and  were  mem- 
bers there.  There  were,  perhaps,  two  Camp-meetings  held  at 
Shady  Grove,  but  the  Camp-ground  for  that  neighborhood,  and 
at  which  the  Camp-meetings  were  held  from  the  first,  was  three 
miles  north  of  the  present  town  of  Camden,  and  on  the  Alaba- 
ma Kiver,  and  was  known  as  the  Glover  Camp-ground.  Meet- 
ings were  held  there  with  vast  crowds  at  times,  and  with  grand 
results. 

Shady  Grove  flourisiied  all  through  its  history,  and  until 
about  1850,  when  it  was  abandoned,  the  membership  then  remov- 
ing to  the  town  of  Camden. 

Ebenezer,  in  Section  sixteen,  Township  eleven,  Range  ten, 
and  at  the  place  afterward  known  as  Oak  Ridge,  or  Oak  Hill,  in 
the  County  of  Wilcox,  was  one  of  the  earliest  Societies  estab- 
lished in  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit.  The  second  house  built  by 
the  Society  there  was  ready  for  displacement  by  the  year  1832. 

Mount  Carmel,  on  or  near  Gravelly  Creek,  usually  called 
Gravel  Creek  Church,  and  about  eight  miles  south  of  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Camden,  was  organized  in  the  very  first  years  of  the 
Cedar  Creek  Circuit.  For  many  long  years  there  was  at  that 
place  a  log  house.  Dr.  John  Harrington,  Israel  Davis,  and  Ed- 
ward Warren  and  their  families  were  prominent  members  in 
that  Society.  That  Society  still  exists,  1890,  and  is  more  than 
three  score  years  old.     It  has  sent  out  a  number  of  preachers. 


Union  Church,  on  the  Tallachee  Creek,  in  Section  five.  Town- 
ship ten.  Range  seven,  and  nearly  or  quite  in  sight  of  the  line 
between  the  Counties  of  Monroe  and  Wilcox  and  on  the  road 
leading  from  Mrs.  McCant's  Entry  to  the  Bell's  Landing  Post- 
office,  was  one  of  the  Churches  early  established  in  the  Cedar 
Creek  Circuit.  Like  nearly  all  the  other  churches  in  that  sec- 
tion its  first  house  of  worship  was  built  of  logs. 

Providence,  a  small  Society,  with  a  little  log  house,  about  two 
miles  west  of  what  was  once  called  Warrenton,  in  Dallas  Coun- 
ty, was  one  of  the  preaching  places,  in  the  early  times,  in  the 
Cedar  Creek  Circuit. 

Pleasant  Hill,  also  in  Dallas  County,  was  one  of  the  appoint- 
ments of  that  Circuit. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  Alabama  River  from  the  town  of 
Cahawba  and  a  league  or  so  away  in  a  south-east  direction,  was 
organized  and  provided  with  a  house  of  worship  one  of  the  So- 
cieties which  for  many  years  belonged  to  the  Cedar  Creek  Cir- 
cuit. That  Society  was  organized,  possibly,  as  early  as  the  first 
part  of  1822,  and  was  certainly  domiciled  in  its  own  house  of 
worship  before  the  last  part  of  1824  It  was  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  that  Society  that  the  Rev.  Joseph  Walker,  a  local 
preacher,  and  who  previously  lived  near  Montevallo,  and  was 
the  father  of  the  Rev.  Robert  L.  Walker,  and  the  father  of  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hearn,  settled  by  at  least  1822.  It 
was  in  the  neighborhood  of  that  Society  that  the  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Hearn  and  Miss  Mary  Walker  married  November  7,  1822,  and 
it  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  that  Church  that  the  Rev.  Eben- 
ezer Hearn  had  his  home  for  twelve  years  beginning  in  1825. 

By  an  act  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
State  of  Alabama  passed  December  18, 1821,  the  town  of  Butts- 
ville  was  made  the  permanent  seat  of  justice  in  and  for  the 
County  of  Butler;  and  by  an  act  of  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  State  passed  December  28,  1822,  the 
name  of  Buttsville  was  changed  to  that  of  Greenville.  Not 
more  than  twenty  days  prior  to  the  Legislative  act  changing  the 
name  of  Buttsville  to  that  of  Greenville,  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence had  for  the  first  time  announced  the  name  of  the  Cedar 
Creek  Circuit  and  had  appointed  two  preachers  to  it,  and  Green- 
ville early  became  one  of  the  appoiatments  of  that  Circuit,  and 
continued  for  a  number  of  years  connected  therewith. 


mmmMm^mx 


214 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Another  of  the  churches  of  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit,  and  one 
that  was  organized  in  the  first  years  of  the  existence  of  said  Cir- 
cuit, and  which  was  commonly  called  McFarland's,  was  on  the 
Federal  Koad  several  miles  from  Fort  Deposit.  In  the  latter 
part  of  1819  James  McFarland,  for  whom  the  church  here  under 
consideration  was  named,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  other 
members  of  his  family  moved  from  Richmond  County,  North 
Carolina  to  Alabama,  and  settled  on  the  Federal  Road  where 
said  church  was  afterward  organized.  It  is  not  possible  at  this 
date  to  tell  who  were  members  of  the  Society  at  McFarland's, 
but  it  is  a  fact  that  Mrs.  Flora  McFarland,  the  wife  of  James 
McFarland,  and  who  came  with  her  husband  from  North  Caro- 
lina at  the  date  above  given,  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  her  adopted  State  in  1825,  and  was  a  member  at  the 
Church  bearing  her  husband's  name  for  about  twenty-six  years, 
and  that  she  was  a  woman  of  uniform  piety  and  of  strict  integ- 
rity, and  that  in  her  last  hours  she  was  calm  and  her  last  words 
were  words  of  assurance. 

The  Cedar  Creek  Circuit  for  its  first  year  had  two  preachers: 
Armstrong  I.  Blackburn  and  Edmund  Pearson.  The  Rev.  Arm- 
strong I.  Blackburn  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Conference  in 
December,  1821,  and  was  discontinued  at  the  end  of  the  year  on 
the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit. 

The  appointments  were  for  1824:  Cedar  Creek,  Joshua  Boucher; 
for  1825:  Cedar  Creek,  Joshua  Boucher,  Thomas  E.  Ledbetter; 
for  1826:  Cedar  Creek,  Benjamin  Dulany,  Le  Roy  Massengale; 
for  1827:  Cedar  Creek,  Benjamin  Dulany,  William  H.  Turnley. 

The  year  1827  closed  the  connection  of  the  Rev.  Benjamin 
Dulany  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  record  re- 
ports him  as  locating  at  the  end  of  his  work  on  the  Cedar  Creek 
Circuit  at  the  close  of  1827.  He  left  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  joined  the  Reformers. 

The  Rev.  William  H.  Turnley  had  just  been  received  on  trial 
in  the  Conference  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  Cedar  Creek 
Circuit,  and  that  Circuit  was  the  only  appointment  he  ever  had 
in  Alabama.  He  continued  in  the  itinerant  work  about  eleven 
years  and  then  located.  He  filled  important  works  in  Missis- 
sippi, Louisiana,  and  Arkansas.  He  was  presiding  elder  two 
years.  He  was  a  member^of  the  Arkansas  Conference  at  the 
time  he  obtained  a  location. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         215 


The  appointment  was  for  1828:  Cedar  Creek,  Jephthah  Hughes. 
He  had  just  been  admitted  into  the  Conference  in  full  connec- 
tion. The  year  1827  he  was  on  the  Saint  Clair  Circuit,  the  only 
year  that  work  had  existed.  The  year  1828  closed  his  work  in 
Alabama.  He  obtained  a  location  of  the  Arkansas  Conference 
at  the  close  of  1838. 

The  appointments  were  for  1829:  Cedar  Creek,  Joshua  Peavy ; 
for  1830:  Cedar  Creek,  Le  Roy  Massengale;  for  1831:  Cedar 
Creek,  Daniel  Monaghon,  J.  Matthews;  for  1832:  Cedar  Creek, 
Daniel  B.  Barlow,  John  Jackson. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  there  were  reported  on  the  Cedar 
Creek  Circuit  three  hundred  and  nineteen  white  and  one  hun- 
dred and  twelve  colored  members.  At  the  close  of  1829  there 
were  on  that  Circuit  five  hundred  and  seventy-three  white  and 
one  hundred  and  eighty  colored  members.  At  the  close  of  1832 
there  were  on  the  Circuit  four  hundred  and  thirty-one  white  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty-seven  colored  members.  It  is  very  doubt- 
ful if  the  membership  increased  as  rapidly  as  did  the  population. 
In  another  place  will  be  stated  the  probable  cause  operating 
against  the  increase  of  Methodist  strength  in  that  Circuit. 

For  the  first  time  the  Franklin  Circuit  appeared  in  the  list  of 
the  appointments  for  1821,  and  for  that  and  the  two  years  next 
succeeding  embraced  the  Counties  of  Franklin,  Lawrence,  and 
Morgan.  At  the  expiration  of  1823  the  Lawrence  Circuit  was 
formed,  and  it  occupied  Morgan  County  and  a  part  of  Law- 
rence. 

At  the  time  the  Franklin  Circuit  was  first  formed  the  country 
was  new  and  sparsely  settled,  but  there  were  in  its  bounds  five 
incorporated  towns,  then  bearing  the  following  names:  Court- 
land,  Moulton,  Ococopaso,  Russellville,  and  Somerville. 

The  first  preacher  appointed  to  the  Franklin  Circuit  was  the 
Rev.  Nicholas  T.  Snead,  a  man  who  had  just  been  admitted  on 
trial  in  the  Mississippi  Conference.  For  1822  the  Rev.  Barna- 
bas Pipkin,  and  for  1823  the  Rev.  Peyton  S.  Graves,  and  the 
Rev.  John  R.  Lambuth  were  the  preachers  who  served  that  Cir- 
cuit. For  1824,  the  year  following  the  reduction  of  the  territo- 
ry embraced  in  that  Circuit  in  the  manner  already  indicated,  the 
preacher  was  the  Rev.  Benjamin  F.  Liddon. 

The  following  is  an  exact  record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  first 
Quarterly  Conference  for  that  Circuit  for  that  year: 


216 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


"  The  First  Quarterly  Meeting  for  Franklin  Circuit  was  held 
at  Tuscumbia,  on  Saturday,  the  13  March,  1824.  Present:  Al- 
exander Sale,  P.  E.  Benjamin  F.  Liddon,  A.  P.  David  Owen, 
L.  E.  James  Smith,  L.  P.  William  Smith,  C.  L.  John  Hale, 
C.  L.  Kichard  Thompson,  C.  L.  W.  S.  Jones,  Std.  Question, 
Are  there  any  complaints  or  appeals?  Ans.  None.  Are  there 
any  Licenses  to  be  renewed  or  granted?  Ans.  None.  Ordered 
by  the  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference  that  John  Harvey  be  ap- 
pointed Steward  for  Franklin  Circuit. 

Alexander  Sale,  P.  E. 

William  S.  Jones,  Secty.  Quarterage  $10. 12 J 

Paid  Alexander  Sale  S4.31J 

Paid  Be.  R  Liddon  $5.81i." 

The  place  here  mentioned  at  which  that  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence was  held  was,  by  an  act  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Kep- 
resentatives  of  the  State  of  Alabama,  passed  December  20, 1820, 
incorporated  as  the  town  of  Ococopaso,  and  by  an  act  of  the 
Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of  Alabama, 
passed  June  14,  1821,  the  name  was  "altered  to  that  of  Big 
Spring,"  and  by  an  act  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representa- 
tives of  the  State  of  Alabama,  passed  December  31, 1822,  the  name 
was  "changed  to  that  of  Tuscumbia,"  which  name  it  has  since  held. 

As  early  as  1823  the  Methodists  held  worship  at  Tuscumbia 
in  a  small  school-house,  built  of  logs,  and  that  school-house  was 
used  by  all  denominations  for  some  time.  The  Methodists  used 
it  until  the  close  of  1827,  when  they  went  into  a  brick  church 
which  they  had  erected.  Tuscumbia  continued  as  one  of  the  ap- 
pointments of  the  Franklin  Circuit  until  1828,  when  it  was  set 
off  to  itself,  and  given  a  preacher.  It  continued  as  a  Station 
until  the  close  of  1840,  when  it  fell  back  again  into  the  Frank- 
lin Circuit. 

David  Owen,  local  elder,  mentioned  in  the  Minutes  of  the 
Quarterly  Conference  for  Franklin  Circuit  at  Tuscumbia,  March 
13,  1824,  was  the  same  David  Owen  mentioned  in  a  previous 
chapter  as  living,  in  1818,  on  Village  Creek,  at  or  near  where 
Birmingham  now  stands.  His  name  appeared  on  the  Minutes 
of  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Russellville,  May  16,  1829, 
for  the  last  time.  That  was  the  last  Quarterly  Conference  he 
ever  attended.  Russellville  was  his  home  at  that  time,  and  his 
body  was  buried  near  that  village  when  he  died. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Worki         21? 


> 


I 


James  Smith,  mentioned  as  a  local  preacher,  and  as  present 
at  the  Quarterly  Conference  for  Franklin  Circuit,  at  Tuscumbia, 
March  13,  1824,  did,  in  due  course,  advance  to  elder's  orders, 
and  did  continue  through  long  years  a  local  preacher.     The  last 
Quarterly  Conference   he   ever   attended  was   held  at  Mount 
Pleasant,  December  25,  1852.     In  a  short  time  thereafter  he 
was  taken  sick,  and,  lingering  about  ten  days,  died.     His  funer- 
al services  were  conducted  by  the  Rev.  A.  G.  Copeland.     The 
Rev.  James  Smith  was  an  earnest,  pious  Christian,  and  a  zeal- 
ous and   laborious   preacher.     His  Church  loved  him,  and  all 
who  knew  him  respected  him.     He  had  his  name  on  the  Church 
Register   at   Mount    Pleasant,  a   Society  established   at   first 
through  his  influence.     In  the  latter  years  of  his  life  it  was  a 
Society  with  a  large  membership  and  a  commodious  house  of 
worship.     That   Society  still   exists.     "The   Third   Quarterly 
Meeting  for  Franklin  Circuit  was  held  at  the  Camp  Meeting 
near   James   Smith's,  on   Saturday,  the  11   September,  1824." 
Since  then  many  a  Quarterly  Conference  has  been  held  there. 
Mount  Pleasant  is  about  ten  miles  east  of  Russellville  on  the 
road  leading  to  Moulton,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  a  little  village 
called  Newburgh,  and  at  this  time  is  near  the  line  of  Colbert, 
Franklin,  and  Lawrence  Counties.     It  is  now,  perhaps,  in  Col- 
bert  County.     In   Smith's   time   it  was   in   Franklin   County. 
Newburgh  is  now  in  Franklin  County. 

Through  all  the  history  of  the  Franklin  and  Russell's  Valley 
Circuits  included  in  all  the  years  from  1820  to  1870  run  the  life 
and  labors  of  William  S.  Jones,  the  man  who  was  Secretary  of 
the  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  the  Franklin  Circuit,  at  Tus- 
cumbia, March  13,  1824,  and  Secretary  of  most  of  the  Quarter- 
ly Conferences  for  that  Circuit  from  that  time  on.  About  1820, 
as  tradition  has  it,  and  ere  he  had  yet  reached  a  quarter  of  a 
century  in  years,  William  S.  Jones  settled  in  Russell's  Valley,  in 
which  Valley  he  lived  until  his  demise  January  30,  1870.  Some 
time  previous  to  1827,  the  ejiact  year  is  not  now  known,  a  house 
of  worship  was  built  in  Russell's  Valley  which  was  known  in  the 
official  records  as  "  Jones's  Meeting  House."  The  Minutes  of 
the  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  the  Franklin  Circuit,  Febru- 
ary 9,  1828,  contains  the  following  item  of  business  transacted: 
"David  Owen,  William  S.  Jones,  W.  R.  Saddler,  John  W. 
Harris,  S.  Sale,  S.  B.  White,  Manson  Jones,  Aaron  Day,  and 


218 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Augustus  Saddler  appointed  Trustees  for  Jones's  Meeting 
House,  (Russell's  Valley);  and  also  for  a  Meeting  House  con- 
templated to  be  built  in  Russell ville."  Some  time  previous  to 
1830  there  was  a  Camp  Ground  established,  on  the  place  of  Wil- 
liam S.  Jones,  near  Russellville,  at  which  many  great  Meetings 
were  held  and  at  which  many  souls  were  convicted  and  justified. 
In  after  years  that  Camp  Ground  was  removed  three  miles  from 
its  original  site. 

There  is  a  tradition  to  the  effect  that  William  S.  Jones  was 
brought  into  the  kingdom  of  grace  under  the  ministry  of  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Madden,  in  the  year  1820,  when  the  Cotaco  Cir- 
cuit held  preemption  right  to  all  Cotaco,  Lawrence,  and  Frank- 
lin Counties.  In  the  earliest  Church  Record  for  that  section 
now  extant  is  found  the  name  of  William  S.  Jones;  and  that 
Record  shows  that  he  was  then  a  steward  of  the  Church,  and 
that  same  Record  extending  on  into  the  years  following  shows 
that  he  remained  in  the  office  of  steward  for  more  than  forty- 
six  years. 

To  William  S.  Jones  belonged  idiosyncrasies,  and  individual- 
ity. He  was  inflexible,  and  pious.  In  both  personal  and  offi- 
cial duty  he  was  prompt,  punctual,  and  faithful.  He  prayed  in 
private  and  in  public,  and  had  his  own  family  altar.  He  was  fa- 
miliar with  the  doctrines  and  with  the  songs  of  his  Church. 
He  was  obedient  to  the  discipline  of  the  Church,  attended  upon 
her  ordinances,  and  supported  her  institutions.  For  the  preach- 
er who  served  his  Circuit  and  for  the  preacher's  family,  when 
one  he  had,  William  S.  Jones  furnished,  in  his  own  house,  bed^ 
board,  and  books;  and  the  preacher's  horse  he  had  curried,  fed, 
and  watered  at  his  own  expense. 

The  Rev.  R.  H.  Rivers,  D.D.,  the  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Jones, 
makes  the  following  statements  concerning  him:  "He  was  a 
man  of  generous  hospitality.  He  loved  most  of  all  the  society 
of  the  preachers.  Bishops,  Presiding  Elders,  and  his  own  Cir- 
cuit preachers  were  always  received  with  a  most  cordial  welcome, 
and  ministered  unto  as  lovingly  as  if  they  had  been  angels  of 
mercy.  He  often  recurred  with  pleasure  to  the  dignified  Soule, 
the  sweet  spirited  Roberts,  the  eccentric  Faris,  the  zealous 
James  McFerrin,  the   poetic    Madden,  and  the   imperial   Mc- 

Mahon." 

"  During  his  last  illness,  and  but  a  short  time  before  he  died, 


HMBMBtBiWB^awS! 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         219 


he  asked  his  old  friend.  Brother  Harris,  to  write  to  my  wife  and 
say  to  her:  *  I  am  dying.  I  shall  never  leave  this  bed  until  I  am 
borne  from  it  by  kind  friends.  I  am  very  happy.  I  shall  see 
you  no  more  on  earth,  but  I  hope  to  meet  you  in  heaven.' 
While  he  was  dictating  this  message  tears  of  joy  gushed  from 
his  eyes,  and  words  of  praise  fell  from  his  lips." 

His  wife  preceded  him  to  the  grave  six  years.  She  was  a  wom- 
an of  great  worth;  intelligent,  and  pious,  and  in  every  way 
worthy  of  her  husband. 

At  Kitty  Casky  School-house,  which  was  on  the  west  side  of 
Town  Creek,  and  about  four  miles  from  its  junction  with  the 
Tennessee  River,  a  Quarterly  Conference  was  held  May  29, 1824, 
at  which  were  present,  beside  the  preachers  in  charge  of  the  Cir- 
cuit, Samuel  B.  White,  local  elder,  David  Hodges,  local  dea- 
con, Henry  Davis,  local  preacher,  John  Harvey,  local  preach- 
er and  steward,  John  F.  Johnson,  William  R.  Saddler,  and 
Christopher  Hammons,  class  leaders. 

John  Harvey,  who  afterward  attained  to  elder's  orders,  and 
who  continued  a  member  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the 
Franklin  Circuit  until  1831,  and  who  was  a  native  Virgin- 
ian, and  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  who  was  naturally  endowed 
with  the  gifts  of  oratory,  and  was  talented,  and  pious,  had  his 
membership  at  Kitty  Casky  at  the  time  of  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference above  mentioned,  and  he  died  at  that  place  afterward. 

Samuel  B.  White,  who  was  at  the  Quarterly  Conference  at 
Kitty  Casky,  May  29,  1824,  lived  in  Russell's  Valley,  and  held 
his  membership  in  the  Societies  in  the  vicinity  in  which  he  re- 
sided. For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  except  for  a  short 
interval,  "his  name  appeared  in  the  Quarterly  Conference  Rec- 
ords as  a  local  elder  in  the  Circuit  in  the  bounds  of  which  he 
lived.  His  life  was  marked  by  some  untoward  events  whereby 
his  usefulness  was  arrested  and  circumscribed,  and  his  peace 
greatly  disturbed.  In  1830  he  had  some  trouble  with  Manson 
Jones  in  a  case  of  debt,  which  case  went  into  arbitration.  In 
1838  his  character  as  a  local  elder  was  passed  by  the  Quarter- 
ly Conference  with  a  qualification  which  indicated  dereliction  of 
duty  on  his  part.  At  Russellville,  December  21,  1840,  he  was 
convicted  of  grave  charges,  by  a  Committee  of  investigation, 
and  suspended  from  the  ministry  until  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence next  ensuing.     The   charges  were   made   against  him  by 


/ 


mfmmmmm'stem^etSissaexssimiai 


220 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Brothers  Jones  and  Hudson.  The  Committee  of  investigation 
consisted  of  Alexander  Sale,  James  Smith,  and  F.  C.  Spraggins, 
presided  over  by  Joshua  Boucher.  The  Quarterly  Conference 
met  at  La  Grange,  January  9,  1841,  and  by  it  S.  B.  White  was 
tried  on  the  charges  for  which  he  had  been  suspended,  and  by 
that  Quarterly  Conference,  upon  said  charges,  he  was  expelled 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  Quarterly  Conference 
which  tried  and  expelled  him  was  presided  over  by  the  then  pre- 
siding elder  of  the  District,  Eobert  L.  Andrews;  and  the  mem- 
bers present  and  participating  in  the  business  of  the  body  were: 
Joshua  Boucher,  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Circuit,  William  H. 
Wilkes,  junior  preacher,  Alexander  Sale,  F.  C.  Spraggins, 
James  Smith,  and  K.  H.  Rivers,  local  elders,  Robert  Paine, 
President  La  Grange  College,  William  R.  Nicholson,  local 
preacher,  William  S.  Jones,  and  John  W.  Harris,  stewards,  and 
William  Hudson,  class  leader.  That  was,  beyond  all  doubt,  a 
body  of  able  men.  They  were  men  capable  of  weighing  testimo- 
ny, and  of  rendering  a  just  verdict  At  a  Quarterly  Conference 
held  March  23, 1844,  at  Mount  Pleasant,  a  Church  already  men- 
tioned, presided  over  by  the  then  presiding  elder  of  the  Dis- 
trict, A.  F.  Driskill,  and  composed  of  the  following  members: 
John  A.  Jones,  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Circuit,  William  R. 
Hodges,  junior  preacher,  James  Smith,  F.  C.  Spraggins,  and 
Isaac  N.  Mullens,  local  elders,  John  F.  Richardson,  William 
Hudson,  and  William  S.  Jones,  stewards,  and  C.  Tomkins,  class 
leader,  Samuel  B.  White  presented  from  the  Society  of  which 
he  was  a  member  a  recommendation  which  set  forth  that  he  was 
a  suitable  person  to  be  licensed  to  preach;  and  after  due  exam- 
ination of  his  gifts,  grace,  and  usefulness  he  was  given  a  license. 
At  the  next  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference,  upon  the  rec- 
ommendation of  the  Quarterly  Conference,  his  ordination  pa- 
pers were  restored  to  him.  He  met  a  tragic  end.  A  horse  ran 
away  with  him,  and  a  fatal  event  ensued.     He  was  killed. 

William  R.  Saddler,  who,  as  a  class  leader,  was  present  a 
member  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Kitty  Casky 
School-house,  May  29,  1824,  and  who  attended  the  Quarterly 
Conference  of  the  Franklin  Circuit  from  time  to  time  as  a  mem- 
ber thereof,  being  a  class  leader,  until  as  late  as  the  close  of 
1836,  had  his  membership  at  Jones's  Meeting  House,  in  Rus- 
sell's Valley,  and  was  a  Trustee  of  that  Meeting  House.     He  was 


i 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         221 

one  of  the  talented,  pious,  and  influential  members  of  th^ 
Church  in  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  The  members  of 
his  household  were  noted  for  their  intelligence,  and  their  influ- 
ence. 

At  the  Third  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  Franklin  Circuit 
for  the  year,  held  at  the  Camp  Meeting  near  James  Smith's,  on 
Saturday,  September  11,  1824,  Ned,  a  colored  man,  applied  to 
have  his  license  as  an  exhorter  renewed,  and  the  application 
was  granted,  and  his  license  was  renewed. 

James  P.  Warrington,  an  exhorter,  who  had  been  convicted 
of  a  charge  of  Sabbath  breaking  presented  an  appeal  to  the 
Quarterly  Conference  held  for  the  Circuit  at  Tuscumbia,  No- 
vember 13,  1824,  and  after  hearing  the  case  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference reversed  the  decision  of  the  court  below,  and  acquitted 
him  of  the  charge,  and  then  passed  his  character  and  renewed 
his  license. 

Kitty  Casky  School-house  was  superseded  by  Harvey's  Meet- 
ing House,  the  latter  place  being  about  two  miles  from  the  for- 
mer. At  a  Quarterly  Conference  convened  at  Harvey's  Meet- 
ing House,  April  2,  1825,  a  new  name  was  entered  on  the  roll 
of  official  members  of  the  Franklin  Circuit,  and  the  new  name 
was  recorded  in  the  Minutes  of  that  Quarterly  Conference,  and 
the  fact  was  stated  that  the  person  bearing  the  name  was  pres- 
ent in  his  official  capacity.  The  name  and  person:  "Turner 
Saunders,  Local  Deacon."  On  the  official  roll  and  in  the  ap- 
proved and  recorded  Minutes  of  the  Franklin  Circuit  the  min- 
isterial grade  of  Turner  Saunders  was  designated  as  that  of 
"  Local  Deacon  "  until  May,  1828,  when  his  name  was  put  on 
the  Record  as  a  "  Local  Elder."  He  was  elected  an  elder  pos- 
sibly two  years  before  he  was  ordained  to  that  office.  He  was 
born  in  Brunswick  County,  Virginia,  January  3,  1782,  and  was 
married  to  Miss  Frances  Dunn,  his  first  wife,  in  his  native  State 
and  County,  before  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  He  was  renewed 
in  heart,  and  joined  the  Church  in  his  native  State.  In  1808  he 
moved  to  Tennessee  and  settled  at  or  near  the  place  now  called 
Franklin.  From  there  he  moved  to  Lawrence  County,  Ala- 
bama, as  indicated  by  the  Records  above  alluded  to,  about  the 
first  of  1825.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  about  1813,  or  1814. 
At  Ebenezer,  a  church  six  miles  north-west  of  the  town  of 
Courtland,  and  which  existed  from  1828,  or  earlier,  till  1840, 


222 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


the  Kev.  Turner  Saunders  held  his  membership.  At  one  time 
Alexander  Sale,  local  elder,  Mrs.  Sarah  C.  Sale,  Miss  Mary  F. 
Sale,  Miss  Susannah  Sale,  Turner  Saunders,  local  elder,  James 
E.  Saunders,  Claiborne  W.  Saunders,  Mrs.  Henrietta  M.  Saun- 
ders, Mrs.  Mary  F.  Saunders,  Mrs.  Eliza  Saunders,  William 
Jones,  Alexander  Jones,  Mrs.  Cynthia  Jones,  Miss  Martha 
Jones,  Miss  Judith  Jones,  Mrs.  Jane  Jones,  William  E.  Doty, 
Mrs.  Lucy  Doty,  William  Garrett,  John  Garrett,  Mrs.  Nancy 
Garrett,  Mrs.  Martha  Garrett,  William  McGregor,  Mrs.  Eliz- 
abeth McGregor,  William  W.  Harper,  George  W.  Foster,  Mrs. 
Sarah  J.  Foster,  John  Scruggs,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Scruggs,  Mrs. 
Maria  McFerrin,  Mrs.  Mary  D.  Butler,  Miss  Mary  E.  Millwater, 
and  others  were  members  at  Ebenezer. 

The  Kev.  Turner  Saunders  did  great  work  for  Methodism  in 
the  section  of  Alabama  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  a  leader  in 
the  educational  interests  of  the  State.  Physically  he  was  of 
medium  size,  of  noble  form,  erect,  and  well  proportioned.  He 
had  a  manly  countenance,  and  was  of  commanding  presence. 
In  mood  he  was  solemn,  in  habit  taciturn,  and  in  bearing  dig- 
nified. He  never  indulged  in  wit  and  jokes.  He  was  cultured 
and  refined.  He  was  firm,  energetic,  and  systematic.  He  nev- 
er faltered  at  opposition,  and  increased  difficulties  gave  new  im- 
pulses to  his  energies.  He  was  honest.  While  he  was  not  im- 
pulsive, he  was  generous,  and  benevolent.  He  contributed  of 
his  means  to  benevolent  purposes  with  method  and  motive.  As 
a  preacher  his  manner  was  calm,  his  style  simple.  He  was  a 
strong  preacher,  an  able  defender  of  the  doctrines  of  his 
Chi.rch.  An  incident  of  his  life,  when  he  was  in  the  vigor  of 
his  manhood,  may  illustrate  and  exhibit  his  capacity  as  a 
preacher.  While  he  lived  at  Franklin,  Tennessee,  a  preacher 
by  the  name  of  Streeter,  a  man  of  considerable  education,  and 
an  impressive,  and  eloquent  speaker,  and  who  advocated  the  doc- 
irinal  system  known  as  Universalism^  opened  his  ministry  in  the 
town  of  Franklin.  With  methods  so  plausible  and  doctrines  so 
congenial  to  human  nature  he  made  a  favorable  impression 
upon  the  community.  A  religious  revolution  was  imminent 
He  finally  challenged  any  whom  it  might  concern  to  a  public 
debate  on  the  doctrines  which  he  emphasized  in  his  Creed. 
Upon  consultation  the  Methodists  selected  as  their  champion  to 
defend  their  doctrines  against  the  attacks  of  the  Universalist, 


SSS^miSS^^^s^iiW,, 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work         223 


the  Kev.  Turner  Saunders.  The  debate  was  agreed  to,  and  the 
day  was  appointed  when  the  people  might  assemble  to  witness 
the  polemics.  A  vast  throng  assembled  on  the  day.  There 
were  present  some  from  Nashville  and  Columbia.  The  debate 
continued  three  days.  Saunders  vindicated  divine  truth,  de, 
molished  the  heresies  of  his  antagonist,  and  arrested  the  revolt 
from  evangelical  doctrines.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  debate  a 
document  on  which  a  subscription  had  been  obtained  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  the  ministerial  services  of  the  Universalist, 
and  on  which  some  of  the  new  converts  had  previously  put  down 
as  much  as  two  hundred  dollars  apiece,  was  torn  up  in  the 
presence  of  the  public  assembly,  and  the  Kev.  Mr.  Streeter  de- 
parted for  other  fields,  and  from  thence-forth  was  never  seen  in 
the  town  of  Franklin.  That  triumphant  vindication  of  Evan- 
gelical Christianity  stands  in  proof  of  the  superior  ability  of 
the  Kev.  Turner  Saunders,  and  is  sufficient  eulogy  upon  his 
worth  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel. 

He  accumulated  an  ample  fortune,  and  provided  himself  and 
household  with  an  elegant  home,  where  all  things  which  could 
contribute  to  taste  and  comfort  were  furnished  and  enjoyed,  and 
at  which  guests  were   entertained  with  generous  liberality. 

He  preached  for  about  forty  years,  and  was  accustomed 
through  all  his  Christian  life  to  attend  the  Class-meetings  of 
his  Society.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two,  in  the  town  of 
Aberdeen,  Mississippi.  His  descendants  have  been  Methodists. 
They  have  moved  in  elegant  society,  and  some  of  them  have 
filled  places  of  honor  and  trust. 

The  Minutes  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  Franklin 
Circuit  at  which  the  name  of  "  Turner  Saunders,  Local  Preach- 
er," first  appeared  contain  this  item:  "Present,  Freeman  Fitz- 
gerald, Class  Leader."  This  is  the  first  time  that  his  name  ap- 
pears on  the  Kecord.  He  became  an  active  and  useful  man  in 
that  Circuit.  At  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Spring 
Creek  Camp  Ground,  (Mount  Carmel)  which  was  on  Spring 
Creek  about  six  miles  south-east  from  Tuscumbia,  August  25, 
1826,  "Freeman  Fitzgerald  was  recommended  to  the  District 
Conference  for  License  to  preach."  That  process  was  accord- 
ing to  the  then  provision  of  the  law  of  the  Church.  The  Dis- 
trict Conference  to  which  he  was  recommended  granted  him  the 
license  asked  for,  and  at  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  the 


224 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Circuit  January  20,  1827,  "  Freeman  Fitzgerald,  Local  Preach, 
er  "  is  set  down  as  present.  The  next  year  he  was  appointed 
by  the  Quarterly  Conference  one  of  the  Trustees  for  Courtland 
Meeting  House.  He  lived  two  or  three  miles  a  little  north  of 
west  from  the  town  of  Courtland.  At  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence held  at  the  Camp  Ground  near  Eussellville,  October  2, 
1830,  "he  was  recommended  to  the  Annual  Conference  for 
Deacon's  orders."  The  last  entry  concerning  him  is  found  in 
the  Minutes  of  the  first  Quarterly  Conference  for  Franklin  Cir^ 
cult  for  the  year  held  at  Mount  Zion,  February  19, 1831:  "  >\  il- 
liam  Jones  was  appointed  Circuit  Steward  in  place  of  Brother 
Fitzgerald,  who  has  removed."  He  moved  to  West  Florida. 
He  died  in  Yirginia.  He  was  a  man  of  wealth;  a  good  man, 
and  true,  and  highly  respected,  but  not  particularly  gifted. 

Most  remarkable  is  the  Record  of  the  Franklin  Circuit  on  the 
subject  of  a  Parsonage  for  that  Circuit.     The  enterprise  of  se- 
curing a  Parsonage  for  the  Circuit  was  inaugurated  at  an  early 
day.  ""in  the  project  of  improvising  a  Parsonage  the  official 
members,  in  Quarterly  Conference  assembled,  exercised  them- 
selves plentifully  in  adopting  motions,  passing  resolutions,  and 
in   appointing,   replacing,   and  abolishing  Committees.     They 
certainly  did  strive  for  the  mastery  in  discussing  the  matter, 
but  they  never  did  reach  the  goal.     Judging  from  their  numer- 
ous enactments  there  must  have  been  some  powerful  incentive 
which  impelled  them,  and  at  the  same  time  there  must  have 
been  some  potent  influence  which  impeded  all  progress,  and 
^vhich  thwarted  all  designs,  and  which  prevented  every  measure 
of  success  in  the  premises.     They  made  vigorous  efforts  m  the 
iv-ay  of  resolutions  and  appointments,  they  were  versatile  m  the 
invention  of  agencies,  they  were  shifty  in  marshahng  forces, 
but  they  made  feeble  contributions,  they  were  not  prolific  of 
crifts.     Were  the  wealth  of  the  members  of  the  Circuit  judged 
by  the  contributions  made  to  the  worthy  enterprise,  the  conclu- 
sion would  be  inevitable  that  their  surplus  was  not  great.     If  in 
the  interest  of  the  enterprise,  they  in  privation  and  self-denial, 
imposed  on  themselves  a  regimen  which  stinted  them  to  the  ex- 
treme of  endurance,  then  the  margin  ior  self-denial  with  them 

was  not  large. 

At  the  Quarterly  'Conference  for  the  Circuit  held  at  the  Camp 
Ground  near  James  Smith's,  August  .20, 1825:  ^  The  business  of 


^tssi^>ms^,s„^&..^60.-->=n^^^ 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         225 

building  a  Parsonage  on  Franklin  Circuit  was  taken  up,  and 
Alexander  Sale,  Freeman  Fitzgerald,  Samuel  B.  White,  William 
S.  Jones,  and  David  Hodges  were  appointed  a  Committee  to 
carry  the  same  into  effect." 

Nothing  further  is  heard  on  the  subject  until  the  Quarterly 
Conference  held  at  Spring  Creek  Camp  Ground,  October  25, 
1828,  when  it  was  "  Ordered  by  this  Conference,  that  the  Circuit 
Stewards,  be  a  Committee  to  carry  into  effect  the  building  of  a 
Parsonage  on  the  Franklin  Circuit  according  to  our  Discipline, 
and  that  William  S.  Jones  be  Chairman  of  said  Committee." 

At  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Mountain  Spring  Camp 
Ground,  which  Camp  Ground  was  on  the  point  of  the  mountain 
five  miles  from  Courtland,  July  25,  1829,  the  following  action 
was  had:  "  Eesolved  that  the  Committee  appointed  at  the  last 
Quarterly  Conference  for  1828  to  prepare  a  Parsonage,  be  dis- 
missed, and  F.  Fitzgerald,  E.  D.  Sims,  Robert  Fenner,  Alexan- 
der Sledge,  and  B.  C.  Burnett,  be  appointed  in  their  stead." 
Not  a  line  is  on  record  to  indicate  that  any  work  was  done  by 
that  new  Committee. 

No  further  interest  is  evinced  on  the  subject  until  the  Quar- 
terly Conference  held  at  La  Grange,  January  21,  1832.  "  The 
Conference  then  appointed  A.  Sale,  R.  A.  Baker,  W.  Garrett, 
W.  S.  Jones,  and  W.  R.  Saddler  as  a  Committee  to  take  into  con- 
sideration the  expediency  and  practicability  of  building  a  Par- 
sonage on  Franklin  Circuit,  and  the  Committee  reported.  That 
in  their  opinion  it  was  both  expedient  and  practicable;  which 
report  was  received  by  the  Conference.  On  motion  it  was  or- 
dered that  the  same  Committee,  open  subscription,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  raising  funds  to  build  the  House,  and  that  they  receive 
proposals  for  sites,  &c,  and  report  the  same  to  the  next  Quar- 
terly Meeting  Conference  to  be  held  at  Courtland  on  30  March 
next." 

At  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Russellville,  September 
1-3,  1832,  the  following  action  was  had:  "On  motion  ordered 
that  the  Committee  appointed  to  raise  funds  to  build  a  Parson- 
age, be  allowed  until  next  Conference  to  make  their  report, 
and  that  Drury  Mays  take  the  place  of  W.  Garrett,  resigned." 

The  next  action  had  on  the  subject  was  at  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference held  at  Courtland,  April  14,  1833:  "On  motion  ordered 
that  the  Committee  appointed  to  raise  funds  to  build  a  Parson- 
15 


226 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


age  be  discharged  from  further  duty  on  that  subject,  and  any 
moneys  raised  for  that  purpose  be  returned  to  the  Donors." 
That  was  an  abandonment  of  the  enterprise. 

But  at  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  La  Grange,  February 
18,  1837,  the  enterprise  was  revived:  "On  motion  of  Brother 
Sale,  it  was  Kesolved  that  a  Committee  of  five  be  appointed  to 
take  into  consideration  the  propriety  of  establishing  a  Parson- 
age on  Franklin  Circuit;  when  the  following  persons  were  ap- 
pointed, as  said  Committee:  James  E.  Saunders,  A.  Sale,  W.  S. 
Jones,  John  T.  Richardson,  and  R.  R.  Corban." 

"  The  report  of  the  Committee  on  the  business  of  Parsonage 
being  called  for,  it  was  found  that  a  part  of  the  Committee  were 
absent,  therefore  the  report  was  not  forthcoming,  but  the  Com- 
mittee was  continued,  and  requested  to  report  to  the  next  Quar- 
terly Meeting."  This  is  the  recorded  action  of  the  Quarterly 
Conference  held  at  Courtland,  May  20,  1837. 

The  Quarterly    Conference   was   held   at  Mountain  Spring 
Camp  Ground,  July  29-31,  1837.     On  the  first  day,  "  The  Com- 
mittee on  Parsonage  reported,  which  was  ordered  to  lie  on  the 
table."     On  Monday,  the  last  day  of  the  session,  the  Record 
^ays :  "  The  report  on  the  Parsonage,  which  was  laid  on  the 
table  at  the  last  sitting,  was  taken  up  and  accepted,  which  is  as 
.follows:  'The  Committee  on  Parsonage  instruct  me  to  report, 
that  it  is  expedient  to  establish  a  Parsonage  on  Franklin  Cir- 
,  cuit,  but  beg  leave  to  be  discharged  from  considering  the  Loca- 
tion of   the   same.*     Signed,   James  E.  Saunders,   Chairman. 
The  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference  then  resolved  itself  into  a 
Committee  of  the  whole  on  the  subject  of  Parsonage,  and  do 
make  thee  following  location;  To  wit:  That  La  Grange  be  and 
-:  the  same  is  hereby  selected  as  the  most  eligible  site  for  the  Lo- 
,  cation  of   the  Parsonage   House   on   Franklin    Circuit.     Re- 
;  solved  that  the  following  persons  be  a  Committee  to  carry  into 
:  practical  effect  the  resolutions  of  this  Conference  in  reference 
I  to  the  Parsonage:  Robert  Paine,  James  E.  Saunders,  J.  T. 
•Richardson,  R.  A.  Baker,  R.  R.  Corban,  William  Garrett,  and 
Robert  Fenner." 

At  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Ebenezer,  December  23, 
1837,  the  following  was  adopted:  "On  motion  the  Committee  on 
Parsonage  was  ordered  to  furnish  the  Parsonage  House  with 
such  furniture  as  in  their  estimation  is  contemplated  by  the 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Worh         227 


word  of  our  Discipline.     On  motion  the  Committee  on  Parson- 
age is  also  appointed  Trustees  for  the  Parsonage  House." 

"  The  Committee  appointed  at  the  fourth  Quarterly  Meeting 
for  1837  made  a  report,  through  their  Chairman,  R.  Fenner, 
and  marked,  '  R.  R.  Corban  Deed,  for  Parsonage,'  and  begged 
to  be  taken  as  said  report,  which  by  vote  of  the  Conference  was 
received.  On  motion.  Resolved  that  Brothers  D.  S.  Goodloe, 
J.  T.  Richardson,  and  S.  B.  White  take  said  report  (or  Deed) 
and  arrange  the  same  for  legal  authentication.  On  motion.  Re- 
solved that  a  Committee  of  seven  persons  be  appointed  to  raise 
the  necessary  amount  to  pay  the  expense  of  purchasing  the 
Parsonage  on  Franklin  Circuit,  including  the  amount  expended 
for  'Heavy  Furniture'  for  said  House;  whereupon  A.  Sale, 
James  Smith,  R.  Clark,  D.  S.  Goodloe,  S.  B.  White,  J.  C.  Hicks, 
and  A.  G.  Lewis  were  appointed  as  said  Committee."  This  is 
the  action  on  the  subject  by  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at 
the  classic  town  of  La  Grange,  March  10,  1838. 

The  most  tangible  report  of  any  which  had  yet  appeared  was 
made  at  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Mountain  Spring 
Camp  Ground,  August  10,  1838;  and  said  report  indicated,  as 
did  preceding  reports  on  the  subject,  that  in  matters  involving  a 
small  sum  of  money  for  divine  purposes,  even  great  men  will 
wrestle  as  if  involved  in  a  Herculean  task.  But  to  give  a  re- 
markable instance  and  by  it  an  exact  definition  of  aggregation, 
here  is  the  report:  "Alexander  Sale,  Chairman  of  the  Commit- 
tee on  Parsonage,  reported  that  the  following  sums  had  been  ob- 
tained in  subscriptions;  (To  wit,)  Alexander  Sale  $186,  James 
Smith  $27,  Richard  C.  Clark  $120,  D.  S.  Goodloe  $20,  A.  G. 
Lewis  $14,  making  in  the  whole  $367." 

Upon  the  receipt  of  this  report  aggregating  $367  in  subscrip- 
tion, not  in  cash,  from  the  entire  Circuit,  the  following  was  adopt- 
ed: "Resolved  that  the  several  members  of  said  Committee  pay 
the  said  moneys,  so  collected,  to  the  Committee  for  the  Purchase 
of  the  Parsonage  House,  and  that  the  several  collectors  proceed 
promptly  to  collect  and  pay  over  the  same  by  the  15  September 
next."  Then  came  another  item  in  the  problematical  enterprise 
as  follows:  "Robert  Fenner  from  the  Committee  on  Parsonage, 
reported  the  purchase  by  himself  of  Furniture  for  the  same  to 
the  amount  of  $22.38  and  by  Brother  Mullens  to  the  amount  of 
$23.75  which  said  sums  are  ordered  to  be  paid  out  of  the  moneys 


228 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


collected  as  above  stated.  Whereas,  the  subscriptions  obtained 
for  the  Parsonage  are  deficient  to  the  amount  of  some  $75,  Ke- 
solved  that  said  Committee  be  requested  to  obtain  additional 
subscriptions  to  supply  said  deficiency,  and,  furthermore,  to 
raise  ^0  still  due  to  Brother  James  C.  Watkins  from  the  Cir- 
cuit for  the  Board  of  Brother  Ferguson." 

At  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  La  Grange,  December  15, 
1838,  the  following  was  adopted:  "Kesolved  That  the  Commit- 
tee appointed  to  raise  funds  to  pay  for  the  Parsonage,  be  re- 
quired to  report  to  the  next  Quarterly  Meqting  Conference.'* 
The  resolution  was  adopted,  but  the  Committee  did  not  report 
as  required. 

The  next  item  on  record  on  the  subject  is  in  the  Minutes  for 
the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Kussellville,  September  7, 1839: 
"  It  was  communicated  to  this  Conference,  that  there  is  a  defi- 
ciency in  the  amount  of  funds,  heretofore  collected,  to  pay  for 
the  Paisonage,  and  contingent  expenses,  and  the  Conference 
Piesolved,  to  instruct  the  Committee,  heretofore  appointed  to 
raise  funds  to  defray  said  expenses,  to  renew  their  exertions 
to  raise  funds  to  meet  said  deficiency,  and  that  William  Hudson 
and  Davis  Gurley  be  appointed  to  fill  the  places  of  A.  G.  Lewis 
and  John  C.  Hicks  removed." 

When  everything  had  been  vanquished  except  carefulness 
md  covetousness,  and  it  had  been  demonstrated  that  the  Latin 
proverb,  "  Labor  omnia  vincit "  is  false,  something  like  a  funeral 
dirge  is  heard  in  the  item  found  in  the  Minutes  for  the  Quarter- 
ly Conference  held  at  Mount  Pleasant,  August  8,  184.0,  and  reads 
as  follows:  "It  being  made  known  to  the  Conference,  that  there 
is  yet  a  deficiency  of  S140  or  more  in  the  amount  raised  to  pay 
for  the  Parsonage  on  Franklin  Circuit:  On  motion,  it  is  ordered 
by  the  Conference,  that  a  Committee,  composed  of  Brothers  Al- 
exander Sale,  K.  C.  Clark,  William  Hudson,  James  Smith,  Davis 
Gurley,  S.  B.  White,  and  John  Wheeler,  be  requested  to  use  their 
best  exertions  to  raise  funds  to  meet  the  deficiency;  and  that 
Brother  K.  C.  Clark  be  authorized  to  rent  out  the  Parsonage 
until  our  Preacher  may  want  the  same." 

Festoons  and  bonfires  were  never  in  requisition  in  any  of  the 
stages  of  the  long  continued  enterprise.  After  many  written  re- 
ports had  been  presented  and  many  Committees  had  been  ap- 
pointed, and  enough  had  been  put  on   record  concerning  the 


»MaK««WS;«ffiffltt*«iJ^wmi3S3^Effi.^^ 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         229 


matter  to  make  the  basis  of  a  good  sized  volume,  the  finale  was 
reached  in  action  on  a  verbal  report  made  to  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference held  for  Franklin  Circuit  at  the  town  of  Tuscumbia, 
June  12, 1841:  "A  report  (verbal)  being  sent  to  this  Conference, 
that  the  Parsonage,  on  this  Circuit,  is  sold,  It  is  requested  by 
this  Conference,  that  the  same  Committee  who  sold  the  Parson- 
age, sell  the  Furniture  also." 

To  a  reflecting  mind  that  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  Parson- 
age enterprise  on  Franklin  Circuit  is  suggestive.  It  introduces 
to  the  thoughts  things  which  have  affinity,  and  contrariety,  and 
which  are  conglomerate.  Who  in  the  presence  of  that  chapter 
could  keep  from  thinking  of  mind  and  mammon,  of  inadequacy 
and  invention,  of  personal  parsimoniousness  and  ecclesiastical 
penury,  of  pertinacity  and  pusillanimity,  of  sparseness  and 
splendor,  of  force  and  failure?  Men  will,  in  official  capacity, 
inaugurate  measures  for  the  consummation  of  which,  as  indi- 
viduals, they  will  not  work.  Men  will  be  liberal  in  the  adoption 
of  resolutions  concerning  ecclesiastical  affairs  and  then  grudg- 
ingly contribute  of  their  means  to  further  the  ends  contemplated 
by  the  resolutions.  To  some  persons  it  is  easier  to'  say.  Lord, 
Lord,  than  to  do  the  will  of  God.  "  There  is  that  withholdeth 
more  than  is  meet,  but  it  tendeth  to  poverty." 

Tinkers'  School-house  was  on  the  west  side  of  Town  Creek 
and  about  seven  miles  from  the  Tennessee  Eiver,  and  not  far 
from  where  what  used  to  be  called  the  Tuscumbia  and  Decatur 
Bail  Road  crosses  Town  Creek. 

"The  first  Quarterly  Conference  for  Franklin  Circuit  was 
held  at  Tinkers'  School  House,  January  21,  1826.  Present: 
AVilliam  McMahon,  P.  E.,  Finch  P.  Scruggs,  A.  P.,  John  B.  Mc- 
Ferrin,  J.  P.,  Alex  Sale,  L.  E.,  David  Hodges,  L.  P.,  John  Har- 
vey, L.  E.,  James  Smith,  L.  P.,  John  F.  Johnson,  Exh.,  Jacob 
Smith,  C.  L.,  B.  C.  Burnett,  C.  L.  Are  there  any  Complaints  or 
Appeals?  None.  The  next  Conference  to  be  held  at  Tuscumbia, 
1  &  2  April  next. 

Alex.  Sale,  Sect.  William  McMahox,  P.  E. 

Quarterage  $31.56^.  Paid  Bro.  McMahon  S6. 

Public  Collection  $09.00.  Paid  Bro.  Scruggs  817.81^ 

Paid  Bro.  McFerrin  $15.25. 
Elements  $1.50." 

The  above  is  the  Record  of  the  entire  proceedings  of  that 


230 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Quarterly  Conference.  That  was  the  first  Quarterly  Conference 
ever  attended  by  the  Kev.  John  B.  McFerrin  as  an  itinerant 
preacher,  and  the  Quarterage  mentioned  in  the  Eecord  as  paid 
to  him  was  the  first  quarterage  he  ever  received  as  a  preacher. 

At  a  place  about,  to  only  approximate  course  and  distance,  east 
of  and  two  miles  from  the  noble  stream  called  Town  Creek,  and 
about  southwest  of  and  five  miles  from  the  little  town  of  Court- 
land,  on  a  point  of  the  mountain  is  a  bold  Spring,  the  never-fail- 
ing waters  of  which  are  ever  clear  and  cool.  Just  below  this 
Spring,  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  is  a  plateau.  The  combi- 
nations of  mountain  and  valley,  of  fountain  and  forest  make  it  a 
lovely  place.  The  place  was  named  Mountain  Spring.  A  most 
elegant  and  suitable  place  it  was  for  a  Camp  Ground.  Its  nat- 
ural advantages  were  unsurpassed.  Its  surroundings  were  well 
calculated  to  broaden,  elevate,  and  refine.  It  was  the  very  place, 
with  its  uplifted  peaks  and  outlying  plains,  its  living  fountains 
and  verdant  groves,  to  induce  holy  meditation  and  to  prompt 
genuine  eloquence. 

The  Methodists  settled  in  the  fertile  and  lovely  regions  round 
about  decided  to  erect  a  Camp  Ground  at  that  place,  and  they  did. 

The  first  item  found  in  the  annals  of  the  Church  concerning 
Mountain  Spring  is  in  the  Miuutes  of  the  Quarterly  Conference 
for  Franklin  Circuit  held  at  Tuscumbia,  April  1,  1826,  and  is  as 
follows:  "The  next  Quarterly  Meeting  to  be  held  at  Mountain 
Spring,  Sth  June,  next,  at  which  time  there  is  to  be  also  a  Camp- 
meeting."  As  the  Quarterly  Meeting  and  the  Camp-meeting  re- 
ferred to  here  as  in  anticipation  were  the  first  of  either  ever  held 
at  that  place,  and  as  from  the  recorded  proceedings  of  the  Quar- 
terly Conference  it  is  ascertained  who  were  there  in  official  ca- 
pacity and  what  was  done  by  the  official  body  on  that  occasion, 
it  is  proper  to  give  here  the  said  proceedings  entire: 

"The  third  Quarterly  Conference  for  Franklin  Circuit  was 
held  at  Mountain  Spring  Camp  Ground,  June  10,  1826.  Pres- 
ent: William  McMahon,  P.  E.,  F.  P.  Scruggs,  A.  P.,  J.  B.  Mc- 
Ferrin, J.  P.,  Alex.  Sale,  L.  E.,  James  Smith,  L.  P.,  Martin  W. 
Eichardson,  C.  L.,  Turner  Saunders,  L.  D.,  David  Hodges,  L.  P., 
Eichard  Thompson,  Exh.,  Laban  Jones,  C.  L.,  Alex.  McCullock, 
C.  L.,  F.  Fitzgerald,  St.,  John  Southerland,  Jr.,  C.  L.,  John  F. 
Johnson,  C.  L.,  B.  C.  Burnett,  C.  L.,  Jacob  Smith,  C.  L.,  W.  S. 
Jones. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work         231 


Are  there  any  Complaints  or  Appeals?  None.  Are  there  any 
Licenses  to  be  renewed?  Bro.  Eich'd  Thompson,  an  Exhorter, 
applied. — Granted.  The  next  Quarterly  Meeting  is  to  be  held 
at  Spring  Creek  Camp  Ground,  August  24,  next. 

TuKNEB  Saunders,  Sect.  William  McMahon,  P.  E. 

Quarterage  S4:3.12J. 

Public  Collection  $100.00.  Paid  Bro.  McMahon,  SS.lSi. 

Paid  Bro.  Scruggs,  $30.18|.  J.  B.  McFerrin,  SSLSIJ." 

Many  of  the  men  who  were  members  of  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence were  Tenters  at  the  Camp-meeting.  It  must  have  been  a 
large  congregation  at  the  Camp-meeting  as  it  was  a  very  large 
public  collection  for  that  day  and  country. 

The  Second  Quarterly  Conference  ever  held  at  Mountain 
Spring  Camp  Ground  was  held  there  for  Franklin  Circuit,  June 
9,  1827,  and  at  the  same  time  a  Camp-meeting  was  held,  the 
second  ever  held  at  the  place.  The  particulars  of  that  Camp- 
meeting  have  perished,  except  as  to  what  preachers  were  in  at- 
tendance. They  were  William  McMahon,  P.  E.,  F.  P.  Scruggs, 
A.  P.,  J.  W.  Jones,  J.  P.,  John  Hanie,  L.  E.,  James  Smith,  L.  P. 

The  third  Quarterly  Conference  ever  held  at  Mountain 
Spring  Camp  Ground  was  held  for  the  Franklin  Circuit  July 
26,  1828,  and  at  the  same  time  a  Camp-meeting  was  held  there 
with  grand  results,  as  the  communication  of  an  eye-witness  tes- 
tifies.    Here  is  the  communication: 

"  COURTLAND,  ALABAMA,  AugUSt  10,  1828. 

Dear  Brethren:—!  rejoice  to  be  privileged  to  direct  a  small 
rivulet  into  that  stream  of  religious  information  which  flows 
through  your  paper,  fertilizing  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord. 

At  a  Camp-meeting  just  held  in  this  neighborhood,  at  the 
Mountain  Spring  Camp  Ground,  in  the  District  of  the  Eev. 
William  McMahon,  and  in  the  Circuit  under  charge  of  the  Eev. 
James  McFerrin,  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  manifest  his  power 
and  goodness  in  a  most  signal  manner.  About  150  souls  pro- 
fessed to  find  peace  with  God,  and  182  joined  the  Church. 
*  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  on  earth  peace,  goodwill  tomen! ' 
All  circumstances  considered,  I  have  never  witnessed  such  a 
meeting  before,  although  accustomed  to  attend  Camp-meetings 
for  more  than  twenty  years,  some  in  Virginia,  some  in  Tennes- 
see, and  some  in  this  State.  The  attending  congregation  was 
comparatively  small,  averaging,  perhaps,  1,500.     The  number  of 


232 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


preachers  was  also  comparatively  small,  and  among  these  but 
few  much  celebrated  for  what  the  world  calls  learning.  Unusual 
plainness  characterized  the  sermons  delivered  on  this  occasion. 
Ko  attempts  were  made  atjine  or  embdlished  discourses.  Each 
minister  who  rose  to  fill  the  sacred  desk  seemed  deeply  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  his  awfully  respousible  station.  The  glory  of  God 
and  the  salvation  of  souls  was  the  prevailing  object.  God  owned 
•  and  blessed  their  labors.  His  power  knew  no  distinctions,  but, 
like  a  mighty,  rushing  wind,  sweeping  everything  in  its  course, 
it  bore  down  before  it  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  learned  and  the 
unlearned.  But  although  no  class  was  exempted,  the  work 
abounded,  for  the  most  part,  among  the  wealthy  and  well  in- 
formed. The  youth,  male  and  female,  the  hope  and  pride  of  our 
country,  with  minds  richly  stored  with  intellectual  treasures  ob- 
tained in  the  best  Seminaries  of  learning,  regardless  of  expense, 
and  whose  persons  were  decorated  with  every  thing  that  the 
fashionable  world  deems  tasty  or  desirable — these,  with  com- 
mon consent,  thronged  our  altar  during  the  greater  part  of  our 
meeting,  which  lasted  eight  days. 

Never,  perhaps,  in  America,  before,  did  any  altar  contain  a 
greater  fund  of  moral  worth,  or  a  larger  amount  of  costly  cloth- 
ing and  splendid  jewelry.  But  in  the  anguish  of  their  souls, 
on  account  of  their  sins,  these  were  all  forgotten,  and  literally 
mingled  with  the  dust.  The  character  of  the  conversions  was 
pleasiug  beyond  measure.  They  were  liicidj  'powerful,  and  co}ifi- 
derit,  in  an  unusual  degree.  Almost  every  convert  immediately 
became  a  preacher,  and  exerted  himself  in  strains  of  persuasive 
eloquence  to  bring  his  friends  to  God.  The  whole  congregation 
was  literally  awed  into  solemn  reverence.  No  voice  was  lifted 
in  opposition  to  the  work.  The  most  perfect  good  order  pre- 
vailed throughout;  so  much  so,  that  not  even  a  reproof  was 
heard  from  the  pulpit  during  the  occasion.  The  glory  be  as- 
cribed to  our  blessed  Lord  and  Master,  now  and  ever.  Amen. 
Yours  in  Christ,  T.  Saunders." 

The  account  given  of  that  meeting  by  the  presiding  elder, 
the  Eev.  William  McMahon,  is  interesting:  "  Our  Camp-meet- 
ing at  the  Mountain  Spring,  in  the  Franklin  Circuit,  beginning 
on  the  24  July,  exceeded  all  the  rest.  This  was  decidedly  the 
best  meeting  that  I  have  ever  had  on  the  District.  It  lasted 
eight  days,  and  at  the  close  we  numbered  150  who  professed 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         233 

Justification  by  faith  in  Christ,  and  received  182  members  on 
trial  in  the  Society.  The  flower  and  pride  of  the  Courtland 
Yalley  were  brought  into  the  covenant  of  saving  grace  at  this 
meeting.  Many  who  move  in  the  first  circles  in  society  were 
willing  to  sacrifice  all  their  distinctions,  worldly  honors,  pleas- 
ures, and  prospects,  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  learn  of  him 
who  is  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  that  they  might  find  rest  to  their 
troubled  souls.  Indeed,  all  distinctions  and  gradations  of  rank 
in  society  seemed  here  to  be  forgotten,  while  age  and  talents, 
youth  and  beauty,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  bond  and  free, 
seemed  to  mingle  complacently  together  at  a  throne  of  grace,  to 
which  they  found  free  access  by  faith  in  the  name  of  Jesus. 
The  glory  of  God  rested  on  the  congregation  by  night  and  by 
day,  while  every  interest  seemed  to  be  forgotten  but  that  of  the 
soul.  But  I  need  not  attempt  a  description,  for  pen,  ink,  and 
paper  will  never  tell  the  glory  of  that  meeting. 

The  holy  flame  has  been  spreading  through  all  the  regions 
round  about  ever  since,  and  many  souls  have  since  found  the 
Lord,  who  received  their  convictions  there.  We  have  another 
appointed  on  the  same  Circuit,  to  commence  on  the  16th  inst. 
to  which  hundreds  are  looking  with  deep  and  prayerful  interest, 
that  God  may  crown  it  with  his  holy  presence,  and  save  many 
sinners. 

My  sheet  is  full,  and  so  is  my  heart.  Tours  in  the  best  of 
bonds.    October  1,  1828.  William  McMahon.'* 

The  year  1828  was  a  grand  and  glorious  year  on  the  Franklin 
Circuit  throughout.  The  next  Quarterly  Conference  for  the 
Circuit  after  the  one  at  Mountain  Spring  at  which  the  Camp- 
meeting  was  held,  the  account  of  which  has  just  been  given,  was 
held  at  Spring  Creek  Camp  Ground,  October  25,  1828,  and  a 
Camp-meeting  was  also  held  fhere  at  the  same  time,  an  account 
of  which  will  be  given  in  this  connection. 

At  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Spring  Creek  Camp 
Ground,  October  25, 1828,  *'  Stephen  M.  Norris,  and  William  M. 
McFerrin  were  recommended  to  the  District  Conference  as 
proper  persons  to  obtain  Licenses  to  Preach,  and  also  to  be  rec- 
ommended to  the  Annual  Conference  as  suitable  persons  for  the 
Itinerancy."  McFerrin  was  granted  a  license  to  preach,  recom- 
mended to  the  Annual  Conference  and  was  admitted  on  trial. 

That  Camp-meeting  was  a  time  of  heavenly  visitation.     A  dis- 


N 


i 


234 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         235 


pensation  of  the  fullness  of  the  grace  of  God  was  given,  and 
many  believed  and  were  sealed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise, 
and  given  an  earnest  of  a  heavenly  inheritance,  of  a  purchased 
possession.     Here  is  a  most  thrilling  account: 

"  HuNTsviLLE,  November  4,  1828. 
Ml/  Much  Esteemed  Brethren: — "I  wrote  you  some  time  since 
that  the  Lord  was  doing  great  things  for  us  on  some  parts  of 
the  Huntsville  District,  since  which  I  have  seen  a  letter  in  the 
Christian  AdvocatCj  written  by  my  worthy  friend  and  brother. 
Rev.  T.  Saunders,  in  which  he  gives  a  more  detailed  account  of 
the  Mountain  Spring  Camp-meeting  than  I  could  do  in  the 
hasty  sketch  which  I  wrote  on  the  same  subject.  I  have  a  few 
days  since  returned  from  another  Camp-meeting  which  I  held 
on  the  same  Circuit  at  Spring  Creek,  about  fourteen  miles  from 
the  Mountain  Spring  Camp  Ground,  where  we  had  another 
signal  manifestation  of  Jehovah's  power,  and  willingness  to  for- 
give iniquity,  transgression,  and  sin.  This  meeting  commenced 
on  Thursday,  23d  of  October,  and  lasted  until  the  next  Tues- 
day in  the  afternoon.  The  congregations  were  not  as  large  as 
they  would  have  been,  but  for  another  Camp-meeting  which 
was  held  by  the  Presbyterians  at  the  same  time  at  La  Grange, 
about  four  miles  from  ours;  but  our  congregations  were  quite 
respectable  as  to  numbers,  and  very  serious,  attentive,  and  much 
engaged  in  prayer  throughout  the  whole  meeting;  and  such  was 
the  orderly  behavior  of  the  congregation,  which  was  very  large 
on  the  Sabbath,  that  there  was  no  reproof  given,  either  in  the 
pulpit,  or  in  any  other  way  during  the  meeting.  Indeed,  where 
the  good  sense  and  taste  of  an  enlightened  community,  under  a 
powerful  influence  of  divine  grace,  become  deeply  interested  in 
favor  of  religion,  we  need  no  guards,  the  congregations  will 
want  no  reproofs,  nor  will  it  ever  be  found  necessary  in  such 
circumstances  to  exclude  the  holy  Sabbath  out  of  our  Camp- 
meeting  arrangements.  Our  Sacrament  on  Sunday  night  was 
interesting  beyond  any  description  that  I  can  give  of  it.  More 
than  500  whites,  and  a  large  number  of  blacks  received  the 
Holy  Communion,  while  they  contemplated  with  holy  i)leasure, 
and  with  shouts  and  tears  of  joy,  the  great  object  of  this  holy 
institution.  It  would  be  useless  for  me  to  attempt  to  give  in  de- 
tail all  the  interesting  circumstances  of  this  meeting.  Many 
will  long  remember  the  days  and  nights  which  they  spent  at  the 


Spring  Creek  Camp-meeting.  I  left  the  sacred  spot  on  Tues- 
day about  twelve  o'clock.  At  that  time  150  persons  had  pro- 
fessed religion,  and  147  had  joined  the  Church  as  members  on 
trial.  A  young  man  who  lives  in  Courtland,  who  left  there  aft- 
er I  did,  informed  me  that  three  more  had  joined,  making  in 
all  150.  This  blessed  work  continues  to  prevail  among  the  first 
ranks  of  society.  The  Lord  in  his  tender  mercy  is  permitting 
many  *  camels  to  pass  through  the  needle's  eye,'  in  the  Court- 
land  Valley.  Never  have  I  seen  such  a  work  as  this  before. 
More  than  1,000  souls  have  embraced  religion  in  this  rich  and 
beautiful  valley  in  the  last  six  months,  and  more  than  800 
of  that  number  have  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
More  than  400  joined  at  three  Camp-meetings,  all  held  on  the 
Franklin  Circuit,  not  more  than  fifteen  miles  apart.  Decatur, 
Courtland,  Tuscumbia,  and  Florence,  are  all  in  a  flame.  There 
seems  to  be  but  little  interest  felt,  or  subject  talked  of,  but  that 
of  religion.  I  believe  there  is  scarcely  a  family  in  Tuscumbia 
that  has  not  been  visited  by  the  revival  in  the  conversion  of 
some  of  its  members.  I  do  not  believe  there  were  ten  persons 
of  mature  age  at  our  last  Camp-meeting  who  were  not  either 
converted,  or  deeply  engaged  in  the  great  work  of  their  salva- 
tion. It  may  be  truly  said  that  Zion's  '  light  has  come,  and  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  hath  risen '  upon  the  valley. 

William  McMahon." 

Frederick  G.  Ferguson  and  Robert  A.  Baker  appeared  for  the 
first  time  that  either  of  them  ever  appeared  in  official  capacity, 
Ferguson  as  an  exhorter.  Baker  as  a  class  leader,  in  the  Quar- 
terly Conference  for  Franklin  Circuit  held  at  Mountain  Spring 
Camp  Ground,  July  25,  1829. 

The  Church  in  that  country  about  that  time  began  to  branch 
out  a  little  beyond  the  ordinary  routine  business.  At  that 
Quarterly  Conference,  held  July  25,  1829,  the  following  action 
was  taken  and  put  on  record:  *'0n  motion  Resolved,  That  this 
Quarterly  Meeting  Conference  form  itself  into  a  Bible,  Tract, 
and  Sunday  School  Union  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  conformity  with  the  plan  of  the  *  Parent  Society '  in 
New  York,  as  suggested  in  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal; 
and  appointed  E.  D.  Sims,  Robert  Fenner,  and  AV.  S.  Jones  a 
Committee  to  draft  a  Constitution." 

At  the  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  Franklin  Circuit  held  at 


236 


Ilistonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Spring  Creek  Camp  Ground  October  24,  1829,  "Hiram  M. 
Glass,  Frederick  G.  Ferguson,  and  Francis  H.  Jones  were  rec- 
ommended to  the  District  Conference  for  Licenses  to  Preach, 
and  to  be  recommended  to  the  Annual  Conference  as  suitable 
persons  for  the  Itinerancy."  They  were  all  three  licensed  to 
preach  and  were  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  Conference 
at  its  session  at  Huntsville,  Alabama,  November  19, 1829. 

For  a  long  while  it  was  a  general  if  not  universal  custom  with 
the  Methodists  to  secure  money  for  the  salaries  of  the  preach- 
ers by  public  as  well  as  private  solicitations.  For  some  reason 
the  public  collection  for  securing  ministerial  compensation  in- 
curred the  displeasure  of  the  people,  and  the  custom  was  dis- 
continued. At  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Franklin  Cir- 
cuit at  Mount  Zion,  February  13,  1830,  an  ofScial  deliverance  on 
this  subject  was  made  and  put  on  record:  "On  motion,  Ee- 
solved.  That  this  Conference  pledge  themselves  to  make  nse  of 
all  Lawful  exertions  to  collect  Quarterage  from  our  respective 
Societies,  so  as  to  pay  our  preachers  without  resorting  to  public 
collections  in  our  Large  Congregations." 

About  the  same  time  there  developed  an  evil  tendency  which 
had  to  be  checked  among  the  class  of  workers  known  as  Exhort- 
ers.  On  the  part  of  human  kind  there  is  a  disposition  to  usurp 
prerogatives.  The  Exhorters  of  the  Church  under  the  prompt- 
ings of  this  disposition  and  the  leadings  of  this  tendency  as- 
sumed the  prerogatives  of  preachers,  and  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence held  for  the  Franklin  Circuit  at  tlio  Camp  Ground  near 
Kussellville,  October  2,  1830,  adopted  a  Eesolution  limiting  the 
prerogatives  and  defining  the  special  work  of  an  exhorter:  "  Re- 
solved, That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  Conference  that  no  Exhort- 
er should  make  an  appointment  to  preach,  nor  take  a  particu- 
lar passage  of  Scripture  as  a  Text  at  any  appointment  he 
may  have;  but  may  quote  as  many  passages  of  Scripture  as  he 
may  deem  proper,  to  comment  on,  or  support  and  prove  any  doc- 
trine he  may  advance." 

Probably  this  deliverance  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  terri- 
fied the  Exhorters,  and  served  to  hold  them  in  proper  bounds, 
but  notwithstanding  the  manifest  purpose  of  the  Resolution  it 
certainly  did  give  large  liberty  to  the  Exhorters  in  the  state- 
ment, exposition,  and  proof  of  doctrines,  and  in  comment  on  the 
Scriptures. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         237 


The  Rev.  Rufus  Ledbetter  preached  one  year  in  Alabama. 
For  1825  he  was  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Franklin  Circuit, 
and  for  his  services  that  year  he  received  as  quarterage  $109.00, 
and  for  traveling  expenses  S7.75.  He  was  admitted  on  trial  in 
the  Tennessee  Conference  in  November,  1821,  and  at  the  close 
of  1825  he  transferred  to  the  Virginia  Conference,  where  he 
preached  six  or  eight  years,  and  then  located.  He  afterward  re- 
turned as  a  citizen  to  Tennessee,  where  he  died  during  the  war 
between  the  States.  Physically,  he  was  a  good  specimen.  He 
was  a  devoted  Christian,  an  able  preacher,  and  in  labors  abun- 
dant. He  was  the  brother  of  the  Rev.  Wiley  Ledbetter,  who 
was  for  some  time  a  member  of  the  Tennessee  Conference.  He 
was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Ledbetter,  who  was  once  a 
traveling  preacher  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  having  been 
admitted  into  the  traveling  connection  in  the  latter  part  of  1793, 
and  having  continued  in  that  connection  until  the  first  part  of 

1799. 

The  preachers  on  the  Franklin  Circuit  for  1826  were,  Finch 
P.  Scruggs,  John  B.  McFerrin,  Alexander  Sale,  Sup.;  for  1827, 
Finch  P.  Scruggs,  John  W.  Jones;  for  1828,  James  McFerrin, 
Green  M.  Rogers;  for  1829,  James  McFerrin,  Wesley  Deskins. 

The  Rev.  Wesley  Deskins  was  born  in  Tennessee,  July  7, 
1806;  entered  the  traveling  connection  in  the  close  of  1826;  and 
died  in  Warren,  Tennessee,  October  3,  1830.  The  words  of  sal- 
vation and  victory  were  on  his  tongue  in  the  dying  hour! 

For  Franklin  Circuit  for  1830,  James  W.  Paris,  William  E. 
Doughty;  for  1831,  Samuel  Gilliland,  James  W.  Paris. 

The  Rev.  James  W.  Paris  gave  three  years  of  his  itinerant 
ministry  to  Alabama,  and  rendered  some  service  in  the  State  as 
a  local  preacher.  He  was  destitute  of  the  graces  acquired  by 
education  and  he  was  naturally  eccentric,  but  withal  he  pos- 
sessed rare  gifts  as  an  orator,  and  was  a  chosen  vessel  of  God. 
He  was  a  man  of  solemn  tone  and  awful  mien.  As  an  orator  he 
swept  all  the  chords  of  the  human  soul.  He  touched  the  emo- 
tions and  excited  the  sensibilities.  He  swayed  the  vast  throngs 
of  a  Camp-meeting  as  absolutely  as  the  storm  sways  the  trees 
of  the  forest.  He  could  depict  in  awful  grandeur  "the  dismal 
situation  waste  and  wild"  of  one  finally  despoiled  of  divine 
bliss  because  here  he  stood  as  a  barren  tree  in  the  Lord's  vine- 
yard. 


238 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


He  was  first  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  Conference  in 
October,  1816,  and  served  the  Flint  Kiver  Circuit  for  1817,  and 
at  the  session  of  the  Conference  at  the  end  of  that  year  discon- 
tinued. At  the  session  of  the  Conference  at  Huntsville,  No- 
vember, 1829,  he  was  again  admitted  on  trial  and  continued  in 
the  itinerant  work  until  his  death  in  1832.  His  last  charge  was 
the  Wesley  Circuit  in  West  Tennessee. 


CHAPTEE  IX. 


EEY.  THOMAS  STRINGFIELD. 


(239) 


The  Enlargement  and  Adtancement  of  the  Work  of  Meth- 
odism IN  Alabama. 

XT^NTSVILLE  was  for  a  dozen  years  or  more  one  of  tlie 
1  JL  appointments  of  the  Circuit  in  the  bounds  of  which  it  was 
situated,  and  for  the  most  of  that  time  the  Methodists  in  that 
place  were  without  a  church,  and  worshiped  in  rooms  impro- 
vised for  the  occasion;  they  were  sometimes  the  rooms  of  pri- 
vate residences,  and  sometimes  the  rooms  in  common  public 
use.  The  first  deed  made  to  a  lot  on  which  to  erect  a  church 
for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  Methodists  at  the  town  of  Hilnts- 
ville  bears  date  August  20,  1820,  and  was  made,  indefinite  as  it 
may  seem,  to  the  "  Huntsville  Church."  The  lot  named  in  that 
deed  was  on  West  Clinton  Street,  and  it  was  eventually  sold  by 
the  Methodists  to  the  Primitive  Baptists,  and  at  last  said  lot 
was  abandoned  by  the  Baptists,  and  is  now,  1890,  vacant,  and 
has  been  for  many  years. 

At  the  close  of  1821,  Huntsville  was  made  a  Station,  and  the 
Kev.  Thomas  Madden  was  assigned  to  it  for  1822,  but  for  rea- 
ons  now  unknown  the  appointments  for  Huntsville  and  Nash« 
ville  were,  after  they  were  announced  in  the  session  of  the  Con- 
ference, readjusted,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  Madden  went  to 
Nashville  and  the  Rev.  Thonaas  Stringfield  went  to  Huntsville, 
and  so  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  Rev.  Thomas  Stringfield  served 
the  Huntsville  Station  for  the  year  1822.  He  was  also  sent  to 
Huntsville  Station  for  the  year  1823,  and  served  it  that  year, 
making  his  pastorate  there  two  years  which  was  then  the  full 
time  allowed  by  the  law  of  limitation. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Stringfield  was  bom  in  Kentucky  in  1796, 
and  in  1804,  in  his  native  State,  he  was  born  into  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and  united  himself  with  the  Church.  In  1808  his  fa- 
ther moved  to  Alabama,  and  settled  on  the  Tennessee  River,  in 
Madison  County.  In  1813,  though  then  but  a  youth,  he  joined 
the  volunteer  forces  of  General  Andrew  Jackson  and  helped  to 
subdue  the  hostile  Indians  on  the  soil  of  Alabama.  In  that 
campaign,  while  on  guard,  he  was  shot  by  an  ambushed  savage, 
Xe  (239) 


240 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


and  henceforth  he  carried  on  his  forehead  a  scar  which  told  how 
near  he  came  to  death  at  the  hands  of  a  Creek  warrior.  While 
a  soldier,  as  well  as  during  his  whole  life,  he  maintained  his 
Christian  integrity.  He  went  through  the  whole  campaign 
without  a  blot  upon  his  moral  character. 

He  was,  after  his  return  from  the  campaign  against  the  Creek 
Indians,  licensed  to  preach  in  Madison  County,  Alabama,  and 
was  admitted  into  the  Tennessee  Conference  on  trial  in  Octo- 
ber, 1816.     Five  years  of  his  ministry  were  given  to  Alabama. 
While  in  Huntsville,  Alabama,  as  a  preacher,  he  commenced  the 
publication  of  a  periodical  called  Western  Arminian  and  Chris- 
tian Instructor,  of  which  he  was  the  Editor.     That  periodical 
was  his  own  personal  property,  and  under  the  title  here  given 
he  continued  it  for  about  three  years.     Then  the  property  rights 
in  it  were  transferred  to  the  Holston  Conference,  and  the  name 
of  the  paper  was  changed  to  that  of  the  Holston  Conference 
Messenger.     Under   its   new   name   and   management   he   was 
elected  and  continued  Editor. 

Shortly  after  the  Arminian  and  Instructor  was  commenced 
at  Huntsville,  Alabama,  it  was  removed  to  Knoxville,  Tennes- 
see, and  it  continued  to  be  published  at  that  place  until  it  was 
changed  to  the  Holston  Conference  Messenger.  The  Messen- 
ger was  published  at  Knoxville. 

The  Arminian  and  Instructor  was  filled  with  matter  on  mis- 
cellaneous subjects,  such  as  biographical  sketches,  revival  and 
missionary  intelligence,  and  literary  themes,  but  the  real  pur- 
pose of  that  periodical  and  that  of  its  successor,  the  Messenger, 
was  to  defend  Methodist  doctrines,  Methodist  polity,  and  Meth- 
odist usages  against  the  attacks  of  inveterate  enemies.  During 
the  time  the  Kev.  Thomas  Stringfield  edited  these  periodicals  at 
Knoxville,  Tennessee,  he  was  engaged  in  an  acrimonious  con- 
troversy with  a  set  of  pugnacious  ecclesiastics,  a  troop  of  un- 
scrupulous Calvinists,  who  imagined  that  their  sole  business  in 
life  was  to  obliterate  Methodism,  and  that  they  could  accomplish 
their  assigned  task  in  a  very  short  time. 

The  Kev.  Thomas  Stringfield  was  a  coherent  thinker,  a  logic- 
al reasoner,  a  cool  debater,  a  courageous  advocate,  a  profound 
theologian,  a  cogent  preacher,  and  an  intelligible  and  impress- 
ive writer.  He  was  a  ready  champion,  an  inflexible  antago- 
nist    He   was   in   himself  a  host,    and   unconquerable.    He 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         241 

repelled  and  swept  from  the  Holston  country  the  ecclesiastical 
gladiators  who  set  themselves  so  fiercely  upon  Methodism.  He 
instructed  the  population  in  the  large  and  interesting  field  in 
which  he  exercised  his  ministry  and  circulated  his  periodicals 
in  Arminian  doctrines  and  in  evangelical  methods,  and  he  took 
the  field  for  Methodism.  While  others,  by  their  labors,  con- 
tributed to  achieve  a  victory  for  Methodism  against  Calvinists 
and  other  antagonists,  the  Eev.  Thomas  Stringfield,  who  grew 
to  manhood  and  who  was  licensed  to  preach  in  Alabama,  was 
the  champion  leader  in  the  great  contest  and  the  chief  agent  in 
the  signal  victory. 

He  was  a  laborious  preacher  and  a  versatile  writer.  He  trav- 
eled and  preached  constantly  over  an  extended  region  of  country, 
and  he  wrote  and  published  numerous  sermons,  doctrinal  essays, 
and  miscellaneous  addresses.  He  was  active  in  the  inauguratiou 
and  advancement  of  literary  and  moral  institutions.  At  one 
time  he  was  Agent  for  the  Holston  Conference  Seminary,  and  at 
another  time  for  the  American  Bible  Society. 

The  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
assembled  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  May,  1836,  by  official  action,  di- 
rected the  establishment  of  a  new  paper  which  should  bear  the 
name  of  South-Western  Christian  Advocate,  and  which  should 
be  published  at  Nashville,  Tennessee.  For  Editor  of  the  pro- 
spective organ  the  General  Conference  elected  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Stringfield.  In  due  course  the  paper  ordered  and  provided  for 
was  issued,  and  during  the  quadrennium  ending  at  the  session 
of  the  General  Conference  held  in  1840,  the  Rev.  Thomas  String- 
field  controlled  the  general  make-up  of  that  periodical,  and  filled 
its  columns  with  editorial,  contributed,  and  selected  matter; 
and  under  the  editorial  management  of  that  gifted  and  pious 
man  of  God  the  paper  secured  the  confidence  of  that  section  of 
the  Church  for  whose  benefit  it  was  instituted,  and  attained  a 
degree  of  merit  unusual  in  so  short  a  time. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Stringfield  was  called  to  legislate  for  the 
Church  as  well  as  to  disseminate,  defend,  and  establish  her  doc- 
trines. He  was  an  honored  delegate  to  the  General  Conference 
of  1844,  and  punctually  did  he  discharge  his  duties  and  faithful- 
ly did  he  meet  his  obligations  on  that  memorable  occasion. 
Through  all  that  ordeal  he  sustained  himself,  and  his  cause. 

Twice  was  he  suitably  and  happily  married,  and  he  brought 


l^-l 


242 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         243 


up  a  family  of  children  who  have  honored  him  and  honored 
themselves,  and  have  been  a  blessing  to  the  Church.  One  of  his 
sons  was  a  preacher,  and  another  occupied  a  seat  in  the  highest 
councils  of  his  Church.  One  of  his  daughters,  Mrs.  Butler,  who 
inherited  his  mental  endowments,  is  now,  in  the  year  1890,  and 
has  been  for  several  years.  Editor  of  the  Woman's  Missionary 
Advocate. 

The  extraordinary  intellectual  endowments  which  he  pos- 
sessed, the  abundant  labors  which  he  performed,  the  swiftness 
with  which,  as  a  messenger  of  light,  he  sped  the  divine  cause, 
the  profuse  expenditures  of  money  which  he  made  in  the  dis- 
semination of  evangelical  doctrines,  entitled  the  Eev.  Thomas 
Striugfield  to  appreciation  and  eulogy,  but  above  all  other 
things  for  which  he  was  eminent  and  for  which  he  was  worthy 
of  admiration  was  his  moral  excellence.  His  veneration  of  the 
Divine  Being,  his  love  of  the  divine  law,  and  his  devotion  to  the 
divine  service  were  unsurpassed. 

He  was  the  first  preacher  stationed  at  Huntsville,  and  Hunts- 
ville  Station  was  the  last  charge  he  served  in  Alabama. 

He  died  June  12, 1858,  and  his  body  rests  on  the  banks  of  the 
Holston  River,  in  East  Tennessee. 

The  preacher  stationed  at  Huntsville  for  1824  was  the  Eev. 
Wiley  B.  Peck.  He  was  a  man  of  good  ability  and  of  more  than 
ordinary  attainments.  He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennes- 
f  ee  Conference  in  October,  1820,  was  transferred  to  the  Missouri 
Conference  in  November,  1825,  and  located  at  the  close  of  the 
Conference  year  for  1826.  He  deserted  the  Church  of  his  first 
choice  and  cast  his  lot  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
where  he  read  prayers  and  expatiated  on  apostolic  succession. 

The  Rev.  John  M.  Holland  was  stationed  at  Huntsville  for  the 
years  1825  and  1826,  and  at  the  end  of  his  pastoral  term  there  he 
married  a  most  excellent  young  lady  of  that  place. 

The  Huntsville  Station  was  served  in  1827  by  the  Rev.  James 
Rowe,  and  in  1828  by  the  Rev.  James  \Y.  Allen,  and  again  in 
1829  by  the  Rev.  James  Rowe. 

The  Rev.  James  Rowe  entered  the  ministry  in  the  State  of 
Ohio.  He  was  received  in  the  Ohio  Conference  on  trial  in  Sep- 
tember, 1822,  and  he  was  received  into  full  connection,  ordained 
deacon,  and  located  at  the  session  of  the  Ohio  Conference  in 
September,  1824.     At  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference 


beginning  November  28,  1826,  he  was  re-admitted  to  the  travel- 
ing connection.  He  located  again  in  November,  1830.  Hence- 
forth, till  his  death,  which  occurred  about  1870,  he  was  a  local 
preacher.  He  died  in  Athens,  Alabama,  and  was  buried  in  the 
cemetery  at  that  place.  He  was  a  good  preacher.  He  was  of 
commanding  presence,  tall,  strong,  and  well  made.  He  was  sen- 
timental and  sanguine,  imaginative  and  impulsive,  eccentric  and 
energetic     He  was  opposed  to  war,  and  the  use  of  whisky,  and 

tobacco. 

About  the  close  of  his  ministry  in  the  Huntsville  Station  he 
married  a  young  lady  of  native  gifts  and  rare  accomplishments; 
a  lady  well  fitted  for  and  suited  to  teaching,  and  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  profession  of  a  pedagogue.  He  conceived  the 
idea  of  establishing  a  school  on  the  top  of  the  mountains,  exalt- 
ed above  the  ordinary  hills,  and  which  should  on  account  of  its 
situation  attract  the  school-girls  of  the  country  from  far  and 
near.  Monte  Sano  seventeen  hundred  feet  above  the  sea  level, 
and  more  than  a  thousand  feet  above  the  public  square  of  the 
city  of  Huntsville  furnished  the  site  in  accord  with  his  concep- 
tion, and  on  that  lofty  eminence  he  erected  a  suitable  school- 
building,  and  there,  for  a  number  of  years,  and  until  the  death 
of  his  charming,  and  accomplished  wife,  he  conducted  a  superior 
school.  The  following  communication  contains  a  scrap  of  histo- 
ry on  this  subject: 

"Monte  Sano  Female  Academy. 

This  institution,  within  the  bounds  of  our  charge,  and  at 
which  we  preach  regularly  every  two  weeks,  has  been  favored 
with  the  visitations  of  divine  grace.  Ten  of  the  students  have 
recently  been  made  the  happy  subjects  of  i^ardoniug  mercy; 
and  all  the  rest  seem  to  be  deeply  and  powerfully  awakened  to 
a  sense  of  their  lost  and  undone  condition  by  reason  of  sin.  O, 
may  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  carry  on  his  work  among 

them ! 

This  institution  was  established  by  the  Rev.  James  Rowe,  for- 
merly a  traveling  preacher  in  the  Tennessee  Conference.  At 
our  last  annual  session  a  dispensation  was  granted  him  for  the 
purpose  of  attending  to  some  pecuniary  business;  since  which 
time  he  has  procured  land,  and  erected  suitable  buildings  on  the 
above  named  mountain  for  the  location  of  a  permanent  institu- 


I," 


244 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


I 


tioD  for  female  education.  For  the  information  of  our  friends 
abroad,  I  would  say,  *  This  location  combines  peculiar  and  nu- 
merous advantages.'  It  is  highly  elevated,  perhaps  1,800  feet 
above  the  surrounding  plain,  and  affords  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ful prospects  in  the  western  country.  The  air  is  salubrious. 
There  is  a  chalybeate  spring  within  one  mile  of  the  institution, 
to  which  many  resort  in  the  summer  season  for  the  benefit  of 
their  health.  The  purest  of  fresh  water  is  in  abundance.  Ex- 
perience evinces  that  this  situation  ie  very  healthy,  indeed. 
The  retired  situation  of  the  academy  ig  very  favorable  to  study 
and  improvement.  It  is  only  three  and  a  half  miles  from  Hunts- 
ville. 

'  It  is  proposed  to  teach  in  this  institution  Botany,  Natural 
and  Moral  Philosophy,  the  Elements  of  Geometry,  Chemistry, 
and  Astronomy.'     *  Terms  of  tuition  and  board  moderate.' 

Huntsville,  Alabama,  September  15,  1830.  Alpha.'* 

The  Kev.  William  P.  Kendrick  was  the  preacher  at  Hunts- 
ville for  1830.     That  was  the  last  year  of  his  itinerant  ministry 
in  Alabama.     The  year  before  he  was  stationed  at  Florence. 
The  most  of  his  itinerant  work  was  done  in  East  Tennessee,  and 
in  the  bounds  of  what  was  at  one  time  the  Holston  Conference. 
It  seems  that  he  was  rather  vacillating  in  his  attachments  to 
the  itinerant  ministry.     He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference  in  October,  1820,  and  in  due  course  he  was 
admitted  into  full  connection  in  the  same  Conference,  and  or- 
dained deacon   and  elder.     In   October,   1825,   being   then    a 
member  of  the  Holston  Conference,  he  located;  in  November, 
1827,  he  was  re-admitted  to  the  Holston  Conference,  and  in  No- 
vember, 1828,  he  again  located;  and  immediately  he  was  re-ad- 
mitted to  the  Tennessee  Conference,  and  for  1829  was  appointed 
to  Florence  Station,  and  then  to  the  Huntsville  Station  for  1830; 
for  1831  he  was  left  without  an  appointment,  and  in  November 
of  that  year  he  once  more  located.     That  was  his  last  and  final 
location.     "How  to  perform  that  which  is  good,  I  find  not. 
For  the  good  that  I  would,  I  do  not." 

Notwithstanding  his  vacillation  in  the  pastoral  work,  he  was 
admired  and  applauded  by  the  masses  who  flocked  to  his  min- 
istry. He  was  a  man  of  pleasant  bearing  and  attractive  man- 
ners.    He  was  a  magnificent  declaimer,  and  a  logical  reasoner. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         245 


His  appeals  from  the  pulpit  were  irresistible.  He  was  a  man 
of  marked  talents,  and  was  famous  as  a  pulpit  orator.  After 
his  final  location  he  became  engrossed  in  secular  affairs  and 
very  much  devoted  to  politics.  When  the  war  between  the 
States  began  he  had  passed  beyond  the  age  for  military  service, 
but  he  went  out  with  the  Confederate  forces  as  a  chaplain,  and 
while  engaged  in  that  service  he  died.  Notwithstanding  his 
vacillations  and  the  vicissitudes  of  his  life  he  died  while  engaged 
in  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He  died  while  he  held  a  commis- 
sion as  chaplain  to  the  Confederate  soldiers. 

The  appointments  for  1831  included  the  following:  Hunts- 
ville, John  B.  McFerrin.   For  1832 :  Huntsville,  Ashley  B.  Eoszel. 

During  the  ten  years  beginning  with  1822  and  closing  with 
1832  there  was  in  the  Huntsville  Station  an  increase  of  white 
members  from  sixty-one  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven,  and 
a  decrease  of  colored  members  from  two  hundred  and  thirteen 
to  fifty-six. 

The  Tennessee  Conference  held  its  annual  session  at  Hunts- 
ville, Alabama,  beginning  November  26,  1823.  That  was  an 
event  in  the  history  of  the  place,  an  event  distinctive,  extraordi- 
nary, and  to  the  Methodists  there,  intelligent  and  refined  as 
they  were,  delightful,  and  entertaining.  That  was  the  first  ses- 
sion of  an  Annual  Conference  ever  held  at  the  place.  At  that 
Conference  there  were  two  Bishops,  William  McKendree  and 
Enoch  George,  and  more  than  sixty  preachers  present.  A  let- 
ter bearing  date  December  1,  1823,  and  written  at  Huntsville 
by  Bishop  McKendree  still  survives  the  ravages  of  time. 

The  presence  of  one  noted  individual,  though  neither  a  Bish- 
op nor  a  Priest,  and  though  not  numbered  among  kings  or 
scholars,  created  peculiar  interest  and  gave  occasion  for  special 
record.  POLLY  SMITH,  a  Cherokee  Indian,  who  had  been 
inducted  into  the  Christian  religion  by  a  change  of  nature  and 
an  experience  of  grace,  and  who  was  a  member  of  a  Methodist 
Society  organized  and  kept  up  at  Richard  Riley's,  in  the  Cher- 
okee Nation,  twelve  miles  south  of  Fort  Deposit,  was  at  that  first 
session  of  an  Annual  Conference  at  Huntsville;  and  was  there 
on  a  special  mission;  on  a  mission  in  which  were  involved  the 
issues  of  holy  living. 

About  twelve  months  before  the  Conference  convened  at 
Huntsville,  this  Polly  Smith  found  in  the  Nation  a  piece  of 


246 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


calico.  She  did  not,  as  she  could  have  done,  conceal  the  goods 
and  apply  it  to  her  own  use,  but  she  carried  it  to  the  nearest 
trading  house  to  which  she  lived,  and  inquired  of  the  proprie- 
tor if  he  had  sold  such  goods,  and  if  so,  to  whom.  The  mer- 
chant informed  her  that  he  had  sold  to  some  Creek  Indians  a 
piece  of  goods  precisely  like  the  piece  she  had  found.  She 
kept  the  goods  with  care  and  inquired  diligently  for  the  owner; 
but  having  failed  to  find  the  proper  owners  of  the  calico,  she 
went  to  the  town  of  Huntsville,  arriving  there  at  the  time  of  the 
session  of  the  Conference,  and  laid  the  case  before  the  Kev. 
William  McMahon,  the  presiding  elder,  and  sought  his  decis- 
ion as  to  the  disposition  she  should  make  of  the  property. 
Than  this  neither  legend,  nor  fiction,  nor  history  can  furnish  a 
sublimer  example  of  Christian  integrity,  virtue,  and  faith. 
That  woman  was  a  trophy  from  the  depths  of  the  forest,  from 
the  land  of  the  heathen,  and  she  and  the  ethical  questions  which 
she  presented  for  solution  magnified  the  occasion  and  intensi- 
fied the  interest  in  the  business  of  the  Conference. 

At  that  Conference  the  following  persons  were  ordained 
deacons  in  the  Methodist  Church,  on  Clinton  Street,  by  Bishop 
Enoch  George:  Kufus  Ledbetter,  John  Seay,  Jacob  S.  Hearn, 
Thomas  A.  Young,  German  Baker,  Finch  P.  Scruggs,  James  G. 
H.  Speer,  Abraham  Overall,  Nathaniel  E.  Jarrett,  John  Kains, 
John  Kice,  John  Kelly,  Kichard  Neeley,  Nathan  L.  Norvell, 
William  Patton,  Thomas  J.  Brown,  George  Horn,  David  B. 
Cumming,  and  William  B.  Carpenter. 

The  following  were  on  the  same  occasion,  though  at  a  differ- 
ent hour,  elected  and  ordained  elders:  Kobert  Paine,  John 
Brooks,  John  Kesterson,  Hartwell  H.  Brown,  Abraham  Still, 
Lewis  S.  Marshall,  Thomas  Madden,  Ellison  Taylor. 

At  that  session  of  the  Conference  nine  delegates  were  elected 
to  the  General  Conference. 

At  a  meeting  held  for  the  purpose,  in  the  town  of  Huntsville, 
April  26,  1829,  a  Society  was  organized  with  the  constitutional 
designation:  "The  Huntsville  Sunday  School,  auxiliary  to  the 
*  Sunday  School  Union,'  and  the  Huntsville  Bible  and  Tract  So- 
ciety, auxiliary  to  the  Bible  and  Tract  Societies  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church."  The  following  persons  were  elected 
as  the  officers  of  the  Society:  John  M.  Taylor,  President; 
James  Kowe,  Vice-president;  B.  M.  Lowe,  Treasurer;  E.  P. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         247 


Smith,  Kecording  Secretary;  C.  K  Clifton,  Corresponding  Sec- 
retary; K  B.  Purdom,  David  Moore,  Thomas  Brandon,  John 
Kinkle,  Joseph  Ward— Managers. 

This  item,  thought  at  the  time  worthy  of  record,  gives  the 
names  of  a  few  men  in  Huntsville  who  at  that  day  participated 
in  the  affairs  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  it  indi- 
cates the  stage  which  had  been  reached  there  at  that  period  in 
the  development  of  Christian  benevolence  and  Church  enter- 
prise. Though  there  had  been  a  degree  of  tardiness  in  organi- 
zing that  Society,  such  organization  having  been  provided  for 
by  the  general  Church  ten  years  previous  to  that  date,  yet  at 
last  there  was  organized  benevolence  and  provision  for  active 
cooperation  in  the  dissemination  of  revealed  truth  and  the  ex- 
tension of  the  kingdom  of  God  among  men. 

Another  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  was  held  at 
Huntsville,  Alabama,  beginning  November  19,  1829.  It  was  a 
grand  occasion.  The  town  was  in  prosperous  condition,  the 
Methodists  there  were  in  pleasant  mood,  the  meteorological  con- 
dition of  the  atmosphere  was  good,  the  concourse  was  large,  and 
notable  visitors  were  present.  Everything  was  conducive  to  the 
pleasure  and  success  of  the  occasion,  except  the  indisposition  of 
the  Bishop,  the  Eev.  Kobert  E.  Eoberts,  who  was  to  preside 
over  the  deliberations  of  the  body.  He  was  so  indisposed  he 
did  not  reach  Huntsville  until  the  Conference  had  disposed  of 
a  large  part  of  the  business;  and  even  after  he  had  arrived  at 
the  seat  of  the  Conference  he  could  preside  over  the  body  only 
occasionally.  The  preachers  whom  he  ordained  elders  had  to 
meet  him  in  his  room  in  a  private  house  for  the  ordination  serv- 
ice. The  Eev.  Eobert  Paine  was  elected  president  of  the  Con- 
ference in  the  absence  of  the  Bishop. 

The  interest  of  the  occasion  concentered  in  the  Missionary 
Anniversary.  The  following  statement  is  given  from  a  commu- 
nication to  the  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church:  "  The  second  anniver- 
sary of  the  Tennessee  Conference  Missionary  Society  was  held 
on  the  23  of  November  last,  in  the  Methodist  Church  in  Hunts- 
ville, Alabama.  The  meeting  was  opened  by  Bishop  Eoberts 
by  reading  the  fortieth  chapter  of  Isaiah,  singing,  and  prayer. 
The  president,  then  taking  the  chair,  called  for  the  reading  of 
the  report  of  the  board  of  managers,  which  was  accordingly 


248 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


done  by  the  Eev.  Thomas  L.  Douglass,  in  which  it  evidently  ap- 
peared that  the  missionary  cause  still  continues  to  prevail  with 
amazing  rapidity,  so  that  wonders  are  everywhere  wrought 
among  the  heathen  in  the  name  of  Jesus. 

The  collection  from  the  congregation  at  the  Anniversary 
amounted  to  $100-a  sufficient  sum  to  support  a  missionary  for 
tiie  term  of  one  year." 

A  noted  visitor  in  the  person  of  an  Indian  Chief  was  at  that 
anniversary,  as  the  following  from  the  communication  already 
quoted  from  shows:  "The  interest  of  the  meeting  was  greatly 
increased  by  the  presence  of  several  of  the  Cherokee  converts 
and  also  by  the  pleasing  account  of  the  extraordinary  work  of 
religion  m  the  Choctaw  nation,  given  by  Colonel  G.  Lafleur, 
chiet  of  the  northwestern  district  of  that  nation." 

The  communication  from  which  the  above  quotations  are 
made  was  written  by  the  Eev.  John  M.  Holland,  and  it  bears 
date  January,  1830. 

Turtle  Fields,  a  Cherokee  Indian,  was  received  into  full  con- 
nection in  the  Annual  Conference  and  ordained  deacon  by  Bish- 
op Eoberts  at  that  session  of  the  Conference,  and  Young  Wolfe, 
another  Cherokee  Indian,  was  admitted  on  trial. 

Savages  upon  whom  the  light  of  the  Lord  had  come  and  upon 
whom  his  glory  had  arisen  through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
ministers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  gathered  them- 
selves together  at  the  beautiful  town  of  Huntsville,  and  their 
feet  pressed  the  aisles  and  their  voices  resounded  through  the 
auditorium  of  the  neat  sanctuary  which  the  Methodists'"  there 
had  dedicated  to  divine  worship.  Savages  now  bearing  forth 
tidings  of  peace  entered  the  courts  of  the  Lord.  Princes  from 
a  savage  land  brought  their  gifts  and  praises  to  the  Kedeemer 
of  nations.  Such  an  incident  was  thrilling,  and  thereby  the 
faith  of  the  people  of  God  was  strengthened,  their  zeal  intensi- 
fied, their  liberality  enlarged,  and  their  joy  increased. 

On  March  7,  1832,  William  H.  Powers  and  wife  did,  in  con- 
sideration of  the  sum  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  sell 
and  convey  to  David  Moore,  William  Cain,  Joseph  L.  Clark, 
John  M.  Taylor,  and  Charles  P.  Smith  Trustees,  for  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  Lot  No.  30,  situated  on  Kandolph  and 
Green  Streets.  On  that  Lot  since  then  has  stood  the  Church  of 
the  Methodists  of  Huntsville. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work  op 

Methodism  in  Alabama. 

THE  first  mention  ever  made  of  Mobile  in  the  ecclesiastical 
records  of  Methodism  is  found  in  the  list  of  appointments 
made  for  the  Mississippi  Conference  at  its  session  at  Washing- 
ton, Mississippi,  December,  1821.  The  last  appointment  in  that 
list  is:  "Alexander  Talley,  Missionary  to  Pensacola,  Mobile, 
Blakely,  and  adjoining  country." 

The  first  Methodist  preacher  ever  appointed  to  Mobile  was 
the  Kev.  Alexander  Talley,  though  it  is  by  no  means  probable 
that  he  was  the  first  one  who  ever  visited  the  place.  It  is  quite 
certain  that  the  preachers  on  the  Tombecbee  and  the  Chickasaw- 
hay  Circuits  visited  Mobile  before  the  Kev.  Alexander  Talley  was 
ever  appointed  to  the  place,  although  they  never  established  any 
Societies  there.  In  the  memoir  of  the  Eev.  Alexander  Talley, 
published  in  the  General  Minutes,  it  is  stated  that  in  "  1819,  he 
was  appointed  a  Missionary  to  Mobile."  This  is  a  mistake. 
For  the  year  1819,  the  South  Carolina  Conference  appointed 
*' Alexander  Talley,  Missionary  to  Alabama  Territory,"  and  that 
year  he  organized,  as  has  been  stated  in  another  place,  the  Ala- 
bama Circuit,  the  chief  appointments  of  which  were  about 
where  the  Pine  Woods,  Autauga,  Cotoma,  and  Swift  Creeks 
form  their  junctions  with  the  Alabama  River.  At  the  close  of 
1819  he  located,  and  made  his  home  at  Vernon,  on  the  Alabama 
River,  at  the  upper  point  of  Dutch  Bend,  and  in  the  bounds  of 
the  Alabama  Circuit.  Here  he  administered  medicine,  and  ex- 
ercised the  functions  of  a  local  preacher.  In  December,  1821, 
he  was  re-admitted  to  the  traveling  connection  in  the  Mississippi 
Conference,  and  was  appointed,  for  1822,  "  Missionary  to  Pensa- 
cola, Mobile,  Blakely,  and  adjoining  country."  At  the  end  of 
the  Conference  year  1822  he  again  located,  and  then  returned  to 
the  occupation  of  administering  medicine  to  the  sick  in  his  old 
field  of  practice  on  the  Alabama  River.  He  again  lived  at  Ver- 
non, and  at  that  place  he  remained,  engaged  in  the  administra- 

(249) 


250 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


tion  of  medicine,  and  in  the  exercise  of  the  functions  of  a  local 
preacher,  until  December,  1825,  when  he  was  again  re-admitted 
into  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  appointed  presiding  elder 
of  the  Louisiana  District.  That  ended  his  work  in  Alabama; 
henceforth  his  appointments  were  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
State. 

No  authentic  record  now  accessible  states  where  or  when  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Talley  was  born.  He  had  six  brothers,  three,  at 
least,  of  whom  were  Methodist  preachers.  The  Rev.  Nicholas 
Talley,  his  brother,  who  was  for  a  long  time  an  itinerant  preach- 
er, was  born  near  Richmond,  Virginia,  and  his  brother  the  Rev. 
John  Wesley  Talley,  who  was  for  a  long  time  a  traveling  preach- 
er in  his  native  State,  was  born  near  Greensborough,  Georgia; 
but  where  the  Rev.  William  S.  Talley,  another  brother,  and  who 
was  once  a  member  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  and  who 
died  in  Greene  County,  Georgia,  was  born,  is  unknown.  Prob- 
ably Alexander  and  William  S.  were  born  in  Virginia. 

"Alexander  Talley  was  recommended  by  a  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence held  at  Walker's  Meeting  House  for  Appalachee  Circuit, 
December  9,  1809,"  as  a  suitable  person  to  be  admitted  on  trial 
in  the  traveling  connection.  Walker's  Meeting  House  was 
probably  in  Greene  County,  Georgia,  as  the  Talleys  lived  in  that 
County,  and  as  the  Appalachee  Circuit  embraced  that  and  other 
Counties.  On  December  26,  1809,  he  was  "  admitted  on  trial " 
by  the  South  Carolina  Conference.  In  December,  1811,  he  was 
admitted  into  fall  connection  in  the  Conference,  and  ordained 
deacon.  January  15,  1814,  at  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  he 
was  elected  elder,  and  the  next  day,  Sunday,  was  ordained. 

He  was  appointed  in  charge  of  Missions,  Circuits,  Stations, 
and  Districts.  He  filled  the  prominent  places,  such  as  Charles- 
ton Station,  and  Edisto  District  in  the  South  Carolina  Confer- 
ence, and  the  Louisiana  District  in  the  Mississippi  Conference. 
While  he  was  not  as  elegant  and  eloquent  as  some  others  in 
the  pulpit,  yet  he  was  a  popular  and  successful  preacher.  His 
piety  was  commanding  and  impressive. 

One  at  whose  father's  house  he  made  his  home  for  weeks  at  a 
time  in  Autauga  County,  Alabama,  where  he  did  his  first  work 
in  Alabama  as  an  itinerant  preacher  and  his  last  work  as  a  local 
preacher,  says  of  him:  "  He  was  rather  below  the  ordinary  stat- 
ure, being  about  five  feet  seven  inches  high,  with  full  chest,  and 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         251 


weighing  about  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds.  His  hair  was 
black,  and  he  was  of  a  bilious  temperament.  He  had  a  custom 
when  not  engaged  in  conversation  of  walking  back  and  forth 
across  the  floor,  and  whistling  between  his  teeth,  with  an  ab- 
stracted air,  as  if  engaged  in  meditation.  He  gained  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  the  children  wherever  he  went.  I  recollect 
well  how  I  was  in  constant  dread  of  being  expelled  from  the 
Church  by  him  for  wearing  a  ruffled  collar  around  my  neck  when 
I  went  to  the  house  of  God." 

He  found  favor  with  the  children  and  the  adult  population  as 
well.     His  influence  was  marked  and  wholesome. 

He  was  a  man  of  strong  Christian  character,  and  of  more  than 
ordinary  mental  ability.  He  had  a  clear  apprehension  of  what- 
ever subject  engaged  his  attention,  and  he  was  a  steady  devotee 
of  the  cause  he  espoused.  He  was  capable  of  thoroughly  ana- 
lyzing a  subject,  and  of  writing  out  and  setting  forth  his 
thoughts  in  clear  and  cogent  composition.  In  December,  1827, 
he  was  appointed  to  the  Choctaw  Mission,  which  at  that  time 
was  situated  in  the  Choctaw  Nation  within  the  chartered  limits 
of  the  State  of  Mississippi.  When  the  Choctaws  were  removed 
west  of  the  Mississippi  River  the  Mission  to  them  was  continued 
in  their  new  home,  and  the  Rev.  Alexander  Talley  remained  Su- 
perintendent of  that  work  until  the  close  of  1834  A  letter  writ- 
ten by  him  when  he  first  took  charge  of  the  Mission  to  the  Choc- 
taws, the  contents  of  which  are  of  interest  in  themselves,  will 
give  some  idea  of  his  mental  and  moral  qualities.  He  wrote  a 
number  of  letters  concerning  the  Choctaw  Mission  of  merit  and 
interest  which  are  still  extant,  but  they  are  too  long  for  insertion 
in  this  History.  The  letter  here  quoted  was  addressed  to  the 
Rev.  John  Emory,  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

"  Choctaw  Nation,  April  2,  1828. 

Dear  Sir: — It  has  become  my  duty  to  communicate  an  account 
of  the  state  of  the  mission  among  this  people.  It  is  known  to 
many  of  our  distant  friends,  that  the  Methodist  Missionary  So- 
ciety has  not  had  a  laborer  in  this  mission  for  two  or  three 
years;  and  from  the  short  time  that  I  have  been  on  this  service, 
it  cannot  be  expected  that  I  have  many  subjects  of  joy  and  re- 
joicing to  communicate. 

I  commenced  my  labor  about  the  middle  of  January  last,  and 


252 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


although  much  hindered  by  excessiye  rains.  I  have  visited  all 
the  Chiefs  and  many  of  the  most  influential  men  in  the  nation 
If  the":-*"'t'  through  most  of  the  important  settlm  2 

ces    I  shXr/  ''T'"'^'T  °^  f"«'^'i«WP  °«"^  i"B-e  me  suc- 
cess, I  shall  certainly  succeed.     My  reception  has  been  flattering 

everywhere  and  particularly  so  by  the  Chiefs  and  the  Unite! 

stranLrsT^H    "'  ''  "  ""'  *°  "^  '^^'''^^  *'>''*  ^^  -^o  -e 
heartf  r  fi'  '^°°^-«*'"g  P^^^'  °f  g^ace   upon  their  own 

hear  8,  can  justly  appreciate  the  only  well  founded  hope  of  sue 
cess  m  a  Missionary.     Their  wishes  for  the  success  of^eve  y  e  ! 
fort  to  cmhze  this  people  is  no  doubt  sincere,  and  from  the  mor- 
alizing influence  of  Christianity  much  is  expected.     But  it  is 
not  to  be  expected  that  the  principal  object  of  a  Christian  Mis- 
lonary's  hope  should  be  recognized  by  them.     Nothing  les" 
than  a  supernatural  power  changing  the  hearts  of  this  people 
can  ever  change  their  habits.     But  this  aid  is  promised  toTei 
vent  prayer,  and  I  doubt  not  but  that  we  are  affectionately  re- 
membered by  the  Church  in  every  part  of  our  country         ^ 

I  have  found  it  difficult  to  obtain  an  interpreter,  and  even 
now  am  not  certain  that  I  have  succeeded.     But  in  such  circum 
stances  as  have  yet  occurred  to  cast  a  shade  upon  my  prospects 
I  have  found  an  almighty  hand  to  lean  upon;  consequentWhen 
my  way  appeared  obstructed  I  have  felt  assured  that  the  ob- 
struction would  be  removed,  or  in  some  way  sanctified  to  my 
good,  or  the  furtherance  of  my  work.-Could  I  paint  the  con 
dition  of  this  people  in  its  true  colors,  I  should  certainly  excite 

t:  7oir ffel  le^at  ^^1  ^  -''.  ^^  ^^^^ 
+1.0       A  \   t-  f  ^  '  ^  ^^^  ^^^*^'  I  Passed  a  house  in 

On  ZtlZ^fir  V"''  ^"'''  surrounded  by  painted  poles. 
On  the  tops  of  the  poles  were  cloths  waving  in  the  wind  like 
flags  and  near  them,  bent  to  the  ground  with  their  heads 
shrouded  in  their  blankets,  were  the  relatives  uttering  the  mos 
piteous  lamentations.  Here  I  learned  the  value  of^ChrisTan 
hope  Never  shall  I  forget  the  sensations  produced  by  th  S 
sight  of  this  kind  that  I  witnessed. 

I  must  communicate  the  painful  circumstance  that  whatever 
inay  have  been  the  prospects  of  our  former  Missionary  among 
this  people,  that  but  very  little  fruit  is  now  apparent. 

Most  Respectfully  your  obedient  Servant, 

Alexander  Talley." 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.  253 


He  was  true  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  the  min- 
istry thereof  till  the  day  of  his  death.  Whatever  may  have  been 
his  views  on  the  questions  which  agitated  the  Church  in  his 
time,  he  was  no  disruptionist. 

This  consecrated  man  of  God  who  spent  so  much  of  his  time 
in  frontier  and  missionary  work  in  Alabama  and  among  the  In- 
dians, the  Eev.  Alexander  Talley,  M.D.,  died  of  cholera,  at 
Vicksburg,  Mississippi,  in  the  summer  of  1835.  Among  his  last 
words,  uttered  in  peace,  resignation,  and  triumph,  were:  "My 
work  is  done." 

Perhaps  no  Missionary  ever  had  a  harder  field  than  was  "  Pen- 
sacola.  Mobile,  Blakely,  and  adjoining  country  "  in  1822,  and  no 
work  was  ever  more  fruitless  than  was  the  work  of  that  year  in 
that  field.  Not  a  member  was  reported  in  the  entire  Mission, 
and  the  appointment  was  discontinued  at  the  end  of  the  year, 
and  Mobile  did  not  appear  again  until  the  close  of  1824 

While  in  1823  and  1824,  as  in  the  past  years,  there  was  not  a 
Methodist  in  the  city  of  Mobile,  and  while  for  those  two  years 
no  preacher  was  appointed  to  further  the  interests  of  Metho- 
dism in  that  city,  yet  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Alabama  Dis- 
trict, the  Rev.  Nicholas  Mclntyre,  had  the  place  under  his  juris- 
diction, and  he  kept  a  vigilant  eye  upon  it,  and  constantly 
sought  to  get  a  foothold  there  for  the  Methodists,  and  finally  a 
lot  was  secured  in  the  place  on  which  to  build  a  house  of  wor- 
ship for  the  use  of  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  The  deed  to  said  lot  was  made  May  10,  1824,  and  was 
made  to  the  following  Trustees:  John  McCrae,  John  H.  Mallory, 
John  Graves,  Sr.,  William  Godfrey  and  James  Wilson.  These 
Trustees  were  Methodists,  but  they  did  not  live  in  Mobile. 
They  were  members  of  the  Church  on  the  Chickasawhay  Circuit. 
John  McCrae  lived  on  the  Chickasawhay  River,  in  the  State  of 
Mississippi,  forty  or  fifty  miles  from  Mobile,  and  held  his  mem- 
bership at  Bethel,  near  his  home,  and  William  Godfrey  lived  in 
Washington  County,  Alabama,  forty  or  fifty  miles  from  Mobile, 
and  held  his  membership  at  Providence,  which  was  near  his 
home.  These  men  in  the  Chickasawhay  Circuit  were  made 
Trustees  for  the  lot  in  Mobile,  because  there  were  no  men  in 
Mobile  then  who  were  Methodists. 

A  review  of  the  condition  of  things  at  Pensacola  may  help  to 
a  correct  understanding  of  the  situation  at  Mobile  at  the  date 


254 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


now  under  consideration.     For  the  year  1824  Mobile  was  left,  as 
has  already  been  stated,  without  a  preacher.     For  that  year  the 
Eev.  Henry  P.  Cook  was  appointed  to  Pensacola  Mission,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  year  he  reported  thirty-seven  white  and  forty-sev- 
en colored  members  in  the  Mission.     Some  of  these,  possibly  all 
of  them,  were  in  the  country  from  thirty  to  fifty  miles  north  of 
the  town  of  Pensacola.     For  1825  the  appointment  reads:  "Mo- 
bile and  Pensacola  Mission,  Henry  P.  Cook."     During  the  year 
the  saintly  Cook  died  of  yellow  fever  at  Pensacola,  and  at  the 
session  of  the  Conference  ensuing  thirty-seven  white  and  forty- 
seven  colored  members  were  reported  in  connection  with  the 
Mission.     These  were  the  same  thirty-seven  white  and  forty-sev- 
en colored  members  which  were  reported  the  preceding  year 
when  Mobile  was  not  in  the  Mission,  and  the  report  harmonizes 
with  the  fact  that  at  the  close  of  1825  there  was  no  Methodist 
Society  in  Mobile.     The  town  of  Pensacola  itself  at  that  date 
had  very  little  in  it,  and  it  was  then  abandoned  by  the  Mississip- 
pi Conference,  and  for  1826  was  left  without  a  preacher.     The 
South  Carolina  Conference  took  Pensacola  under  its  supervis- 
ion, and  appointed  the  Eev.  Charles  Hardy  to  Pensacola  Mis- 
sion for  the  Conference  year  1827.     After  being  there  eleven 
months  the  Eev.  Charles  Hardy  gave  a  very  gloomy  account  of 
the  moral  condition  of  Pensacola,  but  reported  a  Sunday  School 
of  from  twenty-five  to  forty  scholars,  and  that  the  frame  of  a 
church  had  been  raised,  and  that  the  work  of  completing  the 
house  was  in  progress.    The  following  account  will  show  the  con- 
dition of  matters  in  Pensacola  at  a  little  later  date: 

"  Pensacola,  August  6,  1828. 
Dear  Brother:— As  to  Pensacola  we  cannot  say  there  seems 
to  be  much  religion  there,  though  we  have  a  Sabbath  School  in 
operation,  attended  by  from  fifteen  to  thirty  scholars,  and  I 
would  think,  with  a  little  more  perseverance  in  the  teachers, 
and  punctual  attendance  by  the  scholars,  it  would  be  attended  with 
much  good.  Our  congregations  are  tolerable  in  size,  serious,  and 
attentive  during  divine  service,  yet  there  does  not  seem  to  be 
that  tenderness  and  feeling  manifest  among  them  that  I  could 
wish  to  see.  I  fear  they  are  not  sufficiently  attentive  to  prayer, 
neither  in  their  closets  nor  church,  consequently  they  are  not 
so  well  prepared  to  receive  the  word  to  profit  thereby. 

We  have  been  making  efforts  for  something  more  than  a 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         255 

year  to  have  a  church  built,  and  have  succeeded  in  getting  a 
very  good  one  built,  and  have  it  now  in  occupancy,  though  it  is 
not  entirely  completed,  nor  is  it  yet  paid  for,  which  I  fear  will 
involve  us  in  difiiculties,  though  our  embarrassments  would  not 
have  been  great,  if  at  all,  had  it  not  been  for  a  loss  of  money 
that  we  had  collected,  about  $351.  This  money  has  been  de- 
tained by .     I  forbear  to  mention  names  or  circumstances, 

hut  it  is  a  fact;  or,  I  would  rather  say,  it  is  probable  we  shall 
lose  it.  With  this  exception  these  people  have  been  friendly, 
and  many  of  them  have  been  very  liberal  in  their  contributions 
toward  our  building,  for  which  they  are  entitled  to  our  best  af- 
fections; and  I  pray  the  Lord  to  bless  them  with  spiritual  as 
well  as  temporal  blessings.  Ours  is  the  first  church  of  any 
Protestant  denomination  that  has  ever  been  attempted  to  be 
built  in  this  place,  nor  have  they  ever  had  a  stationed  minister 
by  any  Protestant  order  but  by  us,  nor  by  us  until  latterly;  con- 
sequently they  have  not  been  often  alarmed  by  the  thunderings 
from  Mount  Sinai,  nor  have  they  attended  to  that  law  that  is 
perfect,  converting  the  soul,  but  many  of  them  have  indulged 
themselves  in  iniquity  without  reproof  or  disapprobation  from 
others.  It  would  pain  your  heart  to  walk  the  streets  here  on 
Sunday  evenings,  and  hear  the  colored  people  dancing,  singing, 
and  playing  on  their  musical  instruments,  and  those  in  author- 
ity are  not  careful  to  suppress  such  practices.  Surely,  me- 
thinks,  here  is  great  need  of  the  gospel  to  conduct  these  poor 
people  out  of  the  prison  of  sin,  and  disgrace  of  wickedness,  to 
usefulness  in  society,  and  the  happiness  of  religion. 

Yours  most  affectionately,  Josiah  Evaxs." 

The  Eev.  Josiah  Evans,  at  the  time  of  writing  the  above,  was 
the  v)residing  elder  of  the  Tallahassee  District,  South  Carolina 
Conference,  and  Pensacola  Mission  was  one  of  the  pastoral 
charges  in  the  District,  and  the  Eev.  Isaac  Boring  was  the 
preacher  in  charge  of  Pensacola. 

Notwithstanding  Talley  and  Cook  exercised  a  vigorous  min- 
istry in  the  city  of  Mobile  and  dispensed  a  glorious  gospel  to 
that  people,  and  notwithstanding  the  Eev.  Samuel  Sellers,  the 
Eev.  Thomas  Griffin,  and  the  Eev.  Nicholas  Mclntyre,  presid- 
ing elders  of  the  District  first  called  the  Mississippi  and  then 
the  Alabama,  through  a  series  of  years  beginning  with  1813,  de- 
voted much  attention  to  the  city  of  Mobile,  yet  not  until  in  the 
17 


256 


Hisionj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


year  1826  was  a  Methodist  Society  organized  in  that  city,  and 
not  until  in  the  year  1820  was  any  tangible  outlay,  or  effective 
effort  made  to  build  a  house  of  worship  in  the  place  for  the  use 
of  the  Methodists,  except  that  a  lot  on  which  to  build  such 
house  had  been  acquired,  as  has  already  been  mentioned,  and, 
perhaps,  the  foundations  of  a  house  of  worship  had  been  laid. 

The  Eev.  John  Kussell  Lambuth  was  the  preacher  for  "Mo- 
bile Mission"  for  1826  and  1827.  In  addition  to  the  other  em- 
barrassments under  which  he  prosecuted  his  ministry  in  that 
place,  he  engaged  in  the  management  of  a  literary  school  a 
part  of  the  time.  Here  is  subjoined  a  communication  which 
gives  the  history  of  the  time  in  which  it  was  written: 

"  Mobile  Mission,  Mobile,  August  29,  1827. 

I  have  tried  to  labor  with  this  people  this  summer  as  much 
as  I  did  in  the  winter  season,  though  under  greater  disadvan- 
tages; for  the  greater  part  removed  some  short  distance  from 
the  city,  and  but  few  having  conveniences  for  traveling,  they 
could  not  attend  church  in  the  city;  therefore  I  preached  at  two 
places  in  the  country,  and  occasionally  in  the  city.  The  con- 
gregations have  been  generally  large  for  the  season  of  the  year, 
and  our  prayer  meetings  in  the  week  have  been  generally  well 
attended,  I  think  I  have  seen  recently  some  very  favorable 
omens,  particularly  on  the  last  Sabbath.  We  had  an  uncom- 
monly large  congregation,  while  I  was  attempting  to  expose  the 
sin  of  ingratitude,  and  prove,  that  unless  we  rendered  to  God 
that  which  was  his,  we  should  certainly  be  guilty  of  that  crime, 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  attended  the  word,  and  carried  convic- 
tion to  many  hearts.  There  appeared  to  be  an  uncommon  ten- 
derness among  the  people.  I  hope  that  our  labors  here  will  be 
like  bread  cast  upon  the  waters,  that  may  be  seen  after  many 
days. 

This  summer  I  have  had  charge  of  a  school,  which  consisted 
of  nearly  fifty  scholars,  among  whom  I  have  labored,  to  teach 
them  the  fear  of  God,  and  show  them  the  awful  consequences  of 
sin;  and  I  feel  thankful  to  God  that  my  labor  has  not  been  in 
vain.  I  see  a  great  change  in  the  conduct  of  many,  and  several 
have  affirmed  that  they  desire  religion  above  everything  in  this 
life.  They  are  fond  of  reading  the  Scriptures,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  do  some  of  them,  when  they  have  a  recess  from  their 
studies,  retire  with  the  Bible  in  their  hands,  and  read  to  each 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         257 


other.  I  hope,  with  the  rising  generation,  the  cause  of  God 
will  be  more  abundantly  advanced  than  it  has  ever  been  in  this 
part  of  his  vineyard.  I  fear  that,  as  ministers,  we  too  much  neg- 
lect this  part  of  our  duty,  viz.,  the  instructing  of  children  from 
place  to  place.  I  know,  for  my  own  part,  that  herein  I  have 
been  too  remiss;  but  I  am  resolved  to  be  more  diligent.  What 
numbers  of  children  there  are,  particularly  in  newly  settled 
States,  that  are  destitute  of  religious  instruction  because  their 
parents  are  not  sufficiently  interested  in  these  things  to  teach 
them,  or  ask  others  to  do  so.  I  hope,  in  this  part  of  the  Lord's 
vineyard,  to  see  that  Scripture  fultilled— 'out  of  the  mouths  of 
babes  and  sucklings,  shall  my  name  be  praised! ' 

May  the  Lord  make  bare  his  arm,  and  save  this  highly  fa- 
vored people  is  the  prayer  of  his  feeble  servant, 

John  E.  Lambuth." 

A  letter  from  Bishop  Joshua  Soule  dated  Baltimore,  March 
20,  1827,  contains  the  following  item: 

"The  Mission  at  Mobile  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and 
would  have  been  returned  a  Station,  independent  of  the  funds 
of  the  Society,  the  present  year,  but  for  the  extraordinary  exer- 
tions of  the  infant  Society,  and  the  citizens  in  general,  to  finish 
the  house  of  worship;  an  object  of  great  importance  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  work  in  all  populous  places.  This  object  is  now 
nearly  accomplished,  without  the  burden  of  a  debt.  The  con- 
gregation has  a  regular  and  commodious  place  of  worship,  and 
strangers  visiting  the  place  by  land  or  sea,  are  directed  to  it  as 
a  temple  of  devotion  equally  free  for  the  citizen  and  the  so- 
journer. The  prudence,  perseverance,  and  zeal  of  the  Mission- 
ary on  this  Station,  are  worthy  of  imitation  and  praise." 

Yet  one  other  communication  is  given  here.     It  is  the  very 

essence  of  history  in  its  items: 

"  Mobile,  January  1,  1828. 

Dear  Brethren:— For  two  years  past  I  have  been  laboring  to 
ad'P.nce  the  Redeemer's  cause  in  this  city,  and  thanks  be  to  God 
that  my  labors  have  not  been  altogether  in  vain.  In  the  com- 
mencement there  were  many  things  to  discourage;  no  Society 
had  been  formed,  and  we  had  no  house  of  worship  in  the  city. 
(I  mean  a  Methodist  church.)  There  was  a  house  of  that  kind 
contemplated,  and  some  exertions  had  been  made  by  my  worthy 
predecessor,  who  fell  in  the  field  of  action,  viz.,  the  zealous  H. 


258 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


P.  Cook,  who  now  rests  in  Abraham's  bosom.  His  memory  will 
ever  be  sweet  to  me  and  hundreds  of  others  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Mississippi  Conference.  By  the  assistance  of  one  or  more  per- 
sons in  this  city,  a  sum  was  raised  by  subscription,  that  we 
thought  would  justify  an  attempt  to  build  a  church.  In  the 
early  part  of  the  tirst  year,  the  house  was  so  far  completed  that 
we  occupied  it.  Soon  after  the  opening  of  the  church,  I  at- 
tempted to  form  a  small  Society,  consisting  of  six  or  eight  mem- 
bers; and  before  the  close  of  the  first  year,  there  were  about 
twenty  persons  who  attached  themselves  to  the  Church.  I  was 
appointed  to  this  city  for  another  year,  which  has  just  expired. 
During  the  past  year  we  had  galleries  erected  in  the  church,  for 
the  rccommodation  of  a  larger  congregation  than  could  at  firs't  be 
seated  in  it.  The  congregations  have  been  large  and  attentive; 
and  there  are  at  this  time  about  forty-seven  white  and  ninety 
colcred  members  of  Society  in  this  city.     Yours,  etc., 

John  E.  Lambuth." 
The  two  years  spent  by  the  Eev.  John  Kussell  Lambuth  in 
charge  of  Mobile  Mission  were  to  him  and  his  flock  glorious  and 
successful  years,  and  they  terminated  his  itinerant  labors  in  Ala- 
bama except  as  he  worked  under  the  employment  of  his  pre- 
siding elders.  At  the  end  of  his  pastoral  term  in  Mobile  he 
located. 

He  was  received  on  trial  in  the  Kentucky  Conference,  at  Lex- 
ington, in  September,  1821,  and  immediately  went  to  the  session 
of  the  Mississippi  Conference  at  Washington,  Mississippi,  De- 
cember, 1821,  and  for  the  year  1822  was  appointed  to  Cahlwba 
Circuit  in  Alabama.     After  that  he  served  the  Franklin  Circuit 
and  the  Tombecbee  Circuit  in  Alabama,  and  the  Attakapas  Cir- 
cuit in  Louisiana  one  year  each.     Somewhere  about  the  time  he 
finished  his  ministry  in  Mobile  and  located  he  married  a  Miss 
Kirkpatrick,  and  then  for  a  short  time  he  lived  in  Clarke  County, 
Alabama,  in  the  bounds  of  the  Tombecbee  Circuit;  and  then  he 
moved   to  Greene  County,  Alabama,  and   settled   between  the 
Tombigbee  and  Warrior  Kivers  about  eight  miles  from  Demop- 
olis  and  about  two  miles  from  Forkland,  and  near  enough  to 
Ebenezer  Church  to  affiliate  with  the  membership  thereof.     The 
Greene    Circuit    was    first    placed    in    the    list    of    appoint- 
ments for  1831,  with  Eobert  L.  Kennon  presiding  elder,  and 
Ealph  G.  Christopher  preacher  in  charge.     The  very  first  Quar- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         259 


terly  Conference  held  for  that  new  Circuit  was  held  at  Ebenezer, 
March  12,  1831.  The  presiding  elder  and  the  preacher  in 
charge  were  both  present,  and  John  E.  Lambuth,  L.  E.,  Eeuben 
Mason,  L.  D.,  Benjamin  Williams,  C.  L.,  William  Eaney,  C.  L., 
and  Duncan  McPhail,  C.  L.,  were  present.  John  E.  Lambuth 
was  the  Secretary  of  that  Quarterly  Conference,  and  was  also  at 
that  time  elected  Eecording  Steward  of  the  Circuit.  He  lived 
in  that  community  as  a  local  preacher  until  1840  at  least,  when 
he  moved  to  Madison  County,  Mississippi.  While  living  in  Al- 
abama he  was  quite  active,  and  effective  as  a  local  preacher,  and 
was  when  needed  employed  by  his  presiding  elders  as  a  supply 
on  pastoral  charges. 

His  son,  John  W.  Lambuth,  who  was  a  long  time  Missionary 
to  China,  and  is  now,  1890,  Missionary  to  Japan,  was  born  in 
Greene  County,  Alabama,  between  ^he  Tombigbee  and  Warrior 
Eivers,  about  two  miles  from  Forkland.  Alabama  is,  therefore, 
the  native  land  of  one  of  the  most  faithful  and  efficient  Mission- 
aries ever  sent  out  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 

About  twenty  years  of  the  life  and  ministry  of  the  Eev.  John 
E.  Lambuth  were  given  to  Alabama.  He  was  a  zealous  i)reacher, 
and  a  gentle,  meek,  and  cheerful  Christian. 

In  November,  1853,  he  was  re-admitted  to  the  Mississippi  Con- 
ference, and  was  appointed  for  the  ensuing  year  to  Jackson  Sta- 
tion. He  continued  a  member  of  the  Annual  Conference,  some- 
times effective,  and  sometimes  not,  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred November  6,  1864.  With  words  of  praise  to  God  on  his 
lips,  he  laid  down  his  body  and  his  charge. 

For  the  two  years  1828  and  1829  the  Eev.  Thomas  Burpo  was 
the  preacher  for  "Mobile  Mission."  Notwithstanding  there 
was  on  October  21,  1827,  a  most  destructive  fire  at  Mobile,  the 
damage  being  estimated  at  upwards  of  one  million  of  dollars, 
between  two  and  three  hundred  houses  having  been  burnt,  yet 
it  seems  that  for  1828  there  was  reasonable  financial  prosperi- 
ty in  the  place,  and  it  seems  that  Burpo  succeeded  admirably 
and  the  Society  prospered  greatly  under  his  administration  the 
first  year,  but  the  last  year  there  was  a  decrease  in  the  number 
of  white  members  from  fifty-three  to  thirty.  The  colored  mem- 
bers increased  from  ninety-four  to  one  hundred  and  fifty-five. 
That  decrease  in  the  white  membership  originated  in  the  dis- 
ruption produced  by  those  called  Eeformers.     The  Eeformers 


2G0 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


distracted  and  tore  asunder  the  JMetbodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
many  places,  and  that  very  year  1829  the  Annual  Conference  of 
the  Alabama  District  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  was 
organized.  Under  the  lead  of  the  Kev.  Peyton  S.  Graves,  a 
great  agitator,  and  a  refugee  from  a  sentence  of  expulsion  by 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  who  went  to  Mobile  as 
the  agent  of  the  Eeformers,  twenty-three  out  of  fifty-three 
white  members  in  the  place  went  otf  to  the  disruptionists. 
Ihat  of  course  greatly  weakened  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  dispirited  the  faithful  little  band  which  was  left. 
The  agitators  that  they  were,  the  Eeformers,  so-called,  never 
did  anything  in  Mobile.  Twenty-eight  years  after  this  defection 
here  told  of,  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  in  Annual  Con- 
ference assembled:  '^Besolved,  That  Mobile  be  made  a  Mission 
to  be  called  Mobile  Mission." 

The  following  communications  bearing  their  own  dates  re- 
hearse the  history  of  the  times  to  which  they  belong: 

"Mobile,  March  3,  1828. 
''Ber.  and  Dear  Sirs :-lt  becomes  my  duty  to  lay  before  you 
the  state  of  this  Mission.     Although  I  may  not  have  as  pleasing 
intelligence  to  communicate  as  you  receive  from  many  mission- 
ary stations  which  are  under  the  control  of  our  Superintendents 
yet  encouraged  by   him  who  despiseth  not  the  day  of  small 
things,  and  who  looks  with  complacency  upon  the  feeblest  exer- 
tions  of  his  servants  to  promote  his  cause,  I  will  give  you  a 
simple  and  brief  relation  of  our  state  at  present.  ^  I  was  ap- 
pointed to  this  place  at  our  last  Annual  Conference,  and  arrived 
here  on  the  3d  of  January.     I  had  peculiar  sensations  of  mind 
on  receiving  this  appointment,  arising  from  a  sense  of  the  im- 
portance of  the  work  and  the  great  responsibility  of  my  station. 
And  I  do  confess  that  those  feelings  were  much  augmented  when 
I  arrived,  to  see  the  importance  of  my  charge,  which  far  sur- 
passed my  previous  expectations.     I   found  upwards  of  forty 
whites  m  Society  and  more  than  that  number  of  colored  people, 
who,  by  the  indefatigable  labor  and  good  economy  of  my  worthy 
predecessor,  were  enjoying  a  large  portion  of  peace  and  tranquil- 
hty.     I  commenced  my  labors  on  the  first  Sabbath  in  January 
and  have  continued  them  ever  since.     I  am  truly  gratified  to  see 
the  number  that  attend  church:  three  times  on  the  Lord's  day 
we  generally  have  large  and  attentive  congregations.    Serious- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work, 


261 


ness  is  often   seen  upon  many  countenances,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  under  the  administration  of  the  word  the  hearts  of 
some  are  touched,  while  tears  of  penitence  are  seen  to  flow  down 
their  cheeks,  bespeaking  to  us  that  our  labor  is  not  in  vam. 
We  have  our  class-meetings  regularly  every  week,  and  can  truly 
say  they  have  been  blessed  in  a  peculiar  manner.     Such  is  the 
interest  felt  in  these  meetings  by  the  members  of  Society,  that 
they  apDear  to  be  impatient  for  the  evening  to  arrive,  when  they 
almost  unanimously  meet,  looking  with  anxious  desire  and  fer- 
vent prayer  for  a  rich  and  heavenly  repast;  and,  thanks  be  to 
God  we  are  not  often  disappointed.     Our  first  Quarterly  Meet- 
ing was  held  on  the  second  Saturday  and  Sunday  in  February. 
The  congregation  was  unusually  large.     The  Sacrament  was  ad- 
ministered to  a  great  number  of  communicants.     It  was  truly, 
for  this  place,  a  pleasing  scene  to  see  everything  like  sectarian 
feeling  laid  aside,  while  Christians  of  different  denominations 
surrounded  the  board  of  the  Lord,  meekly  kneeling  on  their 
knees  and  there  receiving  those  sacred  emblems  of  the  broken 
body  'and  sl>ed  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     While  viewing 
this  scene  my  heart  felt  the  sacred  flame  of  love  to  God  and  my 
brethren.     Truly  this  place  felt  awful— it  was  none  other  than 
the  house  of  God  and  the  gate  of  heaven.     The  prospect  of  re- 
ligion wears  a  more  favorable  aspect  in  this  place  than  it  has  at 
any  former  period.     There  have  been  considerable  accessions  to 
the  Church  recently,  some  of  whom  are  young  men  of  promising 
talents     It  is  my  earnest  prayer  to  God,  while  he  is  visiting 
many  parts  of  the  world  with  the  rays  of  the  Sun  of  righteous- 
ness    that  in  these  regions  and  shadows  of  death  light  may 

• '     „^  Thomas  Burpo." 

spring  up. 

"  Mobile,  July  y,  Ib^b. 
"Notwithstanding  vice  and  immorality  prevail  in  this  city  to 
an  alarming  extent,  yet  there  are  some  souls  who  have  not  de- 
filed their  garments;  whose  cry,  both  by  example  and  precept,  is, 
^  who  will  rise  up  with  us  against  the  evil  doers? '  AVith  pleas- 
ing sensations  we  have  beheld  the  increase  of  religious  excite- 
ment during  the  last  winter  and  spring.  The  number  that 
crowded  the  house  of  God,  the  attention  paid  to  the  word,  and 
the  seriousness  that  frequently  rested  on  the  people,  conspired 
to  encourage  us  to  believe,  that  the  sound  of  our  Master's  feet 
was  behind  us,  and  that  he  would  crown  our  feeble  labor  with 


262 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


success.  Our  hopes  have  been  realized  in  some  measure— God's 
people  have  been  edified,  and  some  have  been  added  to  the 
Church.  The  prospect  at  this  time  is  not  so  flattering,  owing 
to  the  scattered  state  of  society.  More  than  half  the  members 
of  the  Church  have  left  this  place  for  some  healthier  clime;  not- 
withstanding, there  is  still  an  extensive  field  for  ministerial  la- 
bor. 

"  The  prospect  is  truly  pleasing  among  the  colored  people.  It 
IS  an  affecting  scene  to  witness  the  vast  number  of  those  poor 
offcasts  of  men,  bending  their  course  to  the  house  of  God  every 
Sabbath  evening  (being  an  hour  which  we  have  set  apart  to 
preach  to  them,)  with  their  dejected  countenances,  fixing  their 
eyes  on  the  speaker,  listening  with  earnest  solicitude  to  the 
words  of  endless  life.  It  does  my  soul  good  to  administer  the 
words  of  consolation  to  those  degraded  and  suffering  sons  of 
Africa. 

"  It  is  truly  gratifying  to  our  feelings  to  inform  you,  that  our 
church,  the  foundation  of  which  was  laid  three  years  ago,  has 
been  completed  this  spring,  with  the  exception  of  a  little  paint- 
ing of  the  inside  work.  Many  of  the  citizens  of  this  place  have 
merited  our  gratitude  and  respect,  for  that  generous  liberality 
which  they  have  exercised  in  defraying  the  expense  which  such 
a  building  must  necessarily  incur.  The  completion  of  the 
church  must  be  attributed  to  their  liberal  contributions;  there 
are,  however,  some  demands  for  expenses  incurred  before  the 
present  year,  but  not  very  considerable. 

"Our  Sabbath-school  has  been  in  as  flourishing  a  state  this 
year  as  at  any  time  since  its  commencement.  We  have  not  as 
yet  been  able  to  form  ourselves  auxiliary  to  our  own  parent  in- 
stitution, but  believe  we  shall  be  able  to  do  so  the  next  year. 
We  think  the  cause  of  God  is  gradually  gaining  strength,  and 
we  look  forward  with  anticipation,  when  the  great  head  of  the 
church  shall  cause  our  desert  to  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose. 

Thomas  Burpo." 
The  Kev.  Kobert  L.  Walker  was  the  preacher  in  charge  of 
Mobile,  it  still  a  Mission,  for  1830.  He  reported  the  work  dur- 
ing the  year  to  the  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Mission- 
ary Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  there  were 
few  events  of  special  import  to  relate.  As  was  then  customary, 
in  the  summer  many  of  the  citizens  of  the  place  repaired  to  the 


TJie  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         263 


country  outside  the  city  and  to  various  parts  of  the  United 
States  in  search  of  health  and  pleasure.  That,  for  the  time,  de- 
pleted the  congregation,  and  depressed  the  spirits  of  those  who 
had  to  maintJ&in  the  cause.  In  the  midst  of  this  condition  of 
things  the  preacher  reported:  "We  have  peace  and  love  among 
ourselves."  It  is  common  in  Zion,  when  all  are  too  inactive  to 
produce  friction  and  too  dead  to  create  antagonisms,  to  make  a 
virtue  of  boasting  of  "peace  and  love  among  ourselves."  A 
state  of  "peace  and  harmony"  is  in  some  instances  the  har- 
binirer  of  death,  and  in  other  instances  it  is  the  residuum  of  a 
defunct  Church.  But  in  this  case  reported  of  his  flock  in  Mo- 
bile by  the  Kev.  Kobert  L.  Walker  the  "peace  and  love"  did 
not  originate  in  the  absence  of  aggressive  measures  and  the 
want  of  a  purpose  adequate  to  positive  achievements,  did  not 
arise  from  inactivity,  nor  from  any  absence  of  agitations  and  an- 
tagonisms. The  a2:itations  and  antagonisms  from  without  were 
enough  to  prevent  any  stagnation.  There  was  no  room  for  leth- 
argy. The  Reformers  created  bitter  strife.  That  united  in  the 
bonds  of  love  and  the  fellowship  of  peace  the  adherents  of  the 
policy  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  "peace  and  love 
among  themselves"  originated  in  the  common  cause  which  they 
espoused.     They  maintained  the  mastery  in  peace  and  purity. 

The  Kev.  Benjamin  A.  Houghton  was  the  preacher  for  Mobile 
Mission  for  1831,  and  it  appears  that  there  was  regained  in  the 
number  of  members  during  that  year  about  the  number  which 
had  been  lost  in  preceding  years.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  re- 
ported the  membership  at  fifty-nine  white  and  one  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  colored.  He  served  the  Church  in  Alabama  as  an 
itinerant  about  five  years.  The  other  years  of  his  ministry  were 
spent  in  the  State  of  Mississippi. 

"  Mobile  Mission,  Kobert  D.  Smith."  That  was  the  style  of 
the  appointment  for  1832,  and  at  the  end  of  that  year  the  mem- 
bership in  that  place  consisted  of  sixty-one  white  and  three 
hundred  colored  persons.  At  the  close  of  .1832  the  charge  in 
Mobile  was  for  the  first  time  in  its  history  thrown  upon  its  own 
resources  and  left  w^ithout  an  appropriation  from  the  Mission- 
ary Society.  The  Methodists  of  Mobile  ought  to  be  pre-emi- 
nently favorable  to  Missionary  work,  for  the  reason  that  there 
the  cause  was  sustained  by  the  Missionary  Society  for  many 
consecutive  years. 


264 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Kev.  Eobert  D.  Smith  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.     Un- 
der the  ministry  of  the  Eev.  Barnabas  Pipkin  he  was  brought  to 
God  and  his  grace  and  into  the  communion  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  at  William  Hunter's,  in  Wilkinson  Obunty,  Missis- 
ippi,  when  only  a  few  days  past  twenty-two  years  of  age.     AVhen  a 
little  more  than  twenty-four  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  when 
about  twenty-five  years  and  two  months  old  he  was  received  on 
trial  in  the  Mississippi  Conference.     He  was  about  twenty-nine 
years  old  when  he  was  appointed  to  Mobile,  and  he  was  a  single 
man  during  his  ministry  there.     He  gave  only  two  years  of  his 
ministry  to  Alabama.     He  was  stationed  in  the  city  of  Mont- 
gomery, Alabama,  the  year  before  he  was  in  Mobile.     He  was  a 
scholar  and  a  teacher,  a  holy  and  a  useful  man.     He  preached 
to  white,  and  red,  and   black.     He   died  in  Madison  Parish, 
Louisiana,  May  16,  1845,  in  his  forty-third  year.     There  was 
nothing  to  dispute  his  passage  to  the  skies,  and  he  passed  out 
from  these  mundane  shores  in  holy  triumph. 

The  first  official  mention  made  of  the  Sunday-school  in  Mo- 
bile, which  is  now  extant,  was  made  by  the  Eev.  Thomas  Burpo, 
on  July  9,  1828.  The  time  when  it  was  organized  is  not  there 
mentioned,  but  it  is  spoken  of  as  having  been  in  existence  for 
some  while.  The  facts  known  seem  to  indicate  that  so  soon  as 
the  house  of  worship  for  the  use  of  the  Methodists  was  suf- 
ficiently advanced  to  admit  of  occupancy,  though  in  an  unfin- 
ished condition,  a  Sunday-school  was  organized  in  it.  Then,  in 
that  case,  it  was  organized  in  1826,  for  it  was  in  that  year  the 
church  was  first  occupied  for  preaching  and  the  organization  of 
a  Society  of  members.  The  Eev.  John  AV.  Lambuth,  the  son  of 
the  Eev.  John  E.  Lambuth,  is  authority  for  the  statement: 
"The  Sabbath-school  in  the  first  Methodist  Church  in  Mobile 
was  composed  of  white  persons,  negroes,  and  Indians."  The 
Kev.  Henry  D.  Moore,  D.D.,  is  authority  for  the  statement: 
"Dugo  McVoy,  the  Superintendent  of  the  first  Methodist  Sun- 
day-school organized  in  Mobile,  in  addition  to  his  other  duties, 
taught  a  class  of  whites;  and  John  Latoureth  had  charge  of  a 
class  of  Indians,  and  Mrs.  S.  Eedwood  a  class  of  blacks." 

The  first  Church  organized  in  Mobile  acquired  early  in  its  his- 
tory the  sobriquet  of  "  Bee-hive,"  an  appellation  of  praise  ex- 
pressive of  the  character  of  the  congregation  as  industrious  and 
harmonious  workers  in  benevolent  and  Christian  enterprises. 


CHAPTEE  XL 

The  Enlaegement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work  of  Meth- 
odism IN  Alabama. 

THE  line  which  marked  the  boundary  of  the  territory  ceded 
to  the  United  States  by  the  Creek  Indians  in  the  Treaty  of 
capitulation  made  between  General  Andrew  Jackson  and  the 
chiefs,  deputies,  and  warriors  of  the  Creek  Nation,  August  9, 
1814,  after  it  left  the  Coosa  Eiver  and  crossed  the  Tallapoosa 
Eiver,  followed  the  Oakfuschee  Creek  to  a  distance  of  ten  miles 
from  the  mouth  thereof,  thence  a  direct  line  to  the  junction  of 
Summochico  Creek  and  the  Chattahoochee  Eiver,  thence  east 
from  a  true  meridian  line  to  a  point  which  intersected  the  line 
then  dividing  the   lands  claimed  by  the  Creek   Nation  from 
those  owned  by  the  State  of  Georgia.     That  line  runs  about  one 
mile  west  of  the  present  town  of  Union  Springs,  and  about  two 
miles  north-east  of  the  present  town  of  Clayton,  and  goes  out  of 
Alabama  about  one  mile  above  the  present  town  of  Fort  Gaines. 
Soon  after  the  ratification  of  that  Treaty  of  capitulation,  and 
the  designated  line  was  run  and  described,  the  Indians  were  re- 
moved from  the  ceded  territory.     Quickly  settlements  of  civil- 
ized men  were  established  therein.     That  part  of  that  ceded 
territory  which  was  in  Alabama  was  properly  within  the  bounds 
of  the  Mississippi  Conference,  but  at  the  time  the  white  settle- 
ments opened  up  in  the  newly  ceded  country  the  Mississippi 
Conference  was  not  able  to  supply  with  preachers  all  the  terri- 
tory included  in  her  chartered  limits.     All  that  region  that  is  now, 
in  1890,  embraced  in  the  counties  of  Coffee,  Covington,  Cren- 
shaw, Dale,  Geneva,  and  Pike,  and  nearly  all  of  Henry  County,  a 
large  part  of  Barbour  County,  a  part  of  Bullock  County,  a  part  of 
Butler  County,  a  part  of  Conecuh  County,  and  a  part  of  Montgom- 
ery  County,  was  in  the  newly  ceded  and  newly  settled  lands,  and 
unoccupied  by  the  operations  of  the  Mississippi  Conference.     All 
this  region,  therefore,  fell  under  the  supervision  of  the  South 
Carolina  Conference  from  the  time  of  its  settlement  until  1830, 
and  from  then  under  the  supervision  of  the  Georgia  Conference 

(265) 


26G 


IHstonj  of  Methodism  in  AJahama, 


until  the  close  of  1832.  The  South  Carolina  Conference  reached 
that  territory  by  approaches  to  it  from  her  own  side  of  the  field, 
and  in  connection  with  similar  settlements  in  her  own  bounds! 
The  first  effort  made  by  the  South  Carolina  Conference  to  oc- 
cupy that  region  was  made  in  1822.  The  appointment  which 
anticipated  the  cultivation  of  that  section  was  made  in  these 
words  following:  "John  I.  Triggs,  Missionary  to  Early  County 
and  the  adjoining  settlements." 

That  Missionary  to  "Early  County  and  adjoining  settlements" 
found  his  field  of  labor  and  formed  his  Mission  in  the  settle- 
ments on  both  sides  of  the  Chattahoochee  Eiver,  on  the  Georgia 
side  and  on  the  Alabama  side.     The  Rev.  Allen  Turner,  presid- 
ing elder  of  the  Oconee  District,  South  Carolina  Conference, 
in  a  letter  bearing  date  November  29,  1822,  says:  "I  will  just 
add,  by  way  of  conclusion,  that  Bishop  George  requested  me  to 
take  some  oversight  of  the  Early  Mission.     Accordingly  I  was 
there  in  June  last,  and  held  a  Quarterly  Meeting.     The  coun- 
try, both  on  the  Early  side  of  the  Chattahoochee  Eiver,  and 
also  on  the  Alabama  side  (and  the  late  Circuit  formed  by  our 
Missionary  includes  both  sides)  is  tolerably  thickly  settled  by 
many  respectable  citizens.     We  had  a   gracious  time  at  our 
Quarterly  Meeting.     Within  the  bounds  of  this  missionary  sta- 
tion nearly  two  hundred   have   joined  our   Society,  and  great 
numbers  have  been  converted." 

For  1823  the  appointment  to  "Early  County  and  adjoining 
settlements  "  gave  place  to  Chattahoochee  Mission,  and  John  L 
Triggs,  and  John  Slade  were  appointed  thereto.  The  followin.o- 
valuable  communication,  addressed  to  the  Rev.  James  O.  Ant 
drew,  gives  the  history  of  the  Chattahoochee  Mission  and  that 
part  of  Alabama  in  which  it  was  located  in  1823: 

"  Chattahoochee  Mission,  June  11,  1823. 
"Dear  Brother  :—ThTo\xgh  the  goodness  of  our  blessed  Saviour 
myself  and  my  colleague  are  in  good  health,  preaching  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ  in  the  uncultivated  woods  of  Georgia,  Alabama, 
and  West  Florida,  and  gathering  into  the  fold  of  our  Adorable 
Redeemer,  the  scattered  and  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel. 

"  Since  Conference  the  work  of  the  Lord  has  not  advanced  so 
rapidly  as  it  did  some  time  before.  Yet,  thanks  be  to  God,  the 
.members  that  were  joined  in  Society  last  year  are  generally 
steady.     Eighteen  or  twenty  have  professed  conversion,  and  be- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work, 


267 


tween  thirty  and  forty  have  joined  Society.     In  some  places  our 
prospects  are  gloomy,  congregations  small,  the  people  seem  har- 
dened in  wickedness.     In  others  the  congregations  increase,  the 
people  weep,  and  we  are  encouraged  to  hope  for  better  times. 
On  Sunday,  May  18,  when  I  had  finished  my  sermon  and  was 
about  to  sing,  a  man  rose  from  his  seat  and  said  that  he  felt 
horribly,  and  begged  the  congregation  to  pray  for  him      Has 
produced  considerable  excitement  among  the  people,  and  many 
came  forward  weeping  and  desiring  our  prayers.     Since  that 
time  ten  have  joined  Society  in  that  place.     This  was  where  I 
had  but  little  success  last  year.     At  another  place  a  certamMrs. 
B  joined  Society;  her  husband  on  hearing  this  grew  very  angry 
and  bid  her  pack  up  and  begone,  declaring  if  she  said  a  word 
he  would  beat  her.     He  became  so  sullen  that  he  refused  to  eat 
for  two  days,  cursing  both  preachers  and  people,  wishing  them 
all  in  hell  together.     On  the  evening  of  the  second  day,  his 
brother  (who  was  as  wicked  as  himself,  but  not  so  much  op- 
posed to  religion)  remonstrated  with  him  for  his  conduct  to- 
ward  his  wife,  saying  that  he  would  better  cut  her  throat  if  he 
could  not  allow  her  liberty  of  conscience.     This  reached  his 
heart,  so  that  he  went  home,  begged  his  wife's  pardon,  and  sent 
for  some  of  the  Society  to  pray  for  him.     They  gathered  and 
prayed  for  him  nearly  all  night.     He  has  since  very  much  re- 
formed,  and  his  wife  has  found  peace  to  her  soul. 

"  When  I  was  at  Conference  I  was  highly  delighted  at  the 
Sabbath-school  institutions,  and  earnestly  wished  to  introduce 
them  where  I  might  be  appointed  to  labor.  Since  I  have  re- 
turned  to  my  Station  I  have  got  four  in  operation;  two  of  them 
are  very  promising;  the  children  learn  fast,  and  the  teachers  ap- 
pear to  take  an  interest  in  this  labor  of  love;  but  we  are  m  dif- 
Acuities  in  consequence  of  the  scarcity  of  books  m  this  part  of 

the  country.  -i    •     at  • 

"In  consequence  o!  a  disease  which  prevails  much  in  this 
country  among  horses,  my  colleague  lost  his  the  first  time  he 
went  around  his  Circuit,  and  my  own  horse  has  become  so  poor 
that  I  fear  I  shall  lose  him.  Blindness  soon  succeeds  to  the  at- 
tack Though,  by  parting  with  all  his  money,  and  pledging  his 
credit  for  the  remainder,  my  colleague  bought  him  another 
horse,  yet  through  the  warmth  of  the  weather,  excessive  rides, 
and  other  difficulties  peculiar  to  the  country,  our  horses  are  both 


268 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


blind;  but,  supported  by  grace,  and  animated  with  the  prospect 
of  promoting  the  happiness  of  our  fellow-men,  we  persevere, 
sometimes  riding  and  sometimes  walking  over  the  bogs  and 
through  the  mud,  singing: 

*In  hope  of  that  immortal  crown, 

We  now  the  cross  sustain ; 
And  gladly  wander  up  and  down, 
And  smile  at  toil  and  pain.' 

"I  hope,  my  dear  brother,  you  do  not  forget  to  pray  for  us, 
who  labor  in  this  wilderness,  for  I  am  sure  none  need  the 
prayers  of  God's  people  more  than  your  humble  servant, 

John  I.  Teiggs." 
The  first  item  in  the  itinerant  ministry  of  the  Kev.  John  I. 
Triggs  was  a  recommendation  of  him  to  the  Annual  Conference 
as  a  suitable  person  to  be  admitted  on  trial  in  the  traveling  con- 
nection made  by  the  Oconee  District,  October  20,  1820.''  The 
South  Carolina  Conference  being  in  session  at  Columbia,  admit- 
ted him  on  trial  in  the  Conference,  on  that  recommendation  on 
January  15,  1821,  and  at  that  session  of  the  Conference  sent 
him  forth  an  accredited  licentiate  to  proclaim  the  acceptable 
year  of  the  Lord  to  the  inhabitants  of  Lappahee.  Prior  to  that 
time  Lappahee  was  unknown  in  the  list  of  ecclesiastical  appoint- 
ments, and  subsequent  to  that  year  never  again  appeared.  At  the 
end  of  his  first  year,  he  was  appointed,  as  has  already  been  stated, 
"  Missionary  to  Early  County  and  the  adjoining  settlements." 

The  Eev.  John  L  Triggs  was  the  first  itinerant  Methodist 
preacher  who  preached  in  Henry  County,  Alabama.  He  entered 
on  his  work  there  in  February,  1822,  and  continued  in  that  field 
until  February,  1824  When  he  entered  upon  his  work  in  that 
field  and  commenced  the  organization  of  the  Chattahoochee  Mis- 
sion he  had  been  only  one  year  on  trial  in  the  Annual  Confer- 
ence, and  he  had  not  attained  to  orders  in  the  ministry,  and  con- 
sequently he  was  not  authorized  to  administer  the  Sacraments. 
His  ministry  was  confined  to  making  proclamation  of  divine  am- 
nesty to  sinners  through  Jesus  Christ.  He  announced  to  the 
people  the  terms  of  reconciliation  to  the  divine  government. 

The  South  Carolina  Conference  commenced  a  session  at  Sa 
vannah,  Georgia,  February  20, 1823.     In  the  presence  of  that  as- 
sembled  Conference  appeared  the  Rev.  John  I.  Triggs  from  the 
Mission  field  of  "Early  County  and  ihe  adjoining  settlements  " 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         269 


It  was  the  end  of  his  first  year  on  that  Mission.  He  had  come 
from  the  field  to  make  report,  and  to  be  invested  with  qualifica- 
tions for  further  aggressions  and  conquests.  If  an  itemized  state- 
ment of  his  report  could  be  recalled  it  would  be  found  to  con- 
tain an  account  of  privations  and  hardships  endured  in  an  inhos- 
pitable clime;  a  list  of  members  gathered  to  the  number  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty-two  white  and  fifty-nine  colored  persons; 
and  a  deficiency  in  his  annual  stipend.  On  Monday  morning, 
February  24,  1823,  in  the  Conference  assembled,  "  It  was  moved 
that  Brothers  Hammell,  Mason,  and  Triggs,  Missionaries,  be  re- 
ferred to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Missionary  Committee  for  their 

deficiencies." 

At  that  session  of  the  Conference  the  Eev.  John  I.  Triggs  was 
received  into  full  connection,  and  elected  and  ordained  deacon. 
He  was  returned  for  the  year  1823  to  the  charge  he  had  just  or- 
ganized, called  the  Chattahoochee  Mission,  with  John  Slade  as 
his  colleague.  He  was  ordained  elder  January  15,  1826,  and  at 
Camden,  South  Carolina,  February  8,  1828,  he  located  on  ac- 
count of  temporal  embarrassments. 

The  Rev.  John  Slade  preached  in  Alabama  only  one  year. 
When  he  was  appointed  to  the  Chattahoochee  Mission  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1823,  he  had  just  been  admitted  on  trial  in  the  South  Car- 
olina Conference.  In  January,  1830,  he  located  under  the  pres- 
sure of  broken  health.  He  afterward  reentered  the  traveling 
connection  in  the  Florida  Conference,  in  which  he  died  in  1854. 
He  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  and  was  about  thirty  years 
old  when  he  preached  in  Alabama.  He  was  physically  strong, 
well  proportioned,  and  tall,  with  a  face  striking,  and  pleasant. 
He  was  gifted  in  singing.  He  was  "  a  plain,  honest,  good  man,  a 
faithful,  earnest,  laborious  preacher,  a  Methodist,  and  a  Chris- 
tian, without  fear  and  reproach.  His  death  was  peace  and  assur- 
ance by  the  blood  of  Jesus." 

In  1823,  under  the  ministry  of  Triggs  and  Slade,  the  Chatta- 
hoochee Mission  had  an  increase  of  one  hundred  and  ten  mem- 
bers; and  in  1824,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  James  Tabor 
and  the  Rev.  Isaac  Sewell,  two  preachers  who  had  just  closed 
their  first  year  on  trial  in  the  Conference  and  were  without  or- 
dination, there  was  an  increase  in  the  membership  on  the  Mis- 
sion, but  not  so  large  as  the  increase  of  the  year  before.  Sewell 
located  in  January,  1826,  and  Tabor  in  January,  1827. 


270 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


At  the  session  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference  held  at  Fay- 
etteville,  North  Carolina,  in  January,  1825,  a  new  District  was 
made  for  that  year  and  was  as  follows: 

"  Tallahassee  District, 
Josiah  Evans,  Presiding  Elder. 
Tallahassee  Mission,  Josiah  Evans.. 
Early  Mission,  Morgan  C.  Turrentine. 
Chattahoochee,  John  L.  Jerry." 
The  Chattahoochee  appointment  was  now  a  Circuit,  and  was 
mostly  on   the  Alabama  side  of  the  Chattahoochee  Kiver,  the 
Early  Mission  taking  the  Georgia  side.     That  year,  1825,  under 
the  ministry  of  the  Eev.  John  L.  Jerry,  there  was  a  large  in- 
crease in   the  number  of  members.     The  white   members  in- 
creased one  hundred  and  the  colored  members  increased  six. 

At  the  time  the  Kev.  John  L.  Jerry  was  on  the  Chattahoochee 
Circuit  in  Alabama  he  was  a  single  man,  and  was  about  thirty- 
two  years  old,  and  had  been   preaching  seven  or  eight  years. 
He  was  a  native  of  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina.     His  father 
was  one  of  the  soldiers  who  joined  with  and  accompanied  Gen- 
eral La  Fayette  against  the  enemies  of  the  United  Colonies  in 
the  struggle  for  independence.     Like  his  sire,  the  son  was  brave 
and  patriotic.     When  he  was  a  Missionary  in  Saint  Augustine 
in  1827  a  Eomish  Priest,  impelled  by  a  spirit  of  intolerance, 
threatened  to  inflict  penalties   upon   him   if    he  persisted  in 
preaching  at  that  place.     The  man  whose  sire  had   helped  to 
achieve  independence  for  the  United  States  was  not  to  be  ter- 
rorized and  silenced  by  the  intolerant  vassal  of  the  Pope,  and 
the  Kev.  John  L.  Jerry  pointed  to  the  American  flag,  which  then 
waved  over  Saint  Augustine,  and  said  to  the  threatening  Priest: 
"jVo  inquisition  ivhere  that  flag  waves!"     He  was  a  man  of  suc- 
cess.    He  was  a  man  of  faith  and  piety.     He  married  an  excel- 
lent woman  in  Florida  in  1827.     He  died  suddenly  of  congestion 
of  the  brain  in  the  summer  of  1859.     He  was  a  member  of  the 
Florida  Conference  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

For  1826  the  Tallahassee  District  was  enlarged  by  the  addi- 
tion of  three  more  Missions,  two  of  which  were  new,  and  one 
of  which  was  in  Alabama,  namely,  the  Pea  Kiver  Mission.  The 
Kev.  Josiah  Evans  was  continued  on  the  District  as  presiding 
elder,  in  fact,  he  was  on  the  District  four  years  in  succession, 
beginning  with  1825. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         271 


The  Chattahoochee  Circuit  was  now  nearly  or  quite  all  in  Ala- 
bama, and  for  1826  the  preacher  on  it  was  the  Kev.  James  Stock- 
dale,  and  the  preacher  on  the  Pea  Kiver  Mission  was  the  Kev. 
Daniel  G.  McDaniel.  The  Chattahoochee  Circuit  extended  from 
the  Chattahoochee  Kiver  to  the  Choctawhatchee  Kiver  and  there- 
about, and  from  the  Florida  line  to  the  Indian  boundary  and 
the  head  waters  of  the  Choctawhatchee  Kiver.  The  Pea  Kiver 
Mission  embraced  the  region  anywhere  between  the  Choctaw- 
hatchee and  the  Conecuh  Kivers  that  souls  and  settlements  could 
be  found,  and  extended  the  entire  length  of  Pea  Kiver  and  across 
to  the  head  waters  of  Line  Creek.  One  statement,  published  June 
3,  1826,  said:  "Pea  Kiver  Mission  embraces  several  counties  in 
the  south-east  part  of  Alabama,  containing  a  numerous  and  in- 
creasing population." 

Some  of  the  difficulties  under  which  the  preachers  and  people 
labored  at  that  date  in  that  section  of  Alabama  and  Florida  are 
recited  in  a  communication  from  the  pen  of  the  Kev.  Josiah 
Evans,  the  presiding  elder.  His  communication  containing  the 
statement  concerning  the  impediments  to  the  successful  prose- 
cution of  the  work  of  the  gospel  was  written  at  Tallahassee, 
Florida,  and  bears  date  March  20,  1826.  After  describing  the 
boundaries  of  his  District,  which,  according  to  his  testimony, 
extended  from  Saint  Augustine,  in  the  Territory  of  Florida,  to 
Line  Creek,  in  the  State  of  Alabama,  and  which  was  about  four 
hundred  and  seventy  miles  long  and  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles  wide,  he  recited  as  follows:  "I  have  to  lament  one  ob- 
struction, which  I  think  is  an  almost  insurmountable  barrier  in 
the  way  of  the  religious  and  civil  improvement  of  this  country: 
that  is,  the  unsold  state  of  the  lands.  Although  Government; 
has  reserved  a  quarter-section  in  every  Township,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  promoting  literary  institutions,  these  quarter-sections 
cannot  be  disposed  of  to  advantage  because  the  other  lands  are 
not  sold.  I  know  of  but  one  class  of  persons  that  the  present 
state  of  the  lands  seems  to  suit,  and  that  class  is  no  advantage 
or  honor  to  any  country.  Until  this  difficulty  is  removed  by  the 
sale  of  the  lands,  our  religious  as  well  as  our  temporal  affairs 
will  continue  in  a  fluctuating  state;  until  this  difficulty  is  re- 
moved we  shall  not  be  able  to  establish  permanent  Societies  or 
build  houses  of  any  consequence  for  the  purpose  of  divine  wor- 
ship; the  people  do  not,  they  cannot  feel  that  interest  in  im- 
18 


272 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


provement,  in  erecting  churches  and  seminaries  of  learning 
which  they  otherwise  would  feel  were  they  the  owners  of  the 
soil;  although  their  will  is  good,  the  prospect  is  too  precarious." 

Notwithstanding  the  uncertain  tenure  of  real  estate,  the  so- 
cial inconveniences,  and  the  temporal  stringencies  of  things 
which  prevailed  everywhere  in  that  region,  and  notwithstand- 
ing the  settlers  had  but  little  money  to  contribute  and  but  little 
time  to  devote  toward  building  churches  and  establishing  semi- 
naries of  learning  because  of  the  extra  burdens  of  paying  for 
their  lands  and  clearing  away  the  forest  and  putting  their 
fields  in  a  state  of  cultivation,  and  notwithstanding  the  imprac- 
ticability of  collecting  large  congregations  because  of  sparse- 
ness  of  population,  yet  the  work  of  the  Lord  prospered  in  a  good 
measure,  and  that  very  wilderness  rejoiced  in  the  Saviour  of 
men  and  in  the  Lord  of  glory. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  written  at  Talla- 
hassee, October  18,  1826,  the  Kev.  Josiah  Evans,  the  presiding 
elder,  reports:  "Our  Camp-meeting  in  the  Pea  Kiver  Mission 
was  truly  a  good  time.  The  number  that  attended  the  meeting 
was  but  few;  but  the  people  behaved  with  great  decorum,  and 
manifested  much  attention  to  the  word  preached.  We  did  not 
suppose  that  there  were  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  per- 
sons that  attended  the  meeting  at  any  one  time;  and  out  of  that 
number  there  were  twenty-one  that  professed  to  be  converted 
during  the  meeting.  I  would  suppose  that  near  one-fourth  part 
of  the  non-professors  that  attended  the  meeting  were  converted. 
It  may  not  be  amiss  (for  the  encouragement  of  the  aged  sinner) 
to  mention  the  conversion  of  an  old  man,  in  the  seventy-third 
year  of  his  age,  who  had  been  literally  blind  fifteen  years.  This 
man  manifested  signs  of  penitence  at  the  commencement  of  the 
meeting.  He  seemed  to  be  almost  in  despair.  But  on  the  third 
day  of  the  meeting  he  realized  that  it  is  possible  for  a  man  to 
be  born  when  he  is  old.  His  change  was  quite  visible.  He  was 
exceedingly  happy,  and  exhorted  all  around  him  to  draw  near 
the  Lord;  for,  said  he,  I,  an  old  sinner,  have  obtained  mercy, 
and  so  may  any  of  you.  To  make  use  of  his  own  language — *  I 
have  been  in  the  dark  fifteen  years,  I  have  not  been  able  to  see 
my  way,  nor  have  I  seen  the  sun;  but  now,  glory  to  God,  I  can 
see  my  way  to  heaven  as  well  as  any  of  you! '     But  this  rare  in- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         273 


stance  of  late  conversion  should  not  encourage  others  to  put  off 
the  concerns  of  their  souls  to  a  late  period  of  life;  for  how  very 
few  live  to  this  age! " 

The  Eev.  James  Stockdale  never  served  any  work  in  Alaba- 
ma but  the  Chattahoochee  Circuit,  and  at  the  end  of  his  year 
on  that  Circuit  he  reported  a  decrease  of  eighty-eight  white 
and  fifteen  colored  members. 

Pea  Kiver  Mission  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  of  its  existence 
reported  one  hundred  and  four  white  and  twenty-one  colored 
members,  and  the  Missionary  who  served  that  year,  the  Eev. 
Daniel  G.  McDaniel,  received  from  the  Missionary  Society  for 
his  services  fifty  dollars.  That  was  the  only  year  that  the  Kev. 
Daniel  G.  McDaniel  preached  in  Alabama.  He  was  thirty-five 
years  old  when  he  was  on  the  Pea  Kiver  Mission.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  Georgetown,  District  of  Columbia.  He  was  converted 
in  the  Light  Street  Church,  Baltimore,  Maryland,  in  1811,  and 
was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  in 
January,  1821;  and  died  a  member  of  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference in  1853.  He  was  a  man  of  energy,  firmness,  and  sound 
judgment,  a  good  preacher,  and  a  holy  man.  He  was  true  in 
all  the  relations  of  life.  The  last  testimony  of  himself  was: 
"My  life  has  been  one  of  constant  toil,  but  of  no  merit;  I  trust 
alone  in  the  merits  of  Christ,  my  Saviour."  So  died  the  man 
who  organized  the  Pea  Kiver  Mission. 

The  appointments  for  1827:  Chattahoochee,  Elisha  Calloway, 
Jesse  Boring;  Pea  Kiver  Mission,  John  C.  Wright. 

That  year  the  Chattahochee  Circuit,  which  was  then,  all,  or 
nearly  all,  in  Alabama,  had  a  further  decrease  in  the  member- 
ship; the  white  members  decreased  thirty-four  and  the  colored 
members  decreased  six.  The  two  men  on  that  Circuit  that  year, 
Elisha  Calloway,  and  Jesse  Boring,  were  prominent  in  Alabama 
Methodism  in  after  years.  That  Chattahoochee  Circuit  was  the 
first  work  ever  served  by  the  Kev.  Jesse  Boring.  He  actually 
commenced  his  itinerant  ministry  in  Alabama,  though,  at  the 
time  he  was  on  trial  in  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 

During  the  year  1827  the  Pea  Kiver  Mission  was  blessed  with 
divine  visitations,  and  prospered.  The  small  Societies  which 
had  been  formed  the  year  before,  and  which  was  the  year  of  be- 
ginning in  that  section,  were  greatly  strengthened  during  1827, 
and  other  societies  were  organized  during  that  year.     Awaken- 


274 


liistunj  oj  Metliodisfn  in  Alahatna. 


iiigs  prevailed  generally,  and  one  hundnjd  and  seventy-three 
joined  the  Church  during  the  year,  and  there  was  a  net  increaae 
of  over  one  hundred  and  fifteen  white  and  fourteen  colored  mem- 
bers. Five  meeting  houHes  were  built  during  that  year,  and 
there  were  twenty-one  preaching  places  on  the  Mission.  The 
charge  at  the  end  of  that  year  passed  off  the  Missionary  list, 
and  was  constituted  a  Circuit.  It  was  invested  with  the  ])rer()g- 
ative  and  (diar^ed  with  the  duty  of  taking  care  of  itself,  and  for 
1828  the  llev.  John  C.  Wright  was  again  ap[)ointed  to  s(;rve  it  as 
a  preacher.  JJuring  that  year  there  was  a  net  increase  of  ninety- 
five  white  and  twenty  colored  members. 

The  liav.  Jolm  C.  Wright  was  only  a  deacon  when  appoint(;d 
to  the  Van  Jliver  Mission.  At  the  end  of  his  first  year  (m  that 
charge  he  was  (jlected  to  elder's  orders,  but  was  not  ordained 
becrause  he  was  not  present  at  the  session  of  thc^  (yonf<'ren(!e.  At 
the  encl  of  his  two  years  on  Pea  liivcT,  and  at  the  close  of  1828, 
he  located. 

The  preacher  for  the  ('haitahoocheo  (circuit  for  1828  was  the 
R*jv.  Jeremiah  Norman.  During  the  yt'ar  ih(*ro  was  a  decniase 
of  fourtifen  colored  members  on  that  C'ircuit  and  a  uai  increase 
of  fifty-two  white  membtjrs.  The  Hoy.  Jeremiah  Norman  made 
upon  the  (.'hattalioo<:hee  (/ir(;uit  an  impreHsion,  and  by  the  in- 
habiiarits  then-of  he  was  n;mend)(inMl,  though  he  was  then^  only 
one  year.  He  was  noted  for  his  piety,  talents,  and  homely  f(?a- 
turcfs.  It  was  commonly  s/iid  that  he  was  onc^  of  the  ugliest  men 
and  one  of  the  ablest  preachers  on  the  Am(?rican  Continetii.  He 
never  married  He  entered  the  itinerant  ministry  in  Janimry, 
1825,  and  continued  in  it  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  \Ki\). 
In  18^}()  and  18'U  he  waH  on  the  list  of  the  HUperannuate<i  or 
worn-out  preachers.  At  the  session  of  the  (Georgia  ('onfc^rence 
htild  at  EnUmUni,  in  Dectemher,  18'{8,  he  was  placed  again  on 
the  list  of  the  superannuated  or  worn-out  preachers,  and  hefore 
the  n«?xt  fteHsion  of  the  (conference,  his  soul  was  released  from 
the  wo*5»4  of  earth,  and  taken  up  wh<?re  the  mind  never  falters, 
ftnd  where  lonelinesH  never  comu»,  and  where  (hijoctiun  never 
moleMtl*. 

For  lH2iJ  th«  TftllfthaHH^e  District  Utul  a  new  presiding  elder, 
the  lU^y.  ZficcheuM  Dowling,  and  he  wan  the  presiding  elder  on 
that  District  for  fotjr  years  in  MUccoHHi(»n,  (^losing  with  |8;J2. 
Far  182'J  the  pKiu-h^T  on  (Chattahoochee  (Jircuit  was  the  Itev. 


21ie  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work         275 


William  Steagall,  and  the  preacher  for  that  year  on  the  Pea 
lliver  Circuit  was  Vardy  Woolly.  The  net  increase  on  the 
Chattahoochee  Circuit  for  that  year  was  fifty-nine  white  and  six 
colored  members,  and  the  net  increase  on  the  Pea  River  Circuit 
was  fifty-nine  white  and  ten  colored  members. 

The  llev.  William  Steagall  had  been  received  into  full  con- 
nection and  ordained  deacon  at  the  session  at  which  he  was 
api)ointed  to  the  Chattahoochee  Circuit;  and  the  liev.  Vardy 
Woolly  had  been  admitted  to  full  connection  in  the  Conference 
and  ordained  deacon  at  the  same  time.  Woolly  located  at  the 
close  of  18:J2,  and  Steagall  at  the  close  of  1834. 

For  1830  the  following  appointments  were  made  in  Alabama 
by  the  South  Carolina  Conference: 

ChattahoochtHi,  llobert  Williams,  William  N.  Sears. 
Pea  Kivor,  Mahlon  Btnlell,  George  Collier. 
Escambia  Mission,  AVilliam  Culverhouse. 

The  net  increase  for  the  year  on  the  Chattahoochee  Circuit 
was  thirty-s»»ven  white  and  eiglit  colored  nu»nd>ers.  The  net  in- 
cn^ase  on  the  Pea  Uiver  Circuit  for  the  year  was  seventy-eight 
white  and  thirty-six  colored  nunnbors. 

The  Escambia  Mission  as  an  appointnuMit  filled  up  the  vacant 
territory  IxMweiMi  the  Pea  lliver  Circuit  tilled  by  the  South  Car- 
olina ('onftM-ence  and  th(»  appoint nuMits  filled  by  the  Mississippi 
(^/onf(»rence.  A  communication,  which  is  still  extant,  writttMi  by 
the  llev.  William  Culvt^-lumse,  who  siTved  it  in  the  tirst  yt»ur 
of  its  <^xist(Uic(s  and  addressed  to  the  ('orrespoiuliug  Secretary 
of  the  Missiimary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
indicates  the  territory  occtipitnl  by  that  Mission  at  the  tin\e  of 
its  organi/ation,  and  some  of  the  particular  points  at  whioli 
preaching  places  were  (established,  and  the  success  which  at- 
tended tlu»  work  tlu^  lirsi  y»>ar.  The  following  is  the  communi- 
cation: 

"Escambia  MissiiUi,  December  10.  1830. 

"/iVr.  Sir:  1  Iuum^  b«M>n  apprised  that  my  duty  as  a  Missionary 
reipjirt^s  that  I  should  tninsmit  to  you  cpmrterly,  informatiim 
n^lativi*  to  the  state  of  this  Mission.  In  tins  resptvt  t  confess 
1  have  ln>en  faulty;  but  I  solicit  your  forbeanuuMs  as  I  have 
been  (Migaged  in  a  great  work,  and  will  now  endeavi^r  to  givt^ 
you  a  succinct  and  ctuupnOuMisive  view  of  what  haB  boon  done 
ihrougiiout  the  year. 


276 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         217 


"After  a  pleasant  and  safe  journey  from  Conference,  I  arrived 
on  my  mission  ground  in  good  time,  and  after  a  few  days'  rest 
set  out  in  order  to  arrange  my  appointments:  part  of  them  I 
made  on  the  east,  and  part  on  the  west  side  of  the  Escambia,  or 
Conecuh  Kiver,  in  the  following  order:  commencing  in  Alabama, 
Butler  County— across   the  Conecuh  in  said  county— down  to 
Montezuma,  or  Falls  of   Conecuh,  in  Covington   County,  and 
through   Conecuh  County  into   Florida,  to   within  twenty-six 
miles  of  Pensacola;   then  returning  on  the  west  side  by  Fort 
Crawford  and  Brooklyn  across  the  Sepulgah— on  the  waters  of 
Pigeon  Creek— into  Butler  County  again.     This  route  formed  a 
three  weeks'  Circuit,  and    contained    seventeen   appointments; 
three  of  them  were  given  me  from  the  Mississippi  Conference,' 
two  from  Pensacola  Mission,  and  one  from  Pea  Kiver  Circuit! 
Within  the  bounds  of  my  Mission  I  found  one  hundred  and  ten 
members;   I  have,  during  the  year,  taken  on  trial  sixty-eight, 
making  in  all  one  hundred  and   seventy-eight  members.     Ke- 
cently  my  Mission   has   been  enlarged,  so  as   to  form  a  four 
weeks'  Circuit,  and  now  extends  down  to  the  Escambia  Bay. 

"A  Camp-meeting  was  held  for  this  Mission  on  4th  to  8th  No- 
vember, at  a  new  Camp-ground,  whereon  twelve  large  and  com- 
modious tents  were  built.  It  is  situated  on  the  waters  of  Con- 
ecuh, near  Brooklyn.  The  congregations  were  good  and  ap- 
peared remarkably  attentive  to  the  preaching  of  the  word. 
Much  good  was  done,  and  ten  were  received  as  probationers 
among  us.  Also,  we  have  commenced  a  church  edifice,  at  the 
same  place,  of  forty  by  thirty  feet,  which  we  expect  will'  be  fin- 
ished the  ensuing  winter.  There  is  also  a  probability  of  two 
others  being  shortly  built  within  the  Mission. 

"Notwithstanding  strong  prejudices,  which  existed  among 
some  of  the  people,  against  Missions  and  Missionaries,  when  I 
first  came  among  them,  the  major  part  of  them  have  received 
me  very  kindly;  and  some  who  would  not  come  to  hear  me 
preach  in  the  commencement  of  the  year,  now  come  out,  and  ap- 
pear to  give  great  attention  to  the  word.  I  think  there  is  con- 
siderable religious  excitement  prevailing  all  round  my  Mission; 
and  notwithstanding  the  '  reform  '  excitement  has  prevailed  very 
much  near  our  borders,  there  is  nothing  of  it  within  the  bounds 
of  this  Mission;  we  are  all  sailors  of  the  old  ship,  and  feel  per- 
fectly satisfied  with  her  chart;  and  while  we  are  passing  on  the 


ocean  of  time  we  have  peace  and  harmony  abounding  among  us. 
Dear  brother,  pray  for  us,  that  the  Lord  may  prosper  his  work 
in  this  part  of  his  moral  vineyard,  to  the  glory  of  his  great  name, 
and  the  salvation  of  these  people.     Yours,  Respectfully, 

William  Culverhouse." 
At  the  anniversary  meeting  of  the  Georgia  Conference  Mis- 
sionary Society  held  at  Macon,  Georgia,  on  Monday  evening, 
January  10,  1831,  and  which  was  the  time  of  the  session  of  the 
Georgia  Conference  at  the  close  of  the  ecclesiastical  year  for 
1830,  the  following  official  statement  was  made: 

"  The  Escambia  Mission  lies  principally  in  Butler,  Conecuh, 
and  Covington  Counties,  Alabama,  but  includes  a  small  part  of 
Florida.  The  Rev.  William  Culverhouse,  the  Missionary  sent 
there,  states  that  he  has  twenty  appointments,  and  two  hundred 
and  twelve  members  in  Society,  eighty-four  of  whom  he  has  re- 
ceived on  probation  during  the  last  year,  and  he  thinks  there  is 
much  religious  excitement  among  the  people." 

The  appointments  made  in  Alabama  by  the  Georgia  Confer- 
ence for  1831  were: 

Chattahoochee,  Mahlou  BedelL 
Pea  River,  John  Sale. 
Escambia  Mission,  William  N.  Sears. 
The  growth  in   the  Chattahoochee  Circuit  was  exceedingly 
slow  for  a  number  of  years.     For  the  year  1831  the  net  increase 
on  that  Circuit  was  hardly  enough  to  justify  mentioning.     Three 
white  and  four  colored  members  was  the  limit  of  the  increase. 
The  Pea  River  Circuit  had  abundant  success  that  year.     The 
net  increase  was  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven  white  and  for- 
ty-one colored  members.     For  that  year  the  Escambia  Mission 
reported  a  decrease  of  seven  white  members  and  an  increase  of 
fifty-five  colored  members. 

For  1832,  the  last  year  the  Georgia  Conference  supplied  the 
lack  in  Alabama,  the  following  appointments  were  made  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  Georgia  Conference: 

Chattahoochee,  AVilliam  Culverhouse,  James  W.  Honeycui 
Pea  River,  John  Sale,  William  C.  Crawford. 
Escambia  Mission,  George  W.  Collier. 

The  decrease  on  the  Chattahoochee  Circuit  for  1832  was  dis- 
couraging. There  was  a  clear  loss  of  fifty-three  white  and  thir- 
ty-se\^n  colored  members.     The  Pea  River  Circuit  had  a  net 


■i1 


278 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work. 


279 


gain  of  one  hundred  and  six  white  members,  but  a  clear  loss  of 
forty-one  colored  members.     The  Escambia  Mission  had  good 
success   for  that  year.     Fifty-six  white  and  forty-two  colored 
members  was  the  limit  of  increase.     The  decade  and  a  year  wit- 
nessed great  growth  in  the  region  of  Alabama  covered  by  the 
Chattahoochee  and  Pea  Kiver  Circuits,  and  the  Escambia  Mis- 
sion.    At  the  close  of  1832,  in  these  three  pastoral  charges,  then 
served  by  five  preachers  and  one  presiding  elder,  there  were 
thirteen  hundred  and  forty  white  and  two  hundred  and  seven 
colored  members.     That  was  no  mean  achievement  made  in  elev- 
en years  in  a  new  and  spai-sely  settled  country,  and  by  a  Church 
under  the  ban  of  public  sentiment.     God  smote  his  enemies, 
and  gave  a  heritage  to  his  servants.     The  Methodists  by  the  riv- 
ers Chattahoochee,  Choctawhatchee,  Pea,  Conecuh,  and  Escam- 
bia had  occasion  to  praise  God  for  his  loving-kindness  and  his 
truth,  as  he  had  magnified  his  word  and  his  name  among  them. 
Henry  County  was  constituted  December  13, 1819;  Pike  Coun. 
ty  December  18,  1821;   Covington  County  December  18,  1821; 
Dale  County  December  22,  1824;  Coffee  County  December  29* 
1841;  Geneva  County  December  26,  1868. 

The  first  emigrants  to  south-east  Alabama  settled  along  the 
several  rivers  and  about  the  head  waters  of  the  numerous  streams 
which  flow  through  and  water  that  part  of  the  State.     About 
the  sources  of  the  rivers  and  creeks  were  living  springs  which 
offered  comfort  and  convenience  to  the  settlers  who  had  the 
choice  of  the  country  before  them.     At  various  points  on  Chat- 
tahoochee, Choctawhatchee,  Pea,  and  Conecuh  Kivers  emigrants 
concentrated  in  sufficient  numbers  to  constitute  communities 
more  or  less  strong.     In  Township  one,  Kange  thirty,  and  in 
Township  one,  Kange  twenty-nine,  and  in  Township  two,  Range 
twenty-eight,  in  the  lower  end  of  Henry  County,  on  and  about 
the  Chattahoochee  River  and  the  creeks  thereabout  which  form 
a  junction  with  the  river,  there  were,  at  an  early  day,  groups 
of  families  which  made  a  strong  community  for  a  new  country. 
Round  about  the  junction  of  the  Omussee  and  the  Chattahoochee 
was  another  settlement  which  early  formed  an  interesting  com- 
munity.    By  officers  and  commissioners,  appointed  by  law  for 
the  purpose,  a  site  was  selected  in  Township  four,  and  Range 
twenty-nine,  near  the  Chattahoochee  River,  and  by  enactment 
of  the  Legislature  of  Alabama,  approved  December  20,  1828, 


that  site  was  established  the  permanent  seat  of  justice  in  Henry 
County,  and  named  Columbia.  Within  Townships  seven  and 
eight,  Range  twenty-nine,  and  Townships  seven  and  eight.  Range 
tw'enty-eight,  in  the  north-east  corner  of  Henry  County,  reach- 
ing from  the  Chattahoochee  River  across  the  Abbe  Creeks,  prongs 
of  the  Omussee,  settlements  were  established  at  a  very  early 
day.  About  the  sources  of  the  Choctawhatchee  and  the  Pea 
Rivers  were  early  settlements  made,  in  tlie  midst  of  which,  in 
due  time,  the  villages  of  Louisville  and  Clayton  sprang  up. 
About  the  sources  of  the  Conecuh  River  settlements  were  early 
established,  one  of  wliich  was  known  as  China  Grove,  and  in  one 
of  which  Aberfoil  became  a  village.  Along  down  the  rivers, 
ever  and  anon,  were  settlements  in  the  midst  of  which  sprang 
up  the  villages  of  Monticello,  Montezuma,  Dalesville,  and  Ge- 
neva. About  the  place  where  the  present  town  of  Ozark  is  sit- 
uated there  was  a  good  settlement  at  an  early  day,  and  there  was 
a  settlement  also  quite  early  in  Townships  seven  and  eight.  Range 

twenty-seven. 

Within  the  first  decade  of  Methodist  preaching  in  that  part 
of  Alabama,  a  Society  was  formed  and  a  church  was  built  in  the 
neighborhood  on  the  Chattahoochee  River  a  few  miles  south  of 
what  was  long  called  Woodville,  now  called  Gordon.     At  a  place 
higher  up  the  Chattahoochee  River,  going  toward  the  place 
known  as  Franklin,  was  a  Meeting  House  called  Chitty's.    About 
five  miles  and  a  little  north  of  east  from  the  present  town  of  Abbe- 
ville  there  was  a  Methodist  church  named  Ehenezer,  called  Gam- 
ble's Meeting  House.     On  the  east  side  of  the  (^loctawhatchee 
River,  in  Township  nine,  Range  twenty-seven,  there  is  a  large 
natural  pond  called  White  Pond.     Between  that  place  and  the 
present  town  of  Clayton,  and  on  an  air  line  about  ten  miles  east 
of  the  present  town  of  Louisville,  and  three  or  four  miles  south- 
east of  what  was  then  the  line  of  the  Creek  Indian  Nation,  a 
Society  was  organized  and  a  church  was  built  in  1822,  and  called 
New  Hope.     New  Hope  Society  and  church,  though  the  original 
members  and  house  have  passed  away,  continue  till  this  day, 
1890.     The  Rev.  John  I.  Triggs  preached  there  the  year  the  So- 
ciety  was  organized,  and  for  years  it  was  one  of  the  Societies  of 
the  Chattahoochee  Circuit.     The  first  members  of  New  Hope 
established  a  Camp-ground  there,  and  it  was  called  after  the 
church.     At  the  Camp-meetings  held  there  most  signal  displays 


280 


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The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         281 


of  the  divine  presence  aad  power  were  witnessed.     The  mem- 
bers of  that  Society  held  class-meetings  and  love-feasts  from 
the  very  lirst,  and  the  class-meetings  and  love-feasts  rendered 
good  service  in  laying  the  foundations  for  enlarging  and  per- 
petuating Methodism  in  that  community.     Many  opinions  were 
entertained  and  many  reports  were  circulated  detrimental  to  the 
Methodists  by  those  averse  to  their  doctrines  and  customs.    For 
their  class-meetings  and  love-feasts  they  were  often  abused  and 
sometimes  slandered.     Holding  their  meetings  with  closed  doors 
created  prejudice,  and  gave  pretext  for  many  slanderous  reports. 
In  the  community  of  New  Hope  was  a  family  of  numerous  mem- 
bers by  the  name  of  Bush,  and  another  family,  related  to  the 
first  by  marriage,  by  the  name  of  Thomas,  all  inclined  to  the 
doctrines  and  usages  of  the  Baptists.     Mrs.  Mary  Bush,  im- 
pelled by  a  woman's  curiosity,  became  exceedingly  anxious  to 
know  the   peculiarities  of  the  services  held  with  closed  doors. 
So  she  decided  to  run  the  blockade,  if  possible,  and  see  for  her- 
self what  was  done.    The  first  opportunity  she  had  she  presented 
herself  at  the  door  of  New  Hope  church  for  admission  to  the 
love-feast.     The  door-keeper  for  the  occasion   asked   her   the 
question:   "Are  you  friendly  to  the  cause?"     She  answered: 
"  Yes,"  but,  in  an  undertone,  she  said  to  herself  as  she  passed 
into  the  church,  for  the  door-keeper  let  her  in,  "  I  do  not  care 
for  you  or  your  cause  either  so  I  get  in."     She  was  captured  by 
the  service,  and  was  so  powerfully  impressed  with  the  divine 
presence  that  she  joined  the  Society  before  she  came  out  of  the 
house.     Ever  after  she  was  a  host  in  the  Methodist  cause,  and 
through  her  infiuence  her  son-in-law,  Thomas,  was  converted 
from  his  Baptist  notions  and  made  a  zealous  Methodist.    Largely 
through  the  influence  of  the  two  families,  Bush  and  Thomas,  New 
Hope  church  was  perpetuated  and  strengthened.     Many  earnest 
consecrated  men  of  God  have  proclaimed  from  the  pulpit  of  New 
Hope  church  the  gospel  of  the  everlasting  kingdom,  and  many 
souls  have  sought  and  found  pardon  at  her  altar,  and  the  bodies 
of  many  of  her  pious  dead  rest  in  the  cemetery  awaiting  the 
resurrection  morning,  and  many  honored  names  are  still  on  her 
roll.     In  the  neighborhood  of  the  present  town  of  Louisville 
and  in  what  was  then  Pike  County,  a  Methodist  Society  was  es- 
tablished and  a  church  was  built  as  early  as  1822,  so  tradition 
says.     Tradition  is  not  very  accurate.     In  the  south-east  part  of 


Dale  County,  in  the  very  beginning  of  Methodist  work  in  that 
section,  a  church  was  built,  called  Whitehurst's  Meeting  House. 
Tradition  is  confident  in  the  assertion  that  in  1828  a  church  was 
built  one  or  two  miles  from  the  present  town  of  Ozark,  and  called 
Claybank.  Other  preaching  places  were  established  through  that 
section  during  the  first  years  of  Methodist  preaching  therein 
than  those  above  named,  and  in  the  after  years  still  many  other 
Societies  were  organized  and  preaching  places  established  in 

that  region. 

As  nauies  familiar  in  Methodist  circles,  and  the  names  of  per- 
sons who  were  Methodists,  and  who  were  in  that  region  as  pio- 
neers and  in  the  first  decades  of  Methodist  work  there,  may  be 
mentioned:  Baker,  Birch,  Cassady,  Cruse,  Chitty,  Corbett,  Dow- 
ling,  Dawkins,  Gamble,  Gilpin,  Grantham,  Grace,  Lawrence, 
Lucus,  McDonald,  McLendon,  Messick,  Miller,  Mixon,  Norton, 
Owens,  Peacock,  Pittman,  Shanks,  Stokes,  Skipper,  Whitehurst, 
Windham,  Williams,  Weatherby,  Wright. 

If  tradition  may  be  relied  on,  though  some  statements  con- 
cerning the  matter  are  known  to  be  incorrect,  about  the  time  the 
Eev.  John  I.  Triggs  was  preaching  as  "  Missionary  to  Early 
County  and  adjoining  settlements,"  Jesse  Birch,  a  local  preacher, 
erected  himself  a  habitation  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  present 
town  of  Louisville,  which,  now  in  Barbour  County,  was  at  that 
time  in  Pike  County.  Tradition  also  states  as  a  fact  that  about 
that  same  time  John  McDonald,  some  of  whose  descendants  have 
been  preachers,  and  his  family,  and  the  family  of  his  brother- 
in-law,  and  the  Eev.  Jesse  Birch  and  his  family  formed  a  Society 
and  built  for  themselves  a  Meeting  House  in  the  community  in 
which  they  lived  near  Louisville. 

The  Rev.  "Dempsey  Dowling  was  recommended  by  the  Dis- 
trict Conference  of  Pee  Dee  District  for  the  office  of  elder,  and 
was  elected "  by  the  South  Carolina  Conference  in  session  at 
Augusta,  Georgia,  Tuesday  morning,  February  26, 1822.  Some 
time  after  that,  perhaps,  in  the  early  part  of  1826,  he  entered 
abode  in  Dale  County,  Alabama,  in  which  county  he  resided 
until  his  death,  in  1865.  He  joined  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church  as  early  as  1845.  He  was  of  the  strict  type  of  Meth- 
odists. He  was  of  that  class  who  reproved  sin  in  word  as  well 
.  in  life.  He  was  as  severe  as  the  Judgment.  In  rebuking  per- 
sons for  sin  he  had  the  perseverance  of  endless  patience.     In 


282 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


the  lines  of  Christian  doctrine,  experience,  and  life  to  which  he 
gave  special  attention  he  was  well  advanced  and  thoroughly  es- 
tablished.    He  was  the  patriarch  and  leader  of  the  numerous 
tribe  of  Dowlings  in  the  Methodist  ranks  in  the  section  of  the 
State  where  he  lived  and  died.     He  was  buried,  as  was  his  wife, 
who  preceded  him  to  the  grave  five  or  six  years,  at  Clay  bank 
Meeting  House,  one  or  two  miles  from  the  present  town  of  Ozark. 
So  far  as  is  now  known,  the  first  preacher  in  south-east  Ala- 
bama to  enter  the  itinerant  ministry  was  the  Kev.  Daniel  Mc- 
Donald.    At  the  time  he  was  recommended  for  admission  on 
trial  in  the  Conference  he  was  a  citizen  of  Alabama  and  a 
member  of  the  Church  in  the  bounds  of  the  Chattahoochee  Cir- 
cuit.    "Daniel  McDonald  was  recommended  by  the   Chatta- 
hoochee Circuit  Quarterly  Conference  and  admitted  "  on  trial 
by  the  South  Carolina  Conference  in  session  at  Camden,  South 
Carolina,  February  11,  1828.     In  due  course,   as  provided  by 
Discipline,  he  was  admitted  into  full  connection  in  the  Confer- 
ence, and   advanced   to   deacon's   and  elder's  orders.     At   the 
close  of  1832  he  was  transferred  to  the  Alabama  Conference,  as 
that  Conference  then  had  charge  of  the  territory  in  which  was 
located  his  home  and  in  which  his  kindred  resided.     At  the  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference  at  Tuskaloosa,  in  December,  1835,  he 
located,  and  henceforward  made  his  home  in  Clarke  County, 
Alabama.     His  mortal  remains  rest  in  that  county.     While  a 
local  preacher  he  had  an  appointment  on  Dog  River,  possibly 
under  the  direction  of  the  presiding  elder  of  the  District,  and 
while  filling  an  engagement  at  that  place,  an  adversary,  one 
Wilson,  set  and  baited  a  trap  for  him.     He  was  allured  by  the 
bait  and  entangled  by  the  trap,  and  his  adversary,  who  was  on 
watch,  had,  perhaps,  not  all  he  wished,  but  enough  for  his  pur- 
pose, and  so  the  preacher  was  put  upon  his  trial  for  immorality, 
and  was  expelled  from  the  Church.     Who  puts  his  feet  in  gins 
and  snares  is  overthrown  in  a  moment.     An  ill-advised  step, 
taken  under  the   allurements  of  an   improvised   and  well-ar- 
ranged temptation,  though  it  proceeded  no  further  than  an  ap- 
proach to  another's  couch  and  the  giving  a  single  kiss,  cost  that 
man  his  ministry  and  his  Church  immunities.     How  necessary 
it  is  that  every  thought  should  be  brought  in  subjection  to  the 
divine  will!     "Wherefore  let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  . 
take  heed  lest  he  fall." 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work, 


283 


In  the  first  years  of  Methodist  work  on  the  Chattahoochee 
and  Pea  River  charges  a  group  of  kindred  by  the  name  of 
Shanks  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  town  of  Louisville 
then  in  the  bounds  of  Pike  County,  since  1832  in  the  bounds  of 
Barbour   County.     That    family   came    from   South   Carolina. 
The  ancestors  of  the  family,  and  the  older  children  of   the 
household,  were  acquainted  with  Bishop  Asbury.     One  member 
of  the  family,  born  in  South  Carolina,  in  1808,  bore  the  name 
of  the  Bishop.     In  the  assemblage  of  Methodist  names  found 
at  that  early  day  in  that  section  of  Alabama  none  was  more 
illustrious  than  that  of  Shanks.     Not  to  mention  the  sisters, 
who  were  women  of  piety,  and  gifted  in  song,  three  brothers, 
James,  William,  and  Asbury  H.,  were   Methodist  preachers 
Along  toward  the  fifties,  or  in  the  fifties,  the  exact  date  is  not 
now   recollected,  William   Shanks   withdrew  from  the  Meth- 
odists,  and,  by  an  immersion  in  water,  allied  himself  to  the 
Baptists;  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  resided  on  the  road  be- 
tween the  towns  of  Louisville  and  Troy,  and  was  the  Pastor  ^f^ 
Baptist  Church,  possibly  Churches,  in  the  vicinity  m  which  he 
resided      That  defection  of  William  Shanks,  that  abandoning 
the  faith  in  which  he  had  been  brought  up,  in  which  he  had 
been  brought  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  God,  and  m  which  he 
had  so  long  lived   and  preached,  created  q^J^e   a  sensation 
among  the  Methodists.     It  annoyed  and  scandalized  the  Meth- 
odists not  a  little.     Their  displeasure  was  in  the  exact  measure 
of  their  former  appreciation,  was  in  the  ratio  of  the  large  in- 
fluence which   he  had  exerted    among  them.     Whatever   the 
influence  and  the  motives  which  caused  him  to  abandon  the 
Church  in  which  he  entered  upon  his  Christian  and  ministerial 
career  and  ally  himself  with  the  denomination  which  rejected 
and  required  him  to  repudiate  his  whole  religious  profession 
and  life  the  Methodists  never  excused  him.     They  regretted  his 
course  as  long  as  they  recollected  his  career.     Such  defections 
are  not  likely  to  serve  the  general  cause  of  Christianity. 

James  Shanks  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  force,  and  a  man 
of  admirable  consistency  of  character.  He  was  renewed  by 
divine  grace  October  11,  1829,  and  was  licensed  io  preach 
March  1832.  In  connection  with  renewal  of  heart  he  received 
an  overwhelming  ecstasy  which  almost  without  intermission 
and  with  but  little  abatement  continued  for  two  years,  and  at 


284 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


the  time  of  his  death  he  said,  in  the  review  of  his  life,  he  was, 
though  he  was  in  agonies,  the  agonies  of  death,  happier  than  at 
any  former  period  of  his  Christian  experience.     In  December, 
1833,  he  was  received  into  the  Alabama  Conference  on  trial' 
and  in  due  course  was  admitted  into  full  connection,  and  to 
ministerial  orders;  for  some  reason  he  was  one  year  longer  than 
the  ordinary  time  in  reaching  elder's  orders,  and  he  continued 
in  the  Alabama  Conference  until  the  close  of  1847,  when,  on 
account   of    the   physical   infirmities  of    his  wife,  he   located. 
During  his  connection  with  the  Alabama  Conference  his  ap- 
pointments were  all  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  and  be- 
tween the  Chattahoochee  and  Alabama  Kivers.     For  a  number 
of  years  he  served  the  Choctawhatchee,  Pea  Eiver,  and  Clayton 
charges,  and  was  consequently  in  the  section  of  Alabama  where 
he  resided  before  he  ever  entered  the  itinerant  ministry.     Some 
time  after  he  located  he  moved  to  Clarke  County,  Mississippi, 
and  in  December,  1869,  he  was  re-admitted  to  the  itinerant  min- 
istry.    He  was  a  member  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  at  the 
time  of  his  death.     He  was  a  local  preacher  from  1847  till  the 
close  of  1869.     This  is  correct,  the  statement  in  his  obituary  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding.      For  half  a  century  he  was  a 
preacher  in  the  Methodist  ranks,  and  his  ministry  was  crowned 
with  results   commensurate  with  its   length.     He  brought   to 
Christ  and  added  to  the  Church  many  souls.     In  the  State  of 
Mississippi,  October  4,  1878,  he  fell  on  sleep.     He  went  out  in 
great  physical  pain,  and  in  great  spiritual  ecstasy.     He  lacked 
forty-five  days  of  being  eighty  years  old  when  he  departed  this 
life. 

In  the  vicinity  in  which  he  lived,  the  vicinity  of  Louisville 
Alabama,  Asbury  H.  Shanks,  younger  by  ten  years  than  his 
brother  James,  was  reclaimed  by  the  gospel,  renewed  by  the 
Spirit,  and  under  process  provided  was  inducted  into  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  was  possibly  the  second  preacher 
m  south-east  Alabama  who  joined  the  itinerant  ranks  He  was 
renewed  by  divine  grace  April  7,  1829,  and  was  licensed  to 
preach  July  16,  1831.  The  Georgia  Conference  being  in  ses- 
sion  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  on  Monday  morning,  January  9 
1832,  the  Rev.  Zaccheus  Dowling,  the  presiding  elder  of  the 
Tallahassee  District,  presented  Asbury  H.  Shanks  as  a  suitable 
person  to  be  admitted  into  the  Conference  on  trial     The  Con 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         285 


ference  considered  the  case,  and  after  proper  inquiries  made 
and  due  reflection  had  he  was  admitted.  He  was  a  preacher 
from  the  Alabama  part  of  the  Tallahassee  District,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  Conference  year  he  was  continued  on  trial,  and  in 
that  relation  he  was  transferred  to  the  Alabama  Conference, 
which  Conference  just  then  held  its  first  session.  In  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  ecclesiastical  year  the  Alabama  Conference 
met  a  little  more  than  a  month  before  the  Georgia  Conference. 
In  due  course  he  was  admitted  into  full  connection  in  the  Ala- 
bama Conference,  and  into  the  orders  of  the  ministry.  He 
filled  many  of  the  chief  appointments  in  the  Church.  He  was 
appointed  to  Circuits,  Stations,  and  Districts.  He  was  a  man 
of  extraordinary  ability,  of  exemplary  piety,  and  of  sterling  in- 
tegrity. He  was  a  theologian  of  no  mean  attainments,  a  de- 
fender of  the  faith,  and  a  preacher  of  remarkable  power.  His 
ministry  was  somewhat  impaired  by  physical  ills,  and  for  a 
time  he  was  superannuated,  and  for  a  time  local.  He  was 
honored  while  living  and  lamented  when  dead.  He  died,  tri- 
umphing in  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  with  immortality  in  view, 
October  20,  1868,  in  Rusk,  Texas,  where  he  was  buried.  He 
was  a  memj3er  of  the  East  Texas  Conference  at  the  time  of  his 

death. 

At  Milledgeville,  Georgia,  December  23,  1814,  a  man  who 
was  then  within  thirty  days  of  his  majority  and  who  was  recom- 
mended from  Brunswick  Circuit  was  admitted  on  trial  by  the 
South  Carolina  Conference.  The  years  passed,  the  processes 
provided  by  law  went  on,  and  he  was  received  into  full  connec- 
tion in  the  Annual  Conference,  and  he  was  ordained  deacon, 
by  Bishop  Enoch  George,  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  De- 
cember 29,  1816,  and  elder,  by  Bishop  K  R.  Roberts,  at  Cam- 
den, South  Carolina,  December  27,  1818;  and  at  the  session  of 
the  Conference  at  which  he  was  ordained  elder,  which  closed 
December  30, 1818,  he  located.  In  February,  1819,  he  married, 
and  for  three  years  he  lived  in  North  Carolina  where  he  had 
married.  In  February,  1822,  he  was  re-admitted  into  the  An- 
nual Conference,  and  held  membership  and  filled  appointments 
therein  until  the  session  of  the  Conference  at  Milledgeville, 
Georgia,  January  12-20,  1826,  when  he  again  located,  hence- 
forth to  be  a  local  elder.  After  that  last  location  he  lived  two 
years  in  South  Carolina.     In  the  first  part  of  the  year  1828, 


Ji 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


that  man,  with  his  family,  left  his  native  State  for  the  newly 
found  paradise,  the  land  of  Alabama.  He  crossed  just  over 
what  was  then  the  line  of  the  Creek  Indian  Nation,  and  just 
into  the  edge  of  what  was  then  Pike  County,  and  settled,  where 
he  continued  until  1835,  near  the  present  town  of  Clayton,  Ala- 
bama. He  was  then  in  the  bounds  of  or  in  proximity  to  the 
Chattahoochee  Circuit,  and  he  was  quite  an  acquisition  to  the 
young  and  struggling  Church  in  that  newly  settled  section  on 
the  borders  of  the  Indian  tribes.  That  man  was  none  other 
than  the  Kev.  John  W.  Norton,  the  brother  of  the  Kev.  James 
Norton,  who  in  1813,  by  official  appointment,  traveled  with 
Bishop  McKendree.  Than  the  Kev.  John  W.  Norton  none  was 
more  genial  and  generous,  dignified  and  diligent.  He  was  wise, 
discriminating,  and  conservative  in  counsel,  discreet,  and  edify- 
ing in  conversation.  His  life  imparted  to  those  with  whom  he 
was  associated  a  benediction,  and  his  death,  though  a  happy 
release  to  him,  inflicted  an  irreparable  loss  upon  those  he  left 
behind.  He  founded  and  fostered  Churches  in  the  neighbor- 
hoods in  which  he  lived.  He  was  a  man  of  but  few  tears,  but 
he  was  a  man  of  solid  piety,  true  benevolence,  and  of  spotless 
character. 


''A 


i: 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work  of 

Methodism  in  Alabama. 

THE  Jones's  Valley  Circuit  first  appeared  for  the  year  1823. 
Previous  to  that  date  it  had  been  in  and  a  part  of  the 
Tuskaloosa  Circuit.  Blountsville,  Ebenezer,  and  Shiloh,  places 
which  have  already  been  mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
Tuskaloosa  Circuit,  and  Cunningham's  Creek,  Cedar  Mountain, 
Bethlehem,  Bethel,  and  Lebanon  were  leading  preaching  places 
in  Jones's  Yalley  Circuit  when  it  was  first  made. 

In  Township  sixteen,  Eange  two,  west,  on  the  head  waters  of 
Cunningham's  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Black  Warrior,  lived 
James  Cunningham,  an  Irishman,  and  the  man  for  whom  the 
creek  was  named.  In  the  residence  of  that  Irishman  the 
pioneer  Methodist  preacher  commenced  proclaiming  the  gospel 
as  early  as  1818,  and  there  a  Society  was  organized  as  early  as 
1819,  and  following  close  upon  the  organization  of  that  Society 
a  log  church,  eighteen  by  twenty  feet,  was  built,  near  the  resi- 
dence of  Cunningham,  in  which  that  Society  worshiped  for 
eighteen  years.  At  that  church  James  Cunningham,  Jesse 
Pitts,  William  Carson,  Goldsmith  W.  Hewett,  and  others,  held 
membership.  That  church  was  superseded  in  1837,  by  a  log 
house,  a  mile  away,  across  the  little  valley,  and  named  Smith's; 
Chapel,  at  which  an  organization  is  still,  1890,  kept  up. 

The  church  called  Cedar  Mountain,  which  was  at  the  moun- 
tain of  that  name,  and  which  was  twenty  or  twenty  odd  miles 
north-east  of  where  the  city  of  Birmingham  now  stands,  was  or- 
ganized in  1819,  when  the  Rev.  John  Kesterson  was  in  charge 
of  the  work,  and  before  the  Jones's  Valley  Circuit  was  made, 
and  continued  as  a  place  of  worship  until  1826,  when  it  was 
superseded  by  a  new  church  three  miles  away  from  it  called 
Shiloh.  The  charter  members  at  Cedar  Mountain  were  the  Rev. 
Perry  Tunnel  and  wife,  the  Rev.  James  Johnson  and  wife,  Fran- 
cis Self  and  wife,  George  Taylor  and  wife.  Upon  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  place  at  Cedar  Mountain  and  the  oi^anization  at 
19  (287) 


288 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Shiloli  in  1826,  George  Taylor  and  wife,  the  Rev.  William 
Taylor  and  wife,  Isaac  Taylor,  Jonathan  Moreland  and 
wife,  and  Jacob  Wear  and  wife  were  transferred  to  Shiloh,  and 
at  the  opening  of  the  church  at  Shiloh,  Mary  Taylor,  Catherine 
Taylor,  and  Harris  Taylor  joined  as  members.  In  that  county 
and  among  Methodists  the  Taylors  were  distinguished. 

In  1817,  the  year  Alabama  was  made  a  Territory,  George 
Taylor,  a  man  of  frontier  tastes,  and  of  religious  instincts  and 
Christian  experience  as  well,  with  his  family,  came  to  the  Ter- 
ritory, and  took  up  his  abode  in  proximity  to  the  Cedar  crowned 
mountain.  He  had  four  sons,  Casper,  William,  '  Isaac,  and 
Harris.  Tradition  says  that  the  Rev.  James  Axley,  a  man 
noted  for  oddities,  eccentricities,  sterling  virtues,  solid  piety, 
and  extraordinary  power,  baptized  the  four  sons  here  named  on 
the  same  occasion,  and  that  in  eloquence,  earnestness,  and  faith 
he  prayed  that  the  four  sons  might  be  called  to  preach.  How 
near  the  prayer  was  answered  can  be  apprehended  when  it  is 
stated  that  three  of  them  were  made  preachers  and  preached 
much,  and  Casper,  the  oldest  of  the  four,  admitted  that  he  was 
called  to  preach,  and  while  he  was  never  licensed  to  preach  he 
did  much  work  in  the  Church  and  was  quite  useful.  The  boys 
were  all  under  their  majority  when  they  came  with  their  father 
to  the  Territory  of  Alabama,  except,  perhaps,  Casper. 

William  Taylor  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference of  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit  upon  a  recommendation 
from  the  Society  at  Cedar  Mountain.  On  a  small  tombstone 
erected  at  his  grave  in  the  graveyard  at  Taylor's  Chapel,  in 
Section  eight,  Township  sixteen.  Range  one,  west,  are  engraved 
the  following  words:  "Rev.  William  Taylor,  born  August  3, 
1799,  embraced  religion  at  twenty-one  years  of  age,  soon 
thereafter  commenced  to  preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ,  and  continued  to  do  so  until  his  decease  which  took 
place  December  14,  1867."  He  was  an  able  preacher,  a  man  of 
more  than  ordinary  powers  of  intellect,  and  through  all  the 
country  round  about  the  section  in  which  he  lived  he  preached 
much  and  well.  He  maintained  a  good  name  and  was  loved  by 
the  people  among  whom  he  exercised  his  ministry. 

Isaac  Taylor  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence of  the  Jones's  Valley  Circuit  upon  a  recommendation  of 
the  Society  at  Cedar  Mountain  in  1824.     On  a  stout  marble 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         289 


slab  at  his  grave,  which  is  beside  the  grave  of  his  brother  Wil- 
liam, is  found  the  following  inscription:  "In  memory  of  Rev. 
Isaac  Taylor,  who  was  born  January  27, 1802,  died  May  5, 1874 
He  was  a  minister  of  the  gospel  fifty  years,  and  died  in  the 
hope  and  consolation  of  the  same."  In  the  dying  day,  in  con- 
versation with  one  of  his  best  friends,  in  allusion  to  his  creden- 
tials, he  said:  "These  papers  I  have  never  dishonored.  In  the 
pulpit  I  have  never  uttered  a  word  which  I  would  rescind." 

The  event  of  his  life  brought  a  dark  shadow  and  deep  trouble. 
The  event  occurred  about  1832.     He  then  had  a  wife  and  six 
children,  the  youngest  child  then  drawing  its  nourishment  from 
its  mother's  breast.     After  the  evening  twilight  and  before  the 
morning  dawn  the  woman  who  had  plighted  him  her  faith  and 
love,  to  live  with  him  in  the  holy  estate  of  matrimony,  disap- 
peared.    Where  she  was  gone  and  how  she  went  were  unsolved 
mysteries  of  the  case.     There  was  a  sensation,  a  sensation  in  the 
circle  of  kindred,  in  the  Methodist  ranks,  and  in  all  the  sur- 
rounding country.     He  lived  at  the  head  waters  of  the  Cahawba 
River,  and  a  couple  of  miles,  perhaps,  from  Shiloh  church.     The 
event  gratified  the  sensation  loving  propensities  of  the  commu- 
nity for  one  whole  generation.     It  was  an  event  which  gratified 
his  enemies,  and  the  enemies  of  Methodism  and  religion,  and 
was  sufficiently  fraught  with  untoward  influence  to  satisfy  their 
evil  designs.     It  was  an  occasion  suited  to  the  gratification  of 
their  malice,  and  they  made  the  most  of  it;  it  was  a  vein  in  a 
mine  suited  to  their  purposes,  and  they  worked  it  for  all  it  was 
worth.     It  was  an  opportunity  for  mischief,  and  malice  reveled, 
and  Satan  was  happy.     It  was  an  occasion,  it  was  a  matter  of 
gossip,  and  a  matter  for  inspection.     Ominous  conjectures  were 
indulged,  and  grave  suspicions  were  created.     Soon  it  was  sus- 
pected and  whispered  about   that  the  Rev.  Isaac  Taylor  had 
killed  the  woman  whom   he  had  wedded,  and  whom  he  had 
pledged  himself  to  love,  comfort,  honor  and  keep;  soon  he  was 
charged  with  the  crime;  soon  testimony  to  the  fact  was  conjured 
up;  the  little  domestic  disputes  of  the  household  were,  arrayed; 
the  unnaturalness  of  a  woman  leaving  six  of  her  own  children, 
and,  especially,  an  infant  in  her  arms,  was  portrayed;  the  sup- 
posed lethargy  of  the  husband  in  hunting  for  the  missing  wife 
was  descanted  on;  and,  finally,  to  cap  the  climax,  bones  found  in 
some  hollow  stump,  or  cave,  or  gorge  in  the  forest  in  the  neigh- 


290 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


borhood  of  the  home  of  the  family  were  exhibited  as  human 
bones,  and  as  the  bones  of  her  who  had  so  mysteriously  disap- 
peared;  the  excitement  was  intense,  especially  among  the  Church 
members;  soon  he  was  arrested  and  bound  over  to  appear  at  the 
Court-house  of   Jefferson  County  before  the  proper  court  to 
answer  to  the  charge  and  for  the  crime  of  uxoricide;  with  his 
witnesses  he  appeared  in  the  town  of  Elyton,  according  to  his 
bond,  to  answer  the  finding  of  th©  grand  jury  in  the  case,  but 
after  all  the  sensation,  excitement,  and  preliminary  proceedings 
in   legal  prosecution   the   case  never  reached  the  ordeal,  the 
grandjury  never  made  a  bill  of  indictment,  and  the  man  of  the 
missing  wife  went  free.    In  the  course  of  time  a  report  was  added 
to  the  case  which  perpetuated  th©  sensation,  and  added  another 
theory  to  the  one  of  uxoricide  as  a  solution  of  the  mystery.     It 
was  reported  that  a  man  who  moved  from  Murphree's  Valley,  Ala- 
bama, to  Texas,  and  who  knew  the  Eev.  Isaac  Taylor  and  his  wife 
intimately  in  Alabama,  was  one  day  in  a  store  in  a  town  in  which 
he  traded  in  Texas,  and  a  man  and  woman  walked  into  the  store 
and  when  he  caught  the  sight  of  the  woman  looking  her  full  in 
the  face  he  recognized  her  as  the  missing  wife  of  the  Kev.  Isaac 
Taylor,  and  he  saw  that  she  recognized  him.     Without  speaking 
a  word  she  and  the  man  with  her,  immediately  retired  from  the 
store,  and  disappeared.     Then  the  theory  which  solved  the  mys- 
tery was  elopement;  a  story  was  now  added  to  the  case  which 
described  her  departure  with  some  man  who  had  resided  near 
her  home  but  in  Blount  County,  going  through  the  obscure  re- 
gions and  mountain  fastnesses  of  Alabama  along  some  deserted 
Indian  trail  until  beyond  where  she  was  known,  and  on  by  New 
Orleans  and  out  into  the  Kepublic  of  Texas:  the  story  ran  that 
she  was  disguised  by  dressing  in  man's  attire.     That  was  the 
last  story  in  the  mysterious  affair.     Her  oldest  child,  who  was 
eleven  years  old  at  the  time  of  her  disappearance,  recollects  the 
last  day  she  was  at  home.     He  recollects  that  on  that  day  he  and 
his  mother  were  in  the  field  dropping  corn,  and  that  his  mother 
went  to  the  house  to  nurse  the  baby  and  that  he  went  with  her, 
and  he  recollects  that  while  she  was  nursing  the  baby  he  saw  a 
sad  expression  cover  his  mother's  face;  that  night  he  went  to 
bed,  and  next  morning  he  was  awakened  by  his  father's  voice 
calling  his  mother  as  though  she  were  missing:  she  never  an- 
swered, she  never  returned.     The  day  which  will  reveal  all  se- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work, 


291 


crets  will  reveal  the  secrets  and  explain  the  mysteries  of  that 
-case. 

That  occurrence  crippled  the  influence  of  the  Eev.  Isaac  Tay- 
lor, and  damaged  Methodism  in  the  country  where  it  was  known, 
though  the  conviction  was  established  that  he  was  an  innocent 
man.  He  retained  his  ministry,  and  maintained  the  faith,  and 
died  exulting  in  the  consolation  of  the  gospel. 

Harris  Taylor  was  the  first  class  leader  at  Shiloh,  was  only  twen- 
ty years  old  when  appointed  to  that  oflice.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  Jones's  Valley  Circuit 
upon  a  recommendation  from  the  Society  at  Shiloh  in  1829.  He 
moved  to  Benton  County,  now  called  Calhoun,  where  he  died. 
He  was  buried  in  the  graveyard  at  the  Methodist  Church  at  the 
town  of  Alexandria.  He  was  exceedingly  popular  through  Benton 
and  Talladega  Counties.  The  following  is  copied  from  a  large 
marble  slab  placed  by  his  friends  on  his  grave:  "Rev.  Harris 
Taylor  died  August  22, 1852,  in  his  forty-sixth  year.  As  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  he  was  one  of  the  most  faithful  and  talented 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  Bold  in 
preaching  Bible  truth,  able  in  its  defense,  yet  humble  in  mind, 
meek  and  quiet  in  spirit;  a  worthy  citizen,  a  good  neighbor,  an 
affectionate  husband,  a  kind  father,  a  humane  master,  and  a 
faithful  friend;  one  who  practiced  religion  in  life,  and  enjoyed 
its  happy  effects  in  death.  All  that  knew  him  reverenced  and 
loved  him." 

The  Eev.  Walter  Houston  McDaniel  preached  the  funeral  of 
the  Eev.  Harris  Taylor  at  a  Camp-ground  near  the  town  of  Al- 
exandria. In  the  sermon  he  pronounced  a  very  high,  not  to  say 
extravagant,  eulogy  on  Taylor.  He  said:  "As  far  as  the  eagle, 
which  sits  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain  and  soars  above  the 
clouds  excels  the  wren  which  sits  on  the  housetop,  so  far  did 
Taylor  excel  in  greatness,  wisdom,  and  oratory  Webster,  Clay, 
and  Calhoun.  Taylor  lived  on  earth  and  communed  with  men 
and  communed  with  God,  he  lived  on  earth  and  had  a  home  in 
heaven."  At  that  point  in  the  eulogy  the  audience  broke  out  in 
a  wild  burst  of  shouting,  and  a  singular  light  broke  forth  above 
the  altar. 

Beyond  doubt  the  four  sons  of  George  Taylor  were  men  of 
extraordinary  gifts  and  power,  and  it  is  equally  certain  that 
God's  ear  was  attent  unto  the  prayer  which  the  Eev.  James  Ax- 


292 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


ley  made  for  them  at  their  baptism,  and  in  answer  to  that  prayer 
the  Lord  God  remembered  them  for  good,  and  upon  them  put 
his  blessing  forever,  and  with  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  they 
were  endowed,  and  extraordinary  manifestations  attended  them. 
Elijah  Self,  who  died  this  year,  1890,  joined  the  Church  at 
Shiloh  the  year  the  Society  was  organized  there,  and  had  his 
membership  there  at  that  one  place  for  sixty-four  years,  and 
during  that  time  was  class  leader  and  local  preacher.  In  1827 
he  married  Catherine  Taylor,  who  was  and  still  is  a  member  at 
Shiloh,  and  the  sister  of  the  Taylors  above  named.  The  Kev. 
Elijah  Self  was  the  father  of  the  Kev.  Nathaniel  H.  Self,  who  for 
long  years  has  been  an  itinerant  preacher  in  Alabama.  The 
Selfs  came  to  the  neighborhood  of  Cedar  Mountain  in  1817. 

In  1819,  before  Jefferson  County  was  established  and  before 
the  town  of  Elyton  was  ever  thought  of,  the  Eev.  James  Tarrant, 
who  was  born  in  the  Colony  of  Virginia,  and  who  was  a  Captain 
in  the  service  of  the  United  Colonies  in  the  war  for  independence, 
and  who  lived  awhile  in  South  Carolina,  and  who  possessed  deep 
piety  and  fixed  religious  principles,  settled  on  a  creek  in  Ala^ 
bama,  about  eight  miles  west  of  the  present  city  of  Birming- 
ham and  about  four  miles  from  the  old  town  of  Jonesboro.  He 
brought  with  him  to  his  new  home  in  Alabama  a  young  negro 
whose  name  was  Adam,  and  who  was  noted  for  his  religious  ex- 
cellence. In  1820  the  Kev.  James  Tarrant  caused  to  be  erected 
near  his  residence  a  house  for  divine  worship.  That  house  of 
worship  was  made  of  logs,  and  the  logs  out  of  which  it  was  made 
were  cut  and  hauled  by  Adam,  the  negro,  the  slave.  That  house 
of  worship  was  named  Bethlehem.  Till  this  present  time,  1890, 
it  is  known  as  Bethlehem,  and  a  preaching  place  is  still  main- 
tained there  with  a  flourishing  Society,  a  frame  building  havings 
superseded  the  log  house. 

The  Kev.  James  Tarrant  died  in  the  thirties,  afhis  home,  and 
was  buried  on  his  own  premises,  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
Bethlehem  church;  and  Adam,  the  negi-o,  died  in  the  eighties. 
The  master  and  the  slave  were  both  good  men,  true  Methodists^ 
and  useful  Christians.  Some  time  before  Adam  died  he  said  to  a 
friend  and  brother  who  had  known  him  long  and  well:  "For 
sixty  years  I  have  not  told  an  untruth,  and  for  forty  years  a  drop 
of  liquor  has  not  gone  in  my  mouth."  There  was  a  noble  ex- 
ample of  integrity  and  of  sobriety. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work, 


293 


William  Saddler  and  his  wife  Nancy  Saddler  lived  near  Beth- 
lehem and  held  their  membership  there.  It  is  said  that  Mrs. 
Martha  Rutledge,  a  member  at  that  place,  was  the  first  person 
ever  buried  at  Bethlehem.  From  the  first,  Bethlehem  was  one 
of  the  centers  of  Methodism,  and  there  Camp-meetings  were  held, 
and  the  Methodist  hosts  of  the  surrounding  country  assembled. 
Grand  times  were  witnessed  at  that  place. 

There  were  many  worthy  members  at  Bethlehem  at  the  first, 
many  worthy  of  mention,  among  them  the  Browns,  but  of  all 
the  men  of  Jones's  Valley  Circuit  and  of  Bethlehem  Society, 
there  was  not  one  more  honest,  true,  clean,  and  worthy  than 
James  Kutledge.  He  was  in  the  country  among  the  first.  For 
many  years  he  was  class  leader  and  steward  at  Bethlehem,  and 
he  did  much  to  advance  the  spirituality  of  the  membership,  and 
to  support  the  temporal  interests  of  the  Society.  His  descend- 
ants are  still  there. 

Bethel  was  at  or  near  Nabor's  Spring  on  the  HuntsviUe  or 
Tennessee  road,  and  about  seven  miles  north-east  of  the  town  of 
Elyton.  That  Church  was  organized  before  1825,  and  a  Camp- 
ground  which  was  kept  up  many,  many  years  was  established 
there  in  the  beginning.  Bethel  was  one  of  the  largest  and 
strongest  Societies  in  the  county  of  Jefferson,  and  it  continued 
and  flourished  until  the  Federal  soldiers  burnt  the  house  of  wor- 
ship during  the  war  between  the  States.  Edley  Hamilton  and 
his  wife  Jane  Hamilton  were  pillars  in  the  Church  at  Bethel. 
John  Hewitt  and  John  Burford  were  there,  and  Vanzant  was  a 
name  there  not  to  be  forgotten. 

Lebanon  was  about  six  miles  north-east  of  Blountsville,  and 
it  has  been  claimed  that  it  was  at  Lebanon  that  the  Kev.  Ebe- 
nezer  Hearn  preached  his  first  sermon  south  of  the  Tennessee 
Valley  but  Mr.  Hearn  in  his  written  Journal  now  in  hand  says 
that  at  Bearmeat  Cabin  he  preached  his  first  sermon  as  a  Mis- 
sionary. Lebanon,  now,  in  1890,  is  still  in  existence  as  a  preach- 
ing  place,  with  a  pretty  good  Society. 

At  the  close  of  1823  there  were  in  the  Jones  s  Valley  Circuit 
five  hundred  and  twenty-five  white  and  twenty-six  colored  mem- 
bers and  at  the  close  of  1832  there  were  in  the  territory  at  first 
embraced  in  that  Circuit  seven  hundred  and  eighty  white  and 
one  hundred  and  sixteen  colored  members.  That  was  not  a  large 
increase  for  a  decade  of  years.     Many  of  the  members  were  un- 


294: 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabajna. 


cultured,  untrained,  and  unstable.  Some  years  marked  an  in- 
crease and  some  years  a  decrease.  There  was  fluctuation,  like 
the  tide  they  would  flow  in  and  then  flow  out.  The  largest  num- 
ber of  white  members  reported  any  year  during  the  decade  was 
at  the  close  of  1826,  when  there  were  eight  hundred  and  fifty- 
three.  The  largest  number  of  colored  members  during  the  dec- 
ade was  at  the  close  of  1831,  when  there  were  two  hundred  and 
fifty-eight. 

The  preachers  on  the  Jones's  Valley  Circuit  were:  1823,  Francis 
R  Cheatham,  Daniel  McLeod;  1824,  Marcus  C.  Henderson,  John 
Collier;  1825,  Edmond  Pearson,  Thomas  Burpo;  1826,  John  Pat- 
ton,  Orsamus  L.  Nash;  1827,  Thomas  E.  Ledbetter,  Isaac  V. 
Enochs;  1828,  Benjamin  A.  Houghton,  LeKoy  Masseugale;  1829, 
Kichard  Pipkin,  Benjamin  B.  Smith;  1830,  Joseph  McDowell, 
Francis  Jones;  1831,  Jesse  Ellis,  Cornelius  McLeod;  1832,  John 
Cotton,  Lanson  Jones. 

The  Lawrence  Circuit,  which  embraced  a  part  of  Lawrence 
County  and  all  of  Morgan  County,  first  appeared  for  1824 

In  the  latter  part  of  1818,  and  a  few  days  after  the  Cotaco  Cir- 
cuit had  for  the  first  time   been   announced  among   the    ap- 
pointments of  the  Tennessee  Conference,  the  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Hearn,  in  going  south,  passed  through  Gandy's  Cove,  which  is 
in  the  southern   part  of  Morgan  County,  it  was  then  Cotaco 
County,  and  he  called  together  a  few  of   the  settlers  in  that 
Cove,  and    the    afternoon  of  the  day  preached   them    a  ser- 
mon.    After  spending  the  night  in  a  one-room  cabin,  with  two 
old  folks,  a  man  and  his  wife,  Hearn  moved  on  to  his  destina- 
tion.    From  that  day  the  Methodists  have  had  preaching  in  that 
Cove,  and  there  in  the  beginning  of  the  work  a  log  house,  which 
stood  for  a  long  time,  was  erected,  and  was  known  as  Gandy's 
Cove  Meeting  House.     It  was  one  of  the  appointments  of  the 
Lawrence  Circuit.     Familiar  names  in  the  membership  of  that 
Society  were:  Bain,  Cook,  Gandy,  Key,  McGlathory  andTurney. 
In  the  time  of  the  very  first  preaching  in  that  country  a  So- 
ciety was  established  at  Center  Springs,  which  was  some  five  to 
seven  miles  north-east,  perhaps,  from  Somerville,  and  till  this 
time,  1890,  that  Society  continues.     A  log  house  was  built  and  a 
Camp-ground  was  established  there  in  the  beginning.     Large 
assemblies  have  often  met  there  at  Camp-meetings,  and  scores 
have  been  adopted  into  the  heavenly  family  on  that  sacred  spot 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         295 

Among  the  original  members  of  that  Society  were  the  names  of 
Blackwell,  Maxwell,  Reed,  Sharp,  and  Troup.  About  1832  the 
names  of  Garrison  and  Lyle  were  found  on  the  Register  of  that 
Society.     That  was  one  of  the  prominent  places  in  the  Lawrence 

Circuit. 

A  church,  made  of  logs  and  with  twelve  corners  to  it,  was 
erected  at  an  early  day  on  the  mountain  eight  or  ten  miles  west 
of  Somerville.  It  was  known  as  the  Twelve  Corner  Meeting 
House,  taking  its  name  from  its  peculiar  structure.  McClana- 
han,  Price,  Strain,  and  Thompson  were  names  prominent  in  the 
early  membership  of  that  Society,  and  it  was  one  of  the  leading 
places  on  the  Lawrence  Circuit. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  A.  Strain,  who  was  received  on  trial  in  the 
Tennessee  Conference  in  the  latter  part  of  1823,  and  who  was 
received  into  full  connection  in  the  Conference,  and  ordained 
deacon,  and  located  in  November,  1825,  and  who  was  re-admitted 
to  the  Tennessee  Conference  in  November,  1827,  and  who  again 
located  in  December,  1828,  and  who  was  ever  after  till  his  death 
a  local  preacher,  and  who  for  1824  was  on  the  Madison  Circuit, 
and  who  was  the  other  two  years  of  his  itinerant  ministry,  the 
years  1825  and  1828,  on  the  Lawrence  Circuit,  lived  through  the 
years  of  his  local  ministry  in  the  bounds  of  the  Lawrence  Cir- 
cuit and  in  the  neighborhood  of  Twelve  Corners,  and  held  his 
membership  in  the  Society  at  that  place.  He  was  a  man  of  deep 
piety,  of  extraordinary  endowments,  and  in  pulpit  power  and 
efiiciency  he  was  without  a  peer  in  all  the  country  in  which  he 
resided  and  preached. 

One  of  the  very  first  Churches  organized  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Lawrence  Circuit,  and  organized  before  the  Lawrence  Circuit  was 
ever  named,  was  in  Lawrence  County,  and  was  near  where,  after 
it  was  organized,  there  sprang  up  a  village  called  Oakville,  and 
which  was  in  Section  sixteen,  Township  seven.  Range  nine.  The 
Meeting  House,  like  all  the  houses  for  religious  worship  first  built 
in  the  country,  was  built  of  logs.  There  was  a  Camp-ground  at 
the  place.  The  old  church  near  Oakville  produced  a  number  of 
men  and  women  of  piety  and  talents. 

One  individual  who  was  among  the  first  members  of  that  So- 
ciety may  be  mentioned  here.  Sallie  Reedy,  whose  parents 
were  from  North  Carolina,  and  who  was  born  in  Madison 
County,  Alabama,  during  the  first  decade  of  this  century,  and 


296 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


who,  when  a  girl  scarcely  in  her  teens,  living  in  Morgan  Coun- 
ty, then  called  Cotaco  County,  was,  under  the  ministry  of  the 
Eev.  Thomas  Madden,  inducted  into  a  genuine  Christian  ex- 
perience, was  a  member  at  the  Log  Meeting  House  near  where 
sprang  up  the  village  of  Oakville.  About  the  time  she  reached 
womanhood  she  married  Captain  James  Barbee,  who  was  a 
United  States  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Eight  children  were 
the  product  of  this  marriage,  three  daughters  and  five  sons. 
Four  of  the  sons  were  called  to  the  high  vocation  of  Christian 
ministers.  James  D.  Barbee,  now,  1890,  a  member  of  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference,  and  a  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  the  Agent  of 
the  Publishing  House  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  is  one  of  the  sons,  and  the  Eev.  S.  W.  Barbee,  now, 
1890;  a  member  of  the  Montana  Conference,  is  another  one  of  the 
sous.  Captain  Barbee  never  made  any  profession  of  religion, 
and  was,  so  far  as  is  known,  without  any  religious  creed.  The 
wife  was  a  devout,  cheerful,  and  hopeful  Christian.  She  was 
a  woman  of  strong  faith.  She  had  a  clear  apprehension  of  the 
dispensations  of  grace  and  providence.  She  was  rich  in  grace, 
though  she  and  her  family  were  poor  in  this  world's  goods. 
One  of  her  neighbors  who  had  neglected  the  mental  culture 
and  religious  training  of  his  children,  and  who  had  lived  with- 
out the  fear  and  worship  of  God,  and  who  drove  and  worked 
everybody  and  everything  about  him  for  the  accumulation  of 
wealth,  and  who  had  succeeded  in  possessing  himself  of  *'  miles 
of  land,  scores  of  slaves,  and  coffers  laden  with  gold,"  and  who 
was  far  on  the  last  decline  of  life,  said  to  her:  "Mrs.  Barbee, 
we  have  lived  neighbors  for  a  long  time,  and  each  of  us  has 
brought  up  a  large  family  of  children.  I  have  given  my  attention 
and  labor  to  the  making  of  money,  while  you  have  looked  after 
the  religious  education  of  your  children.  I  have  outstripped 
you  in  money  making,  but  you  have  achieved  a  success  of  which 
any  mother  may  well  be  proud.  I  acknowledge  my  mistake." 
The  acknowledgment  could  not  correct  the  mistake.  **  There 
is  that  maketh  himself  rich,  yet  hath  nothing;  there  is  that 
maketh  himself  poor,  yet  hath  great  riches." 

When  Mrs.  Sallie  Barbee  found  that  her  sons  were  called  by 
God  to  the  sacred  office  of  the  ministry  her  soul  was  filled  with 
a  special  ecstasy.  When,  too  infirm  to  follow  the  active  duties 
of  life,  she  waited  on  the  shore  for  exit  to  her  home  in  the 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         297 


skies  she  consecrated  her  children  every  day  to  God  in  prayer. 
Her  work  is  perpetuated  in  her  children.  They  are  to  her  a 
crown  and  an  honor. 

Miss  Polly  Eeedy,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Barbee,  married  Mr.  Elry 
West,  and  she  and  her  husband  were  members  of  the  Society 
near  Oakville.  J.  B.  West,  now,  1890,  a  Doctor  of  Divinity, 
and  a  member  of  the  Tennessee  Conference,  is  the  son  of  Mrs. 
Polly  and  Mr.  Elry  West  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Elry  West  was  a 
man  of  strictest  honesty.  That  he  might  be  sure  not  to  obtain 
an  article  for  less  than  its  real  value  he  would  never  purchase 

anything  at  auction. 

In  the  famous  Crowd-about  Yalley  a  Society  was  organized 
as  early  as  the  Lawrence  Circuit,  and  there  were  in  that  valley 
families  who  made  the  membership  of  that  Society  by  the 
name  of  Clark,  Dickens,  Freeman,  Hewlett,  and  Turrentine. 
Men  of  prominence  and  eminence  sprang  from  the  Society. 

Chestnut  Grove  was  one  of  the  earliest  plants  of  Methodism 
in  Morgan  County.  Lile,  Miner,  Kimble,  Johnson,  Stephenson, 
and  Grizzard  were  familiar  names,  and  Sikes  and  Crompton 
were  men  of  education,  property,  devotion,  and  influence. 

Wolf  Town,  in  Lawrence  County,  was  an  old  center  of 
Methodism  established  as  early  as  1830.  There  the  Putmans 
held  their  membership.     The  Putman  family  was  a  family  of 

preachers. 

The  first  regular  Methodist  preaching  in  the  town  of  Deca- 
tur, in  Morgan  County,  on  the  Tennessee  Eiver,  was  done  by 
the  Eev.  Alexander  Sale  and  the  Eev.  John  B.  McFerrin  in 
the  year  1827,  and  for  years  it  was  an  appointment  in  the 
Lawrence  Circuit. 

Summer  Seat  Camp-ground,  five  or  six  miles  from  Decatur, 
and  near  the  present  town  of  Trinity,  was  established  in  1827, 
and  was  one  of  the  famous  Camp-grounds  in  the  bounds  of  the 

Lawrence  Circuit. 

In  March,  1830,  C.  A.  Welch,  from  Kentucky,  settled  in 
Somerville,  the  seat  of  justice  of  Morgan  County,  since  the 
county  was  made,  and  of  Cataco  before  it  was  Morgan.  Up  to 
that  time  there  had  never  been  a  Methodist  Society  in  the  town. 
Immediately  upon  the  coming  of  Brother  Welch,  the  Eev. 
Elisha  J.  Dodson,  then  the  preacher  in  charge  of  Lawrence 
Circuit,  with  F.  G.  Ferguson  as  junior  preacher,  established  a 


298 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


preaching  place  and  organized  a  Society  at  Somerville.  They 
preached  and  worshiped  in  the  Court-house.  C.  A.  Welch, 
Eliza  Welch,  John  T.  Eather,  Tunstill  Banks,  John  P.  Mosely, 
afterward  a  local  preacher,  Robert  Francis,  and  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Martha  T.  Goff,  and  Rachel  Campbell,  were  the  members  of 
the  Society  organized  at  first  in  Somerville. 

There  were  other  preaching  places  on  the  Lawrence  Circuit 
previous  to  1832.  Notwithstanding  much  of  the  country  in  the 
Lawrence  Circuit  was  rugged  and  full  of  mountains,  it  was  a 
desirable  region,  and  a  good  work.  It  had  a  large  membership, 
and  less  fluctuation  in  the  number  than  almost  any  Circuit  in 
the  same  region  of  country.  At  the  close  of  the  first  year  after 
it  was  set  off  from  the  Franklin  Circuit  it  reported  five  hundred 
and  fifty-two  white  and  sixty  colored  members,  and  the  smallest 
number  that  was  reported  on  it  any  year  to  the  close  of  1832 
was  five  hundred  and  thirty-three  white  and  fifty  colored  mem- 
bers. At  the  close  of  1832  it  had  six  hundred  and  fifty-three 
white  and  eighty-nine  colored  members.  There  was  never  any 
general  liberality  on  the  Circuit  in  supporting  the  gospel,  ex- 
cept in  maintaining  Camp-meetings. 

The  preachers  appointed  to  the  Lawrence  Circuit  for  1824 
were  Daniel  De  Yinne,  and  Thomas  Burpo.  The  Rev.  Daniel 
De  Vinne  did  not  serve  that  Circuit  more  than  three  months. 
He  went  to  the  General  Conference  which  met  at  Baltimore, 
May  1,  1824,  and  was  transferred  to  the  New  York  Conference, 
and  at  its  session  which  met  June  1,  1824,  was  appointed  to 
Sullivan  Circuit,  in  the  State  of  New  York.  At  a  session  of  the 
Mississippi  Conference  held  at  the  town  of  AVashington,  Mis- 
sissippi, beginning  November  17,  1819,  the  Rev.  Daniel  De 
Yinne  was  received  into  the  Conference  on  trial,  and  he  was 
the  only  one  received  on  trial  at  that  session.  At  another  ses- 
sion of  the  Mississippi  Conference  held  at  the  same  place,  be- 
ginning December  7,  1821,  he  was  received  into  full  connection 
and  ordained  deacon;  and  at  still  another  session  of  that  Con- 
ference held  at  Natchez,  Mississippi,  beginning  December  25, 
1823,  he  was  ordained  an  elder.  For  1820  and  1821  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Attakapas  Circuit  in  the  Louisiana  District,  and 
for  1822  he  was  on  the  Amite  Circuit,  and  for  1823  on  the 
Claiborne  Circuit  in  the  Mississippi  District.  At  the  end  of 
his  work  on  the   Lawrence   Circuit,  which  closed,  as  above 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         299 


stated,  about  the  end  of  March,  1824,  having  done  hard  work  on 
all  his  appointments  in  the  Mississippi  Conference,  he  left  for 
the  State  of  New  York,  by  way  of  the  General  Conference  at 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  made  the  whole  trip  of  more  than 
two  thousand  miles  on  horseback.  He  got  out  of  the  woods  and 
away  from  the  frontier. 

While  an  infant,  his  parents  brought  him  to  America  from 
Ireland,  where  he  was  born  February  1, 1793.     He  was  converted 
in  the  city  of  Albany,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  January  2, 
1810,  and  five  days  thereafter  joined  his  destinies  with  the 
Methodists.    Swayed  by  a  holy  passion,  impelled  by  impulse,  and 
fired  with  the  Missionary  zeal,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  leaving 
the  State  which  had  nourished  him  from  the  cradle  to  man- 
hood, and  of  going,  in  person,  to  the  people  on  the  lower  Missis- 
sippi River,  to  devote  himself  to  their  welfare  in  laboring  for 
their  salvation.     Prompted  by  the  impulse  and  following  the 
idea  he  left  the  State  of  New  York  in  1818,  and  made  his  way 
to  Louisiana,  where,  applying  himself  to  the  first  thing  which 
came  to  hand  in  his  line,  he  commenced  his  work  by  organizing 
a  Sunday-school  among  the  African  slaves  which  were  found  m 
that  section  of  the  United  States.     Impediments  in  the  way  of 
that  work  soon  appeared,  and  abandoning  his  chosen  occupa- 
tion and  leaving  his  selected  place  of  operation  he  made  his 
way  to  another  point  of  the  country.     For  the  time  being,  he 
labored,  as  best  he  could,  in  the  work  of  religion.     He  was,  in  the 
midst  of  the  passing  events,  licensed  to  preach  in  that  country 
where  the  Mississippi  River  washes  the  shores  of  Louisiana  and 
Mississippi  States,  in  the  year  1819.     He  was  received  into  the 
Mississippi  Conference  and  clothed  with  the  functions  of  the  •. 
ministry  as  elsewhere  stated.    In  the  land  in  which  he  com- 
menced  his  itinerant  career  he  did  a  vast  amount  of  hard  work. 
He  rode  long  distances,  braved  numerous  dangers,  endured 
hard  fare    preached  incessantly,  and  received  poor  pay.     He 
was  uncompromisingly  opposed  to  slavery,  to  African  slavery 
as  it  existed  in  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  and  Alabama.     His  sen- 
timents  on  that  subject  were  antagonistic  to  the  sentiments  of 
the  people  of  those  States,  and  among  whom  he  had  cast  his 
lot  and  in  the  interest  of  whom  he  had  purposed  to  work.     Im- 
pelled  by  the  same  impulses  which  had  moved  him  in  the  past, 
he  finally,  as  stated  on  another  page,  returned  to  the  State  . 


300 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


which  had  nourished  him  in  his  infancy,  childhood,  and  youth. 
He  was  a  single  man  while  in  the  sunny  South.  He  married 
after  his  return  to  New  York.  After  a  long  life  and  a  noble 
career  his  body  rests  in  the  soil  of  the  State  wherein  he  grew 
to  manhood.  He  died  in  Morrisania,  New  York,  February  10, 
1883.  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  and  Alabama,  where  he  entered 
upon  his  ministerial  career  and  where  he  worked  so  faithfully, 
have  an  interest  in  the  Kev.  Daniel  De  Vinne,  cherish  his 
memory,  and  acknowledge  the  debt  of  gratitude  due  to  him 
from  them. 

Here  may  be  recited  a  single  incident  as  it  will  indicate  what 
was  the  state  of  the  country  and  what  were  the  habits  of  the 
pious  down  South  at  the  time  the  Rev.  Daniel  De  Vinne  was 
exercising  his  ministry  therein.     On  the  adjoinment  sine  die  of 
the  session  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  held  at  John  Mc- 
Rea's,  on  Chickasawhay  River,  beginning  December  5,  1822, 
the  preachers  left  in  groups,  going  to  their  appointments  in 
different  directions.     One  group  of  ten  or  more  preachers,  with 
one  fair  and  beautiful  bride,  the  wife  of  one  of  the  preachers, 
all  mounted  on  horseback,  set  off  from  the  seat  of  the  Confer- 
ence westward.     The  country  over  which  they  were  to  pass  be- 
tween John  McRae's  Meeting  House  on  the  Chickasawhay  and 
the   Midway   Meeting  House   west  of  the    Amite   River  was 
mostly  wild  and  drear.     It  took  that  company  four  of  those 
December  days  to  make  the  trip.     The  second  night  out  on  the 
journey  the  ten  or  more  preachers  and  the  one  bride  occupied 
one  small  room  of  the  double  cabin  of  a  cattle  tender.     In  that 
small  room,  where  was  quartered,  for  the  night,  that  itinerant 
company,  there  was  only  one  bed,  and  it  a  very  scanty  affair. 
The  third  night  was  spent  in  a  settlement  on  the  Tangipahoa 
River.     The  company  had  dwindled  to  seven  preachers  and  the 
bride.     They  divided  out  into  two  companies  of  four  each,  and 
put  up  for  the  night  each   company  at  a  house.      The  Rev. 
Daniel  De  Vinne,  the  Rev.  William  Winans,  the  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Hearn,  and  his  bride  stopped  at  one  house.     After  the  baggage 
was  deposited  and  the  horses  were  provided  for,    De  Vinne, 
Winans,  and  Hearn,  in  the  twilight  of  the  evening,  went  to  the 
grove  as  the  most  suitable  place  they  could  obtain  in  which  to 
offer  their  evening  prayers  and  engage  in  their  secret  devo- 
tions.    Near  an  old  road,  which  had  fallen  into  disuse,  they 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.  301 


found,  as  they  supposed,  the  conditions  adequate  to  the  retire- 
ment which  they  desired,  and  separating  a  little  way  from  each 
other  they  got  them  down  in  a  worshiping  posture  and  com- 
posed themselves  for  the  service  which  was  to  please  the  divine 
Master  and  improve  their  own  graces.     They  had  not  more 
than  commenced  their  silent  prayers  when  they  were  very  un- 
ceremoniously interrupted.     A  man  on  horseback,  proceeding 
along  the  old  abandoned  road,  came  unexpectedly  upon  them. 
The  horseman  espied  De  Vinne  a  little  way  from  the  road  in 
his  attitude  of  devotion,  and  in  a  hurried,  a  tremulous,  and  an 
excited  tone  which  indicated  great  consternation,  he  exclaimed: 
"Whoa!"  and  he  immediately  asked:    "What  are  you  doing 
there?"     Winans,  who  was  in  a  different  direction  a  short  dis- 
tance from  De  Vinne,  and  who  seemed  to  be  in  a  communica- 
tive mood,  and  in  the  spirit  of  imparting  information,  answered 
the  man's  inquiry,  and  said:  "We  are  offering  prayers."     The 
frightened  horseman,  not  nnderstanding  the  announcement  made 
by  Winans,  inquired:  "Did  you  say  you  are  hunting  calves?" 
Then  De  Vinne,  in  a  tone  which  indicated  that  his  soul  was 
filled  with  mingled  feelings  of  displeasure  and  commiseration, 
addressed  the   man  this  inquiry:    "Did   you    never  see   any 
one  pray?"     To   that  interrogatory   the   frightened  man  an- 
swered: "Never  in   that  fix,"  and  then,   quickly  reining  his 
horse  round,  and   with  masculine  vigor  applying  to  him  the 
whip,  he  galloped  down  the  old  road  at  full  speed  the  way  from 
which  he  came,  as  if  flying   from  impending  danger,  leaving 
the  disturbed  preachers  to  regain  their  repose  and  continue 
their  devotions  as  best  they  could.     The  religious  had  been 
turned  into  the  ridiculous,  and  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  to 
be  sweet,  reverent,  and  devotional  under  such  circumstances. 

The  preachers  on  the  Lawrence  Circuit  were:  1825,  George 
W.  Morris,  Thomas  A.  Strain;  1826,  Barton  Brown,  Benjamin 
S.  Clardy;  1827,  Alexander  Sale,  John  B.  McFerrin;  1828, 
Thomas  A.  Strain,  George  W.  Bewley;  1829,  Ambrose  F.  Dris- 
kill,  Elisha  J.  Dodson;  1830,  Elisha  J.  Dodson,  Frederick  G. 
Ferguson;  1831,  George  W.  Morris,  Robert  Gregory;  1832, 
George  W.  Morris,  Robert  C.  Jones. 

The  New  River  Circuit  first  appeared  in  the  list  of  the  ap- 
pointments for  1824  It  was  organized  just  one  year  before 
the   county   of   Fayette,   Alabama,   was   established,  and   the 


302 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


principal  part  of  the  Circuit  lay  in  what  constituted  that  county 
when  it  was  tirst  established,  though  the  Circuit  extended  some- 
what into  the  counties  adjoining  to  Fayette  County,  and  the 
Circuit  possibly  may  have  had  a  few  appointments  in  the  State 
of  Mississippi.  The  Territory  occupied  by  the  New  Kiver  Cir- 
cuit had  formerly  been  in  the  Marion  Circuit. 

The  preachers  on  the  New  River  Circuit  were:  1824,  John  G. 
Lee,  Daniel  H.  Williams;  1825,  John  Collier,  Thomas  S.  Aber- 
nathy;  1826,  Eugene  V.  Le  Yert,  Henry  J.  Brown;  1827, 
Thomas  Burpo;  1828,  Thomas  E.  Ledbetter,  John  Collier; 
1829,  Henry  J.  Brown;  1830,  Nathan  Hopkins,  Benjamin  B. 
Smith;  1831,  Mark  Westmoreland;  1832,  Griffin  E.  Christopher, 
Sidney  S.  Squires. 

The  New  Eiver  Circuit  was  the  last  appointment  to  which 
the  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Ledbetter  was  assigned  by  the  Conference 
in  Alabama,  but  there  are  indications  that  he  did  not  serve  that 
work,  but  that  for  the  year  he  was  assigned  to  it,  the  year  1828, 
he  lived  in  Tuskaloosa,  and  had  charge  of  Tuskaloosa  Station 
and  the  Methodist  interests  of  that  town  that  year,  and  that 
notwithstanding  the  Rev.  William  Spruill  was  read  out  to  that 
Station  for  that  year.  The  following  communications  are  au- 
thority for  the  view  here  expressed: 

"  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  August  5,  1828. 

"To  the  Editors  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal. 

"Dear  Brethren:  Religion  is  spreading  its  happy  influence  over 
some  part  of  the  State,  to  a  considerable  extent.  I  attended  a 
Quarterly  Meeting  about  thirty  miles  distant  from  this  place, 
some  five  days  since,  where  six  professed  to  have  obtained  re- 
ligion, and  about  ten  or  twelve  more  appeared  to  be  earnestly 
seeking  its  enjoyment.  I  also  attended  a  Camp-meeting  the 
week  following  in  Monroe  County,  Mississippi,  where  I  beheld 
some  signal  evidences  of  God's  mercy  and  love,  in  the  reclaim- 
ing of  blacksliders,  and  the  conversion  of  unregenerate  persons. 

*'  In  Tuskaloosa  we  have,^I  think,  some  omen  of  a  revival.  The 
members  of  the  Society  appear  to  be  generally  much  engaged, 
and  great  peace  and  love  dwell  among  us.  The  congregations 
are  large,  serious,  and  attentive.        Thomas  E.  Ledbetter." 

"  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  October  1,  1828. 

"To  the  Editors  of  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal. 

"Dear  Brethren:  The  Sims  Female  Academy,  in  Tuskaloosa, 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         303 


Alabama,  is  just  finished.  It  is  situated  in  an  eligible  part  of 
the  town,  and  from  the  health  of  the  inhabitants  (a  population 
between  2,000  and  3,000)  the  past  year,  it  may  be  considered 
healthy.  There  is  a*commodious  building  with  six  rooms,  two 
of  them  quite  spacious,  one  in  the  upper  story  and  the  other  in 
the  lower,  for  the  academical  exercises.  The  other  part  of  the 
building  is  intended  for  the  accommodation  of  the  students  that 
may  wish  to  board  within  the  institution.  The  Trustees  wish, 
through  the  medium  of  your  paper,  to  open  a  door  for  the  ap- 
plication of  a  suitable  governess  to  take  charge  of  the  institu- 
tion. We  want  a  lady  well  qualified  to  teach  the  several  branches 
of  female  literature.  Any  person  feeling  adequate  to  take 
charge  of  the  academy,  can  apply  by  stating  her  mode  of  con- 
ducting a  school,  and  various  branches  she  is  capable  of  teach- 
ing, etc. ;  every  attention  will  be  paid  to  such  application  if  di- 
rected to  the  Trustees  of  Sims  Female  Academy. 

Thomas  E.  Ledbetter,  Secretary  Board  of  Trustees." 
Thomas  E.  Ledbetter   came   with    his    father    and   mother, 
Thomas  C.  Ledbetter  and  his  wife,  from  South  Carolina  to  the 
Dutch  Settlement  on  the  Alabama  River,  in  the  State  of  Alaba- 
ma, arriving  there  in  January,  1821.     He  joined  interest  with  a 
farmer  in  Dutch  Bend,  on  his  arrival  there,  and  followed  the 
plow  until  the  latter  part  of  1823.     He  was  licensed  to  preach  on 
the  Alabama  Circuit,  in  Autauga  County,  in  Alabama,  in  1823, 
the  Rev.  Nicholas  Mclntyre  being  the  presiding  elder,  and  the 
Rev.  Joshua  Boucher,  and  the  Rev.  Eugene  V.  Le  Yert  being  the 
preachers  on  the  Circuit  at  the  time;  and  he  was  recommended 
by  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Alabama  Circuit  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi Annual  Conference  as  a  suitable  person  to  be  admitted 
on  trial  in  the  traveling  connection;  and  on  that  recommenda- 
tion he  was  admitted  at  Natchez,  Mississippi,  December  25, 1823. 
His  appointment  for  1824,  the  first  he  had,  was  the  Tombecbee 
Circuit.     At  the  session  of  the  Conference  held  at  Washington, 
Mississippi,  beginning  December  8,  1825,  he  was  admitted  into 
full  connection,  and  ordained  a  deacon.     At  the  session  held  at 
the  same  place,  December  20-27,  1827,  he  was  elected  and  or- 
dained an  elder.     At  the  Conference  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama, 
beginning  December  25,  1828,  he  then  being  in  Tuskaloosa,  in 
charge  of  affairs,  as  stated  above,  Thomas  E.  Ledbetter  located. 
That  ended  his  itinerant  work  in  Alabama.     In  course  of  time 
20 


fe 


304 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


he,  with  his  mother,  returned  to  South  Carolina.  At  the  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference  which  met  at  Lincolnton,  North  Caroli- 
na, January  30,  1833,  he  was  re-admitted  into  the  traveling  con- 
nection by  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  and  in  that  Confer- 
ence he  continued,  on  the  effective  list,  until  January,  1853, 
when  he  located,  and  terminated  his  itinerant  ministry. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Enlakgement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work  of 

Methodism  in  Alabama. 

THE  Mississippi  Conference  met,  according  to' previous  ap- 
pointment, at  Taskaloosa,  Tuskaloosa  County,  Alabama,  De- 
cember 22,  1824.  That  was  the  first  session  of  an  Annual  Con- 
ference ever  held  in  that  town,  and  up  to  that  date  Tuskaloosa 
had  been  one  of  the  appointments  on  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit, 
but  at  the  close  of  that  session  the  list  of  the  appointments  for 
the  year  1825  was  announced  and  the  last  appointment  in  the 
list  was:  Tuskaloosa  Station,  AVilliam  M.  Curtis.  The  town  was 
then  capable  of  entertaining  the  Conference,  and  they  assumed 
the  responsibility  of  supporting  a  preacher  for  themselves,  and 
from  that  time  to  the  present  Tuskaloosa  has  been  a  Station. 

The  Methodists  commenced  preaching  in  Tuskaloosa  in  1818, 
when  there  were  only  a  few  board  shanties  and  one  or  two  log 
cabins  at  the  place. 

Oii  the  morning  of  October  24,  1818,  on  the  east  of  Deep 
Creek,  in  the  south-east  corner  of  the  State  of  Virginia,  there 
was  a'completed  family  outfit  for  a  long,  lonely  journey  to  the 
west.  The  outfit  consisted  of  three  vehicles,  a  carriage,  cart, 
and  wagon,  and  the  horses  necessary  to  draw  them,  and  a  tent 
and  fixtures.  The  family  by  whom  and  for  whom  the  outfit  was 
provided  consisted  of  one  man,  his  wife,  two  children,  the  eldest 
less  than  four  years  old,  and  the  mother-in-law.  So  far  as  is 
now  known,  there  were  none  others  with  that  household.  The 
only  additional  attendant  was  the  much  appreciated  and  ever 
faithful  dog!  Everything  to  be  transported  was  in  the  vehicles 
properly  stored.  About  noon  of  the  day  above  named  that  fam- 
ily with  reins  in  hand  rolled  their  wheels  and  started  for  the 
west.  Passing  over  the  road  which  led  by  Suffolk,  Lyr^chburg, 
Abingdon,  Knoxville,  and  Kingston,  and  through  the  Cherokee 
Indian  Nation,  and  through  Jones's  Yalley,  and  enduring,  by 
the  way,  many  vexations  caused  by  mud  and  mire,  rocks  and 
hills  the  antics  of  unruly  teams,  the  upsetting  of  vehicles,  the 

(305) 


306 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


breaking  of  axles  and  bolts,  hames  and  traces,  tires  and  tongues, 
and  the  fearful  looking  for  of  robberies  and  savage  depreda- 
tions, and  by  scarcity  of  food  for  man  and  beast,  the  emigrant 
family,  on  December  26,  1818,  finally  reached  the  town  of°Tus- 
kaloosa,  in  the  Territory  of  Alabama,  and  there  took  up  abode. 
The  man  at  the  head  of  that  family  and  in  charge  of  its  eifects 
was  the  Rev.  John  Owen,  a  local  elder.     At  Tuskaloosa  he  and 
his  became  members  of  the  first  Methodist  Society  organized  at 
that  place.     That  local  elder,  with  his  family,  reached  Tuska- 
loosa about  the  time  the  Eev.  John  Kesterson,  the  first  preach- 
er appointed  to  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit,  .was  making  his  second 
round  on  that  work.     Owen  has  been  a  familiar  and  honored 
name  on  the  Eegister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Tusjvaloosa  from  the  very  beginning  of  Christianity  in  that  town. 
The  Eev.  John  Owen,  of  whom  mention  is  here  made,  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Tuskaloosa  for  thirty  years, 
having  died  there  in  the  faith,  February  6,  1849.     By  the  close 
of  1820,  his  father  and  mother,  who  were  Methodists,  and  four 
of  his  brothers,  three  of  whom  were  Methodists,  and   two   of 
whom  were  preachers,  had  followed  him  to  Tuskaloosa,  and  had 
become  members  then  of  that  Society.     His  father,  Eichardson 
Owen,  died  in  Tuskaloosa,  July  24,  1821,  and  his  mother,  Sarah 
Owen,  died  in  the  faith,  at  the  residence  of  another  one  of  her 
sons,  Judge   Thomas  Owen,  in  Tuskaloosa,  January  13,  1836, 
having  been  a  member  of  the  Society  in  Tuskaloosa  for  fifteen 
years. 

At  the  session  of  the  Virginia  Conference  held  at  Edmund 
Taylor's,  Caswell  Circuit,  North  Carolina,  March  1,  1805,  these 
three  brothers,  William  Owen,  John  Owen,  and  Eichardson 
Owen,  were  admitted  on  trial  in  the  traveling  connection.  At 
the  close  of  two  years  they  were  all  three  admitted  into  full 
connection  in  the  Conference,  and  ordained  deacons.  At  the 
session  of  the  Virginia  Conference  in  February,  1808,  Eichard- 
son Owen  located.  At  the  session  of  the  Conference  in  Febru- 
ary, 1809,  William  Owen  and  John  Owen  were  ordained  elders. 
In  Feb/uary,  1810,  William  Owen  located,  and  in  February, 
1812,  John  Owen  located.  These  men,  local  preachers,  then 
moved  to  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  and  became  members  and  local 
preachers  there  as  before  detailed.  The  Eev.  William  Owen 
died  May  14,  1845.     The   Eev.  John  Owen  married  Ann  K 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Worh         307 


Sylvester,  September  9,  1813.  He  carried,  as  has  already  been 
stated,  his  mother-in-law,  who  by  second  marriage  had  become 
Mrs.  Frances  Nemmo,  with  him  to  Tuskaloosa.  She  died  m 
great  Christian  peace  in  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa,  January  15, 
1833,  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  her  age,  having  been  fourteen 
years  a  member  of  the  Church  in  Tuskaloosa. 

The  Eev.  John  Owen  was  at  one  time  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  medicine,  but  he  gave  to  it  less  attention  than  to  other  pur- 
suits. He  was  devoted  to  the  cause  of  religion,  and  gave  much 
time  and  attention  to  the  interests  of  the  Church,  preaching  as 
occasion  offered.  He  tented  at  the  Camp-meetings,  which  were 
numerous  in  his  day,  and  with  great  liberality  extended  hospi- 
tality and  entertainment  to  the  multitudes  attending  such 
meetings.  He  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  funds  for  build- 
ing the  house  of  worship  for  the  Methodists  in  Tuskaloosa. 

Judge  Thomas  Owen,  his  brother,  was  also  a  useful  and  de- 
voted man  in  the  Methodist  Church.  He  was  in  Tuskaloosa  as 
early  as  the  close  of  1820,  and  a  member  of  the  Church  there. 
In  1831  he  appears  on  the  records  as  the  Eecording  Steward 
for  Tuskaloosa.  Station,  and  as  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Church, 
and  also  a  member  of  the  Building  Committee,  which  was  ap- 
pointed July  18,  1831.  He  died  January  19, 1859,  and  was  bur- 
ied in  the  cemetery  in  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa.  A  plain  mar- 
ble slab,  with  nothing  on  it  but  his  name,  marks  the  place  where 
repose  his  mortal  remains. 

The  wives  of  the  Owen  brothers  were  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  Tuskaloosa  in  the  very  first  years  of 
Methodism  in  the  place.  Ann  K.  Owen,  the  wife  of  the  Eev. 
John  Owen,  was  a  member  when  she  came  to  the  place,  and 
continued  a  member  there  until  her  death.  She  died  in  Tuska- 
loosa, June  30,  1865,  in  her  sixty-ninth  year.  Thomas  Owen 
and  Hopson  Owen  were  brothers  and  married  sisters.  Thomas 
Owen  and  Dolly  Williams  married  in  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama, 
Friday,  May  20,  1823,  and  Hopson  Owen  and  Agnes  AVilliams 
married  in  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  Tuesday,  March  23,  1830. 
Their  wives  were  the  daughters  of  the  Honorable  Marmaduke 
Williams,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  a  man  of  representa- 
tive position  and  influence,  once  a  member  of  Congress  from  his 
native  State.  Dolly  Owen,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Owen,  and  Agues 
Owen,  the  wife  of  Hopson  Owen,  had  their  names  on  the  Church 


aaaHWgjLi-giysgai 


308 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Eegister  in  Tiiskaloosa  among  the  first,  and  for  a  long  while. 
Dolly  Owen  was  born  May  17,  1805,  and  died  March  29,  1882, 
and  her  sister,  Agnes  Owen,  a  little  younger,  died  five  or  six 
years  after  she  did.  They  were  members  of  great  worth  and 
extensive  influence. 

In  the  beautiful  spring  time  of  1819,  while  the  Eev.  John 
Kesterson  was  making  his  faithful  rounds  on  the  extensive  cir- 
cuit of  Tuskaloosa,  the  Eev.  Eobert  Lewis  Kennon,  a  local  eld- 
er and  an  M.D.,  and  who  knew  by  experience  what  work  on  a 
large  circuit  meant,  reached,  with  his  little  family,  and  took  up 
abode  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
infant  Methodist  Society  at  that  place.  He  was  an  acquisition 
to  that  Society.  He  was  a  sweet-spirited  Christian,  an  attract- 
ive man,  and  a  great  power  for  good.  He  engaged  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  medicine  and  in  the  duties  of  a  local  preacher 
at  and  about  Tuskaloosa  until  the  close  of  1824.  He  was  an 
efficient  local  preacher  during  the  years  he  remained  in  that 
capacity.  He  will  receive  further  consideration  on  a  future 
page. 

In  1822,  a  man  of  family  in  the  thirty-ninth  year  of  his  age, 
and  of  a  large  frame,  robust  health,  great  physical  endurance, 
and  indomitable  energy,  took  up  abode  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama. 
He  was  a  native  of  Caswell  County,  North  Carolina,  and  he  en- 
tered the  nuptial  bonds  in  Elbert  County,  Georgia,  in  1811. 
His  native  county,  in  the  time  of  his  youth,  was  noted  for  a 
numerous  tribe  of  the  peculiar  people  called  Methodists,  and 
the  county  in  the  State  in  which  he  assumed  the  marriage  vows 
was  even  then  a  stronghold  of  the  Methodists,  and  he  became 
affiliated,  by  marriage,  with  a  prominent  Methodist  family,  Miss 
Sarah  Banks  being  his  affianced.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  strongly  attached  thereto,  and 
thoroughly  devoted  to  the  interests  thereof.  That  man  was 
Edward  Sims.  Through  life,  and  even  till  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred August  4,  1840,  he  was  faithful  to  the  cause  of  Metho- 
dism. His  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Society  at  Tus- 
kaloosa from  the  time  she  became  a  citizen  of  that  place  in  1822 
till  her  death.  She  survived  her  husband  a  number  of  years. 
Her  mother,  Mrs.  Eachel  Banks,  deposited  with  the  Methodist 
Society  in  Tuskaloosa  a  certificate  of  her  membership,  Septem- 
ber 2,  1831,  and  was  a  member  there  for  nearly  or  quite  twenty 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         309 


years.    Edward  Sims  did  much  for  Methodism  in  Tuskaloosa. 
He  was  a  public-spirited  man.     He  had  wealth,  and  he  spent  it 
not  only  in  the  cultivation,  entertainment,  and  enjoyment  of  re- 
fined and  cultured  society,  but  he  devoted  his  wealth  to  the 
advancement  of  education  and  religion.     By  October  1,  1828, 
he  had  erected,  complete  from  foundation  to  dome,  in  an  eligi- 
ble part  of  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa,  a  two-story  brick  building 
with  six  rooms,  some  of  them  quite  capacious,  and  turned  it 
over  to  a  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
for  school  purposes.     It  was  called  "  The  Sims  Female  Acad- 
emy."    That  school  was  not  popular  with  the  masses,  because 
it  was  under  the  auspices  of  the  Methodists,  and  the  Methodists 
were  not  numerous  enough  at  that  day  to  give  it  the  patronage 
which  it  needed  and  deserved,  and  the  established  success  which 
its  friends  desired  for  it.     At  that  time  Tuskaloosa  had  not 
more  than  two  or  three  thousand  inhabitants  in  all,  and  then  the 
Methodists  had  not  more  than  ten  thousand  white  members  in 
the  State  of  Alabama.     Mr.  Sims  continued  his  liberal  contri- 
butions to  the  cause  of  education  to  the  end  of  his  earthly  pil- 
grimage.    His  advocacy  of  liberal  education  did  much  to  form  a 
proper  sentiment  on  the  subject.    He  was  one  of  the  best  friends 
Tuskaloosa  Methodism  ever  had. 

At  the  close  of  an  overland  journey  of  forty-six  days,  on  April 
19,  1819,  the  Eev.  Samuel  M.  Meek,  M.D.,  a  local  deacon  in  the 
Methodist    Episcopal   Church,  reached   Tuskaloosa,  Alabama. 
For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  took  a  prominent  part, 
though,  perhaps,  not  always  the  wisest  part,  in  the  affairs  of 
Methodism  in  Alabama.     He  was  for  a  few  years  a  member  of 
the  South  Carolina  Conference,  having  been  received  on  trial  in 
that  Conference  at  its  session  at  Columbia,  December  22-28, 
1810.     For  1811  he  was  on  the  Apalachee  Circuit,  in  Georgia; 
for  1812  he  was  on  the  Milledgeville  Station,  in  Georgia;  for 
1813,  having  been  ordained  a  deacon,  he  was  on  the  Charleston 
Station,  South  Carolina,  as  one  of  three  preachers.     On  May 
19,  1813,  he  married  Miss  Anna  Aradella  McDowell.     At  the 
session  of  the  Conference  at  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  Jan- 
uary 12-19, 1814,  he  located,  and  went  immediately  to  Columbia, 
South  Carolina,  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine 
until  he  left  for  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama.     He  was  born  in  Lau- 
rens  District,  South  Carolina,  August  20,  1786.     His  parents 


310 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


TJie  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Worl\         311 


were  among  the  first  Methodists  where  they  lived.     He  attained 
a  Christian  experience  at  an  Annual  Conference  in  his  native 
State.     Having  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Keformers,  so-called, 
he  withdrew  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Tuska- 
loosa,  Alabama,  immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Con- 
vention which  met  November  12, 1828,  and  which  drew  up  "Ar- 
.  tides  of  Association  "  for  the  "Associated  Methodist  Churches," 
and  he  was  present  at,  and  was  a  member  of,  the  first  Annual 
.Conference  under  the  Conventional  Articles,  held,  a  short  while 
after  his  withdrawal  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at 
Eocky  Mount,  Autauga  County,  Alabama.     Thus  it  is  seen  that 
he  severed  his  connection  with  the  Church  of  his  fathers  and  of 
his  early  manhood,  and  cast  his  lot  with  the  Methodist  Protes- 
tant Cliurch.     He  was  a  champion  of  the  cause  which  antago- 
nized the  Episcopal  form  of  Church  government.     He  died  in 
Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  May  27,  1846,  and  was  buried  in  the  cem- 
etery in  that  city.     On  his  tombstone  it  is  stated:  "He  was 
for  thirty-five  years  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  practiced  what 
he  preached.     Allured  to  brighter  worlds  and  led  the  way." 
He  was  a  conscientious  and    benevolent   Christian.     Though 
brusque  in  his  manner,  he  was  a  man  of  tenderness  and  sympa- 
thy.    Energy  and  industry  characterized  him  all  through  life. 
His  sun  went  down  undimmed.     He  educated  his  children,  and 
his  posterity  honor  him.     His  wife  survived  him  a  few  years, 
and  died  in  Tuskaloosa,  June  13,  1853.     He  was  the  father  of 
the  distinguished  AJexander  B.  Meek,  and  of  Samuel  M.  Meek, 
Esq.,  long  a  citizen  of  Columbus,  Mississippi,  and  of  Benjamin 
Franklin  Meek,  A.M.,  LL.D.,  long  one  of  the  professors  of  the 
University  of  Alabama,  and  long  a  superintendent  of  Methodist 
Sunday-schools. 

Mrs.  Jane  Sexton,  who  has  been  mentioned  in  another  place, 
and  who  was  the  daughter  of  Eandall  P.  West,  and  the  mother- 
in-law  of  the  Eev.  Thomas  O.  Summers,  D.D.,  and  who  was  born 
two  miles  south  of  old  Saint  Stephens,  on  the  Tombigbee  Eiver, 
April  15,  1805,  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Society  at  Tus- 
kaloosa as  early  as  1825,  and  continued  a  member  there  most  of 
the  time  from  then  till  her  death,  March  6,  1861.  Her  daugh- 
ter, Miss  Virginia  Sexton,  a  young  lady  who  was  much  esteemed 
by  the  Methodist  Society  in  Tuskaloosa,  and  who  was  for  a 
number  of  years  and  at  the  time  of  her  death,  which  occurred 


I 


March,  1848,  a  member  of  the  Church  there,  was  born  in  Tuska- 
loosa, Alabama,  September  30,  1825. 

Alfred  Battle  and  his  wife,  Millicent  Battle,  entered  upon 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Tuskaloosa, 
Alabama,  in  October,  1828.  From  that  time  till  the  end  of  life 
they  had  their  membership  in  the  Church  of  their  choice,  and 
nearly  all  the  while  in  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa.  For  many 
years,  indeed,  until  near  the  time  of  his  death,  Alfred  Battle 
was  possessed  of  considerable  wealth,  and  he  generously  con- 
tributed his  means  in  support  of  the  institutions  and  enterprises 
of  the  Church  in  which  he  held  membership.  He  was  a  man  of 
piety,  and  as  a  layman  he  worked  in  all  the  departments  of  the 
Church  with  diligence  and  efiiciency.  He  maintained  the  faith, 
attained  a  good  name,  and  his  memory  is  sacred.  Eeverses 
came  to  him,  and  near  the  end  of  his  life  he  lost  everything  he 
had  in  the  way  of  an  estate.  His  valuable  plantation  had  not 
passed  out  of  his  hands  at  the  time  of  his  death,  but  it  was  un- 
der liabilities  to  the  full  extent  of  its  value.  He  died  on  his 
plantation,  eighteen  or  twenty  miles  south  of  Tuskaloosa,  in 
January,  1877. 

As  early  as  1824  a  young  man  and  a  young  woman,  who  were 
husband  and  wife,  and  who  were  destined  to  be  prominent  in 
Methodist  circles  in  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  during  most  of  the 
remainder  of  their  earthly  pilgrimage,  took  up  permanent  resi- 
dence at  that  place.  That  man,  then  about  twenty-three  years 
of  age,  was  Henry  W.  Collier,  and  that  woman  was  Mary  Ann 
Collier.  They  had  married  in  North  Carolina.  That  woman, 
previous  to  marriage,  was  Miss  Mary  Ann  Battle.  She  was  the 
sister  of  Alfred  Battle,  and  she  was  the  equal  in  excellence  and 
merit  of  her  noble  brother  and  her  honored  husband.  In  Au- 
gust, 1829,  Mary  Ann  Collier  and  in  November  following  Henry 
W.  Collier  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Tuska- 
loosa, and  from  then  till  their  earthly  career  ended  they  were 
Methodists  at  that  place,  and  through  all  that  time  they  hon- 
ored and  served  the  Church  while  the  Church  honored  and 
blessed  them.  Henry  W.  Collier  was  born  in  1801,  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Virginia,  not  far  from  the  line  between  that  State 
and  the  State  of  North  Carolina.  He  had  received  a  classical 
education,  and  had  passed  a  course  of  training  in  legal  lore  and 
had  been  admitted  to  the  legal  profession  before  he  became  a 


312 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


citizen  of  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama.     In  less  than  five  years  from 
the  time  he  became  a  citizen  of  Tuskaloosa  he  was  one  of  the 
Eepresentatives  from  Tuskaloosa  County  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  Alabama,  and  before  he  was  thirty  years  old  he  was 
^    elected  to  a  judicial  position,  and  by  the  time  he  was  thirty-five 
years  old  he  had  reached  the  Supreme  Bench,  and  was  soon 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Alabama,  and  finally  he 
was,  for  four  years,  Governor  of  the  State.     He  had  a  legal 
mind,  and  was  a  master  in  legal  science.     He  was  a  statesman, 
a  competent  and  a  faithful  public  servant.     As  a  judge  he  was 
affable,  patient,  and  dignified.     His  very  presence  and  his  de- 
meanor gave  assurance  of  a  clear  and  a  correct  rendering  and 
exposition  of  law  and  of  a  just  decision  in  the  litigation  pend- 
ing.    He  was  industrious  in  the  prosecution  of  the  work   as- 
signed him,  and  he  was  faithful  in  the  administration  of  the 
public  trusts  committed  to  his  care,  and  his  devotion  to  the  State 
did  not  surpass  his  devotion  to  the  Church,  and  his  services  in 
the  management  of  civil  affairs  did  not  impair  or  limit  his  serv- 
ices in  the  advancement  of  the  divine  cause.     His  religion  was 
thoroughly  implanted  and   firmly  established.     His   personal 
character  was  beautiful ;  in  his  heart  he  was  devout,  and  in  his 
life  and  conduct  he  was  considerate  and  upright.     He  was  a 
man  of  faith  and  of  prayer.     He  maintained  religious  worship 
in  his  house,  and  he  led  in  the  public  services  of  the  great  con- 
gregation when  occasion  required  and  opportunity  offered.     He 
was  a  member  of  one  of  the  classes  organized  by  the  preacher, 
and  he  attended  the  Class-meetings  regularly.     He  was  one  of 
the  most  liberal  contributors  to  the  financial  support  of  the 
ministers  of  the  gospel  and  the  enterprises  of  the  Church. 
His  name  and  contributions  were  on  record  in  constituting 
and  setting  forward  the  work  of  the  benevolent  Societies  of  the 
Church.     He  dispensed  a  simple,  generous,  and  elegant  hospi- 
tality.    His  house  was  the  home  of  the  wayfaring  preachers  of 
the  gospel.     At  the  house  of  Henry  W.  Collier   the   preacher 
who  visited  Tuskaloosa  found  a  home  and  a  welcome.     He  had 
the  honor,  as  he  esteemed  it,  of  entertaining  Bishops  Soule  and 
Capers,  and  Dr.   Bascorab   and  other  noted  worthies   of  the 
Church.     His  wife  joined  him  in  giving  to  all  Methodist  preach- 
ers who  passed  that  way  a  generous  and  Christian^hospitality. 
His  eminent  abilities  and  his  steady  piety  fitted  him  for  and 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         313 


made  him  a  wise  counselor  in  the  affairs  of  the  Church  of  his 
choice.  Ere  he  had  reached  old  age  he  was  called  by  the  Mas- 
ter to  the  Elysian  beyond  the  river  of  death.  He  died  August 
28,  1855. 

There  was  advent  of  no  mean  significance  to  Tuskaloosa,  Ala- 
bama, and  to  Methodism  thereat  in  1821.  A  man,  then  about 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  who  had  been  married  about  three  years, 
a  man  of  handsome  features,  of  well-proportioned  limbs  and 
body,  of  cheerful  spirits,  of  affable  manners,  of  culture  and  in- 
telligence, of  high  rank  and  of  royal  bearing,  came  to  that  place 
at  that  time.  He  came  from  the  State  of  Georgia,  and  his  cho- 
sen occupation  was  that  of  a  merchant.  Than  that  man,  who 
was  none  other  than  Benjamin  B.  Fontaine,  there  was  not,  in 
all  the  ranks  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Tuskaloosa, 
during  all  the  years  of  his  affiliation  therewith,  one  truer  to  the 
principles  espoused,  or  purer  in  the  life  assumed,  or  more  efli- 
cient  in  the  labors  rendered.  In  1831  his  name  appears  on  the 
records  of  the  Church  as  a  Steward,  a  Trustee,  and  a  member 
of  a  Building  Committee;  and  his  name  is  the  first  in  the  list 
of  paying  members  belonging  to  a  Tract  Society  which  was  or- 
ganized February  23,  1831,  and  called  the  "  Tuskaloosa  Tract 
Society,  auxiliary  to  the  Tract  Society  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  New  York."  For  a  decade  or  more  of  years  he 
was  the  Sunday-school  Superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  at  Tuskaloosa.  For  the  work  of  that  position  he 
had  special  adaptation,  and  to  it  he  was  thoroughly  consecrated. 
The  work  which  he  did  in  the  Sunday-school  was  marvelous 
and  lasting.  He  was  possessed  of  a  melodious  voice,  and  it 
was  fascinating  and  enrapturing  to  hear  him  sing  the  songs  of 
Zion.  He  took  great  pleasure  in  Camp-meetings  and  in  revival 
occasions,  and  at  such  meetings  he  would  sing  and  shout  with 
ecstacy,  and  in  the  very  rapture  of  divine  things  he  would  slap 
together  his  hands  and  make  the  greatest  demonstrations  of 
his  feelings.     He  died  in  Mobile  in  1851. 

Dennis  Dent  became  a  citizen  of  Tuskaloosa  County,  Ala- 
bama, at  an  early  day,  and  engaged  in  farming,  and  he  grew 
quite  rich.  According  to  the  Church  Register  he  and  his  wife, 
Martha  Dent,  were  received  as  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Tuskaloosa  January  1,  1831,  but  the  manner  of 
receiving  them  is  not  stated,  and  the  indications  are  that  they 


3U 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


were  members  before  that  date  at  some  other  Society  in  the 
country,  and  on  that  day  removed  their  membership  to  the  town 
of  Tuskaloosa.  In  the  Eegister  for  1831  Dennis  Dent  is  desig- 
nated as  a  class  leader,  and  his  name  is  entered  in  the  Eegister 
July  18,  1831,  the  same  day  a  Building  Committee  was  appoint- 
ed, as  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  Tuskaloosa.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  in  Tuskaloosa 
continually  from  January,  1831,  if  not  earlier,  till  they  moved 
to  Mobile,  about  1850.  He  was  in  public  life  for  many  years. 
He  was  a  Colonel  of  Volunteers  in  the  United  States  service  in 
the  war  with  the  Indians  in  Florida  in  1836.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Senate  of  Alabama  from  the  county  of  Tuskaloosa 
from  1838  to  1850.  In  politics  he  was  a  "Whig  and  a  popular 
man. 

Catharine  Comegys,  who  came  to  Tuskaloosa  at  a  very  early 
day,  and  who  had  her  membership  with  the  Methodists  in  that 
place,  died  in  the  faith  February  3,  1831.  Edward  F.  Come- 
gys, who  was,  perhaps,  her  son,  became  a  citizen  of  the  town  of 
Tuskaloosa  among  the  very  first  settlers  there,  and  his  name  ap- 
pears on  the  Church  Eegister  for  1831,  while  a  letter  with  his 
name  appears  on  record  asking  permission,  as  a  probationer,  to 
withdraw  from  the  Church;  this  is  not  understood,  for  his  name 
continues,  and  the  record  shows  that  on  July  18,  1831,  he  was 
appointed  Trustee  for  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Tus- 
kaloosa. He  may  have  withdrawn  the  request  after  it  was 
granted  and  continued  his  membership.  His  name  appeared 
on  the  roll  all  along  as  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Tuskaloosa  until  October  22,  1844,  when  he  withdrew 
his  name,  and  for  some  reason,  now  unknown,  joined  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church.  Associations  of  long  standing  are 
sometimes  terminated  for  frivolous  reasons. 

George  Curling  was  long  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  at  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa.  In  1831  he  was  one  of 
the  Trustees  of  the  Church,  and  a  member  of  the  Tract  Society 
organized  at  that  place.  His  tombstone  has  the  following  in- 
scription: 

"  George  Curling,  born  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  August 
5,  1785;  died  in  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  April  15, 1860.  For  fifty 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
filling  the  offices  of  Steward  and  Class  Leader.'*    His  wife; 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         315 


Mrs.  Ann  Curling,  became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  at  Tuskaloosa  at  the  same  date  that  he  did.  She 
continued  a  member  there  till  her  death.  She  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  February  11,  1790,  and  she 
died  in  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  in  great  peace  March  1,  1847. 
Eachel  A.  Curling,  the  daughter  of  George  and  Ann  Curling, 
and  who  became  the  wife  of  the  Eev.  James  M.  Wells,  was  born 
in  Tuskaloosa  June  27,  1831,  and  joined  the  Church  of  her  fa- 
ther and  mother  October  26,  1838,  when  she  was  between  seven 
and  eight  years  of  age.  Other  daughters  of  these  parents  be- 
came members  there  also. 

At  an  early  day,  perhaps  about  1822,  Charles  Drish  and  his 
wife  came  to  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  and  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  there  for  some  years.  Mrs.  Drish, 
according  to  the  Eegister,  died  in  faith  October  4,  1835,  and 
Charles  Drish,  according  to  a  private  Journal  of  the  olden  time, 
died  August  14,  1837,  at  Blount  Springs.  The  supposition  is 
that  he  went  to  the  Springs  in  search  of  health,  but  found  re- 
lease from  an  earthly  state. 

Mrs.  Maria  Dyer,  the  wife  of  Otis  Dyer,  became  an  inhabitant 
of  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  by  or  before  1819,  and  at  an  early  day 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  that  place,  and 
continued  a  member  there  until  about  the  middle  of  the  cen- 
tury.  She  was  one  of  the  most  pious,  useful,  and  influential  wom- 
en in  the  city  of  oaks.     She  was  one  of  the  fairest  and  noblest  in 
the  land.     She  was  a  zealous  worker  and  an  acknowledged  leader 
in  the  Methodist  hosts.     She  led  the  clans  and  bore  rule  in  the 
courts  of  Zion,  not  by  imperial  authority,  not  by  virtue  of  crest- 
ed helmets,  not  by  selected  words  of  glowing  complaisance,  but 
by  her  meekness  and  patience,  by  her  wisdom  and  worth.     She 
laid  gifts  on  the  altar-,  and  served  her  generation.     She  was 
plumed  with  the  bright  glories  of  her  own  godlike  deeds.     She 
possessed  inherent  strength  and  goodness.  Her  heart  glowed  with 
love,  and  her  face  was  radiant  with  the  outlines  of  virtue.     She 
had  charms  all  her  own.     Her  benevolence  was  unrestrained 
and  unlimited.     She  heard  and  responded  to  the  importunate 
call  from  the  poor  for  relief,  and,  by  her  beneficence,  by  her  un- 
wasting  alms,  she  hushed  the  clamor  of  the  destitute.     While 
no  one*  chiseled  her  name  in  marble,  while  no  one  fixed  her 
•fame  in  monumental  piles,  while  no  one  in  verse  or  hymn  or 
solemn  strain  sang  her  praises,  she  was  blessed  many  times  by 


316 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


the  poor  whom  she  relieved,  by  the  sorrowing  whom  she  con- 
soled, and  she  lives  in  the  radiance  of  the  truth  which  she 
maintained,  and  she  shines  in  her  own  effulgence,  and  in  the 
undying  glory  of  her  own  immortal  deeds.  She  maintained 
and  advanced  the  spirituality  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
m  Tuskaloosa,  as  well  as  aided  its  finances  and  material  inter- 
ests.    She  was  the  espirt  de  corps  of  that  congregation. 

Edward  H.  Moore  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Tuskaloosa  at  an  early  day.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Tuskaloosa  Station, 
and  was  recommended  by  the  same  Quarterly  Conference  to 
the  Annual  Conference  as  a  suitable  person  to  be  admitted  on 
trial  in  the  traveling  connection,  and  he  was  received  on  trial 
by  the  Alabama  Conference  at  the  session  at  which  it  was  or- 
ganized in  Tuskaloosa,  according  to  a  private  journal  now  in 
hand,  December  12,  1832.  During  the  years  he  belonged  to 
the  Annual  Conference  he  filled  good  Circuits,  and  he  located 
at  the  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  at  Tuskaloosa,  Janu- 
ary 1-8,  1840. 

In  1827  William  B.  Neal  was  regenerated  at  a  meeting  in 
Tuskaloosa  County,  Alabama,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  In  1830  he  moved  to  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa, 
and  put  in  his  membership  there.  In  1831  he  was  appointed 
class  leader.  At  the  last  Quarterly  Conference  for  Tuskaloosa 
Station  for  1833  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  recommended 
to  the  Annual  Conference  for  admittance  on  trial  in  the  travel- 
ing connection,  and  at  the  session  of  the  Conference  at 
Montgomery,  December  11,  1833,  he  was  admitted.  He  died, 
a  member  of  the  Alabama  Conference,  at  Auburn,  Alabama, 
January  5,  1889. 

The  Eev.  Nathaniel  H.  Harris,  a  local  deacon,  became  a  citi- 
zen of  Tuskaloosa  sometime  before  the  middle  of  the  year  1829, 
and  was  a  local  deacon  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
that  town  from  the  time  of  his  first  coming  until,  at  least,  into 
the  year  1833.  He  was  a  classical  scholar,  and  teaching  was 
his  business  while  he  was  in  Tuskaloosa.  He  preached  on  Sun- 
days when  he  could  get  a  Methodist  congregation.  He  was  the 
Secretary  of  the  Tract  Society  organized  in  Tuskaloosa,  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1831.  He  maintained  a  good  name.  He  was  highly 
respected  and  sincerely  loved. 

The  Rev.  John  W.  S.  Napier  was  also  a  local  deacon  in  the 


The  Enlargement  atid  Advancement  of  the  Work, 


317 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Tuskaloosa  for  some  while. 
He  engaged  in  the  occupation  of  teaching.  He  moved  away 
and  carried  his  certificate  of  membership  with  him  in  the  first 
part  of  1832.  Mary  J.  Napier,  his  wife,  was  also  a  member  of 
the  same  Church,  and  carried  her  certificate  with  her  when  she 
went. 

The  name  of  James  Guild,  M.D.,  was  entered  on  the  Church 
Register,  and  he  was  accounted  one  of  the  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  the  beautiful  town  of  Tus- 
kaloosa; but  in  1831  he  claimed,  in  a  written  statement,  to  be 
only  a  probationer,  having,  as  he  stated,  never  been  admitted 
into  full  membership;  and  he  asked  permission  to  withdraw  all 
connection  with  the  Church,  as  he  said,  in  writing  over  his  own 
signature,  after  a  scrutinizing  examination  of  his  own  heart, 
and  upon  the  belief  that  he  was  unworthy  of  being  admitted  or  of 
continuing  in  any  Church,  and  deeming  such  a  course  beneficial 
to  him  and  possibly  advantageous  to  the  Church.  The  request 
was  granted,  and  his  letter  containing  his  statement  and  con- 
veying his  request  was  put  upon  record  by  the  preacher  in 
charge  who  received  it.  In  October,  1832,  he  joined  again  on 
probation,  and  after  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  probation,  on 
May  6,  1833,  he  was  received  into  full  membership,  and  hence- 
forward, to  the  end  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage,  he  was  a  Meth- 
odist. He  died  in  Tuskaloosa,  in  1886.  He  was  a  citizen  of 
Tuskaloosa  about  sixty-five  years.  Sometime  after  he  estab- 
lished bis  home  in  the  city  since  renowned  for  its  numerous 
and  majestic  oaks,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Williams,  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  Honorable  Marmaduke  Williams,  and  they  made  the 
journey  of  life  together,  one  preceding  the  other  to  "  the  undis- 
covered country,  from  whose  bourn  no  traveler  returns  "  only  a 
few  brief  years.  Mrs.  Mary  Guild  joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Tuskaloosa,  in  September,  1831,  and  through 
the  years  following  she  retained  her  membership.  The  chil- 
dren of  James  and  Mary  Guild  became  members  of  the  Church 
to  which  they  themselves  belonged.  Some  of  the  children  at- 
tained professional  eminence.  Dr.  James  Guild  was  a  patriotic 
and  popular  citizen,  a  skillful  physician,  maintaining  for  long 
years  an  extensive  practice,  a  devoted  Methodist,  and  a  man 
of  kindness.  He  delighted  in  alleviating  human  suffering.  He 
made  long  journeys,  performed  difficult  surgical  operations, 


313 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


and  for  the  service  charged  such  small  fees  as  indicated  that 
he  was  actuated  simply  by  the  desire  to  relieve  suffering  pa- 
tients. 

Miss  Stella  Houghton,  who  was  born  in  Lynden,  Vermont, 
Dec<?mber  29,  1802,  and  w^ho  was  associated  with  the  Kev.  AVil- 
bur  Fisk  who  was  for  some  years  Principal  of  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy, at  Wilbraham,  Massachusetts,  came  to  Tuskaloosd.,  Ala- 
bama, and  put  her  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  there,  in  1830.  In  the  journey  of  Miss  Stella  Houghton 
from  her  native  land  to  Tuskaloosa  Capid,  winged  and  armed, 
adventured  in  the  way  and  played  a  part  in  which  he  surpassed 
his  own  romantic  wonders  of  ancient  times.  It  was  on  this 
wise:  A  Board  of  Trustees  contracted  with  Miss  Houghton  to 
take  charge  of  a  Seminary  of  learning  at  that  town,  and  in 
obedience  to  and  in  furtherance  of  the  objects  of  the  contract 
existing  she  came  to  Tuskaloosa.  The  journey  from  her  home 
in  the  far  off  north  to  Mobile  was  made  by  sea.  The  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  Academy  at  Tuskaloosa  delegated  one  of  their 
number,  Mr.  David  Scott,  a  confirmed  bachelor,  adjudged  by 
the  number  of  years  he  had  spent  in  that  state,  to  proceed  to 
Mobile  and  to  accompany  from  there  to  Tuskaloosa  the  lady  " 
who  was  coming  to  take  charge  of  their  school.  Mr.  Scott  per- 
formed the  task  assigned  him.  On  a  pleasant  steamer  the  trip 
was  made.  Miss  Houghton  took  charge  of  the  unpretentious 
school  by  the  Black  Warrior  Falls.  But  the  sequel  of  that 
journey  from  Mobile  to  Tuskaloosa  is  yet  to  tell.  Between 
David  Scott  and  Stella  Houghton  there  was  attachment  and 
love  at  once,  courtship  immediately  ensued,  and  before  the  year 
was  out  they  stood  together  devotees  at  the  altar  of  Hymeneus, 
and  were  bound  with  the  nuptial  chain.  Henceforth  they  were 
one,  henceforth  she  was  Mrs.  Stella  Scott,  and  henceforth  that 
name  adorned  the  Church  Kegister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Tuskaloosa.  She  was  one  of  the  noblest  of  that  noble 
galaxy  which  worshiped  God  under  the  auspices  of  Methodism 
in  the  lovely  town  of  Tuskaloosa.  She  was  a  woman  of  great 
personal  worth,  and  of  considerable  literary  attainments.  She 
was  an  intelligent,  devout,  and  active  Christian.  With  kind 
words  and  kind  deeds  she  consoled  the  sorrowing  and  the  suf- 
fering, and  with  liberal  contributions  she  relieved  the  destitu- 
tion of  those  about  her,  and  with  large  contributions  she  fur- 


TJie  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work, 


319 


thered  the  Kingdom  of  God.  After  serving  her  generation 
well,  she  died  at  Tuskaloosa,  in  peace,  April  25,  1844.  Mr. 
David  Scott  was  born  in  South  Carolina  in  1792,  moved  to 
Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  in  1822,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Tuskaloosa,  in  1830,  or  about  the  time  he  was 
married  first.  He  married  a  second  time.  He  amassed  a  good 
fortune  He  died  at  Scottsville,  in  August,  1868.  Mrs. Vaughn, 
the  wife  of  William  Vaughn,  LL.D.,  of  the  Vanderbilt  Univer- 
sity Mrs.  McConnell,  the  wife  of  Col.  J.  W.  McConnell,  of  Ala- 
bama, Mrs.  Jones,  the  wife  of  John  A.  Jones,  and  Mrs.  Har- 
grove, the  wife  of  Bishop  K.  K.  Hargrove,  D.D.,  and  others  all, 
are  daughters  of  David  and  Stella  Scott.  These  constitute  a 
large  Methodist  fraternity. 

Two  honored  names,  the  names  of  John  H.  Vincent  and  Mary 
Vincent,  were  entered  on  the  Kegister  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
TDal  Church  at  Tuskaloosa  at  an  early  day,  possibly  as  early  as 
1822      They  lived  at  Tuskaloosa  in  1822,  1823,  1824,  and  in  Mo- 
bile in  1825,  1826,  and  1827,  and  again  in  Tuskaloosa  from  at 
least  the  latter  part  of  1830  till  the  latter  part  of  1837,  when 
they  moved  to  Pennsylvania.     John  H.  Vincent  was  born  April 
20  1798,  and  was  brought  up  near  Milton,  Pennsylvania.     He 
was  a  descendant  of  the  Huguenots.     His  great-great-grandfa- 
ther  Levi  Vincent,  was  born  in  France,  April  10,  1676,  and  was 
about  nine  years  old  when  the  sentence  of  death  by  law  on  all 
Huguenots  in  France  was  proclaimed,  in  168d,  by  Louis  XIV., 
in  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  which  Henry  IV.  is- 
sued in  1598,  and  he  found  a  refuge  from  the  cruel  persecutions 
and  intolerant  prosecutions  against  his  sect  in  the  Colony  of 
New  Jersey,  North  America.     The  best    i^^^^^^^^f^^^^^^  ^* 

hand  on  the  subject  is  that  sometime  from  1815  to  1817,  when, 
according  to  the  date  of  his  birth,  he  was  but  a  lad,  John  H. 
Vincent  left  his  native  Pennsylvania,  and  took  up  his  abode  in 
what  is  now  Alabama.  Mary  Baser  was  born  m  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  July  31,  1803.  Her  father  Bernard  ^^ser,  by 
occupation  and  position  a  Sea-captain,  was  born  August  10, 1764, 
and  died  in  Batavia,  West  Indies,  March  25, 1804,  when  she  was 
less  than  two  years  old.  Her  mother  was  born  July  22,  17bo, 
and  died  February  17, 1810,  when  she  was  less  than  seven  years 
old.  Mary  Baser  passed  under  the  dark  shadow  of  orphanage. 
She  had  two  brothers  who  emigrated  South,  and  engaged  m 
21 


320 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


business,  one  in  Mobile  and  the  other  at  Demopolis,  Alabama. 
She  and  John  H.  Yincent  met  at  the  home  of  one  of  her  broth- 
ers in  Alabama,  and  the  sequel  of  that  meeting  was  love,  court- 
ship, and  marriage.  The  record  states  that  John  H.  Vincent 
and  Mary  Raser  were  united  in  holy  matrimony  at  Demopolis, 
Alabama,  September  6,  1821.  Mr.  Vincent  had  been  brought 
up  a  Presbyterian,  and  Miss  Raser  was  brought  up  a  Lutheran. 
After  their  marriage  they  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Tuskaloosa.  The  name  of  John  H.  Vincent  stands 
on  the  oldest  Methodist  Church  Register  for  Tuskaloosa  now 
extant  as  a  Steward,  a  Trustee,  and  a  member  of  a  Building 
Committee.  He  filled  at  the  same  time  these  three  important 
ofiBces  of  the  Church,  and  with  his  associates  in  office,  managed 
the  financial  afi'airs  of  the  Methodists  of  Tuskaloosa,  superin- 
tended the  construction  of  their  house  of  worship,  and  held  the 
property  in  trust  for  the  congregation.  In  the  supervision  of 
the  temporal  affairs  of  the  Church  he  was  a  valuable  member, 
and  in  Sunday-school  work  he  was  quite  useful.  In  that  work 
he  was  versatile  and  skillful,  full  of  tact,  and  a  good  talker.  He 
was  an  earnest,  faithful  Christian.  His  ideal  model  of  Chris- 
tian character  was  one  of  rare  excellence.  He  estimated  the 
Christian  ministry  as  of  divine  appointment,  and  questioned  the 
motives  of  the  minister  of  the  gospel  who  proposed  to  turn  aside 
from  his  holy  calling  to  engage  in  secular  pursuits,  and  predict- 
ed for  all  so  doing  religious  deterioration  and  financial  ruin. 
He  maintained  religion  in  his  house.  He  had  family  prayers 
twice  a  day,  and  carried  his  children  with  him  to  public  service. 
Among  the  intimate  friends  of  John  H.  Vincent  and  Mary  Vin- 
cent in  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  were  the  preachers  who  had 
charge  of  the  Station,  and  Henry  W.  Collier,  Mary  A.  Collier, 
Alfred  Battle,  Melicent  Battle,  James  Guild,  David  Scott,  and 
Stella  Scott.  For  many  years  after  Mr.  Vincent  left  Tuskaloosa 
several  of  these  friends  corresponded  with  him  and  Mrs.  Vin- 
cent. Judging  the  character  and  standing  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vin- 
cent by  their  associates,  it  is  manifest  that  they  were  possessed 
of  social  worth  and  personal  merit.  Taking  his  family  with  him, 
he  left  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  in  the  latter  part  of  1837,  and  re- 
turned to  Northumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  settled 
near  Milton,  where  he  was  brought  up.  He  died  in  Erie,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  August,  1873.     Mary  Vincent  was  a  noble  woman. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work. 


321 


Her  price  was  above  rubies.     She  was  amiable,  calm,  cheerful, 
conscientious,  firm,  kind,  and  patient.     One  who  was  with  her 
much  said:  "  I  never  knew  her  to  speak  an  uncharitable  word  ot 
a  living  being."     She  was  a  loving  wife,  who  brought  honor  to 
her  husband;  and  a  model  mother,  who  established  her  offspring 
in  righteousness.     She  was  free  from  all  affectation  and  hypoc- 
risy.    She  was  wise,  devout,  and  pure.     She  was  a  consecrated 
Christian,  who  prayed  for  the  peace  of  Zion,  and  worked  for  the 
prosperity  of  the  Church  of  God.     To  recount  her  virtues  and 
portray  her  merits  in  full  might  provoke  a  charge  of  partiality, 
and  might,  perhaps,  be  esteemed  exaggeration,  but  she  was,  in- 
deed, a  saint.     Her  life  was  beautiful;  her  death  was  precious, 
and  attended  with  glory  and  triumph.     Death,  in  her  case,  was 
swallowed  up  in  victory.     She  fell  aslee:.  in  Chillisquaque,  Nor- 
thumberland County,  Pennsylvania,  February  16,  185A     bome 
of  the  children  of  John  H.  and  Mary  Vincent  attained  to  emi- 
nence in  religion  and  to  position  in  the  Church  of  God.     John 
H  Vincent,  their  son,  and  of  whom  the  preachers  stationed  at 
Tuskaloosa  when  he  was  a  little  boy  were  very  fond,  was  born  at 
Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  February  23,  1832.     He  ^^^  ^^^^^^^^^  ^ 
exhort  in  1849,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  18o0.     He  hliecl 
various  appointments  in  the  Newark  and  Rock  River  Confer- 
ences, and  was  prominent  in  many  of  the  activities  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  then  he  attained  to  the  Episcopal 
office      He  was  elected  and  consecrated  a  Bishop  m  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  in  May,  1888.     He  is  an  active,  enthusi- 
astic,  and  attractive  man,  who  does  his  work  well,  and  who  hon- 
ors his  high  office  and  his  great  Church;  and  he  is  an  honor  to 
his  native  town  by  the  Black  Warrior  Falls  in  Alabama.     Now, 
1891  he  still  lives.     The  house  of  worship  for  the  Methodists 
of  Tuskaloosa,  which  was  planned  by  the  last  half  of  1831,  and 
was  finished  by  the  first  part  of  1834,  and  which  was  construct- 
ed under  the  supervision  of  John  H.  Vincent  and  his  associates, 
was  repaired  and  improved  in  1886  and  1887;  and  John  H.  Vin- 
cent, the  son,  who  was  born  in  Tuskaloosa  about  the  time  the 
house  was  in  its  incipiency,  put  in,  when  it  was  repaired  and 
improved,  a  neat  and  elegant  memorial  window,  m  honor  of  his 
parents.     That  was  a  generous  act  of  an  affectionate  son.     Ihe 
names  and  the  memory  of  John  H.  and  Mary  Vincent  will  be 
perpetuated  in  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  where  they  were  first  in- 


322 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


itiated  into  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  as  long  as  the 
present  house  of  worship  remains.  B.  F.  Vincent,  another  son, 
was  born  in  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  in  August,  1834  He  is  now, 
1891,  a  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  charge 
of  a  congregation,  under  the  auspices  and  the  economy  of 
his  Church,  in  Pueblo,  Colorado.  He  has  attained  the  degree 
of  D.D.  .  ^ 

The  first  session  of  an  Annual  Conference  ever  held  in  Tus- 
kaloosa, Alabama,  was  the  session  of  the  Mississippi  Conference, 
which  commenced  December  22, 1824,  Bishop  Joshua  Soule  pre- 
sidmg.     That  was  the  first  time  Bishop  Soule  was  ever  in  Ala- 
bama.    He  was  then  in  his  forty-fourth   year.     He  had  been 
consecrated  to  the  Episcopal  office  the  preceding  May.     He  was 
a  man  of  extraordinary  ability,  and  was  a  great  preacher.     In 
person  he  was  above  medium  height,  erect,  well  proportioned, 
and  spare,  his   eyebrows  were  projecting  and  heavy,  his  eyes 
were  keen  and  penetrating,  his  face,  as  a  whole,  was   striking 
and  expressive,  his  voice  was  strong,  his  presence  was  command- 
ing, and  while  he  was  not  wanting  in  the  graces  of  humility  and 
meekness  his  general  bearing  was  magisterial.     He  had  the  air 
of  a  master,  and  the  endowment  and  authority  of  a  ruler.     He 
was  one  of  the  greatest  ecclesiastical  legislators  American  Meth- 
odism ever  had.     His  administration  of  affairs  was  vigorous, 
and  his  preaching  was  profound  and  powerful.     The  sermon 
preached   by  him  at  Tuskaloosa,  on   that  Conference  Sunday, 
December  25, 1824,  was  such  a  masterly  and  comprehensive  pres- 
entation of  doctrinal  truth,  and  was  delivered  with  such  majes- 
tic bearing,  and  with  such  power  of  utterance,  and  with  such 
unction  of  the  Spirit  that  the  large  audience  present  and  listen- 
ing became  oblivious  of  the  surroundings,  and  arising  from  their 
seats,  they  swayed  to  and  fro,  and  gave  expression  to  their  en- 
raptured feelings  in  audible  sobs  and  in  ringing  shouts.     He 
visited  Alabama  and  Tuskaloosa  many  times  in  the  vears  fol- 
lowing that  occasion. 

On  that  Christmas  day,  and  that  Conference  Sunday,  a  day 
pre-eminently  proper  for  the  proclamation  of  the  gospel,  and  for 
the  solemn  service  of  inducting  men  into  the  sacred  orders  of 
the  Christian  ministry,  in  the  presence  of  the  Methodist  people 
of  Tuskaloosa,  and  others  who  assembled  with  them,  William 
Alexander,  Marcus  C.  Henderson,  Jonas  Westerland,'  William 


Tlte  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         323 


M.  Curtis,  Elijah  B.  McKay,  and  perhaps  others,  were  ordained 
deacons;  and  Samuel  Patton,  Henry  P.  Cook,  Benjamin  M. 
Drake,  and  possibly  others,  were  ordained  elders. 

William  M.  Curtis,  here  mentioned  as  ordained  a  deacon,  and 
who  had  just  been  admitted  into  full  connection  in  the  Confer- 
ence, w^as  at  that  time  appointed  for  the  next  year  in  charge  of 
Tuskaloosa  Station,  then  for  the  first  time  made  a  Station.  He 
was  then  a  single  man,  in  his  twenty-seventh  year.  He  was  born 
in  Norway,  New  York,  August  6,  1798,  received  a  liberal  educa- 
tion, and  grew  up  with  good  habits.  At  Cane  Kidge  Meeting 
House,  Jefferson  County,  Mississippi,  where  he  was  teaching, 
he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  November  16,  1821, 
and  soon  after  obtained  remission  of  sins.  In  the  early  part  of 
the  fall  of  1822  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  at  the  session  of 
the  Mississippi  Conference,  at  John  McKae's,  Chickasawhay 
Kiver,  December  5,  1822,  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Con- 
ference, and  appointed  to  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit,  which  then 
had  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa  in  it  as  one  of  the  appointments. 
At  the  end  of  1825,  and  the  end  of  his  work  on  the  Tuskaloosa 
Station,  he  located  in  order  to  visit  his  parents  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  to  adjust  some  financial  affairs.  He  returned  to 
the  Mississippi  Conference  at  the  session  at  the  end  of  1826, 
and  continued  a  member  thereof  till  the  close  of  1836,  when 
he  again  located,  and  was  a  local  preacher  in  New  Orleans  from 
1836  to  1850,  and  then  a  local  preacher  at  Fayette,  Mississippi, 
till  December,  1855,  when  he  was  again  re-admitted  to  the 
Mississippi  Conference.  He  was  a  man  of  polished  manners, 
of  deep  piety,  of  rare  qualities  as  a  pastor,  of  superior  ability  as 
a  preacher,  and  of  great  usefulness  to  the  Church.  He  was  a 
preacher  of  the  Wesleyan  type.  He  filled  the  first  Stations  in 
the  Conference  in  his  day.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  General 
Conference  held  in  Philadelphia,  May,  1832.  He  did  a  great 
deal  of  acceptable  ministerial  work  while  he  was  a  local  preach- 
er. He  was  acceptable  and  useful  as  a  preacher  to  the  close  of 
his  life.  He  lived  and  died  without  a  spot  or  blemish  on  his 
moral  character.  He  died  in  Canton,  Mississippi,  February  9, 
1863,  and  was  buried  in  Sharon.  He  crossed  the  line  which  di- 
vides the  visible  from  the  invisible  in  peace  and  triumph. 

In  the  list  of  appointments  for  1826  is  written:  Tuskaloosa 
town,  Joshua  Boucher.     The  Bevj^ Joshua  Boucher  was  a  man 


324 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alahama. 


of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  and  it  appears  that  at  one  time 
he  was  entirely  consecrated  to  the  ministry,  and  was  thoroughly 
filled  with  the  spirit  of  religion.     He  had  great  success  in  some 
places.     At  the  end  of  the  year  at  Tuskaloosa,  the  end  of  1826, 
he  located,  and  left  the  State  of  Alabama.     He  was  a  kinsman 
of  a  preacher  of  the  same  name,  who  was  a  long  while  a  member 
of  the  Tennessee  Conference,  and  who  died  at  Athens,  Alabama, 
in  1845.     This  Joshua  Boucher  stationed  at  Tuskaloosa  for  1826 
was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  Conference  at  the  close 
of  1818,  and  in  two  years  was  admitted  into  full  connection,  and 
by  the  close  of  1823  had  been  ordained  deacon  and  elder.     For 
1822  he  was  in  the  Kentucky  Conference,  and  at  the  close  of 
that  year  he  transferred  to  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  for 
four  years  he  served  appointments  in  the  State  of  Alabama. 
Locating  at  the  session  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  at  Tuska- 
loosa in  December,  1826,  he  was  re-admitted  to  the  traveling 
connection  in  the  Ohio  Conference  at  the  close  of  1827.     He  did 
some  good  work  in  the  Ohio  Conference.     He' withdrew  from 
the  connection  in  1843.     The  last  tidings  which  reached  Ala- 
bama concerning  him  and  the  last  thing  which  the  author  of 
these  pages  ever  heard  about  him  was  that  in  1876  he  was  in 
the  State  of  Missouri,  in  extreme  age,  being  then  more  than 
eighty  years  old,  and  had  a  wife,  then,  also,  in  extreme  age,  and 
that  he  was  in  obscurity  and  in  indigent  circumstances,  and 
that  he  was  appealing  to  the   Masons  for  help,  and  that  he 
claimed,  without  having  in  his  possession  the  evidence  of  the 
fact,  that  he  was  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  Freemasonry  in 
Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  in  the  twenties. 

Mentioning  the  case  of  one  Joshua  Boucher  in  obscurity  and 
poverty  in  the  State  of  Missouri  claiming  to  have  been  received 
into  a  Masonic  Lodge  in  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  in  the  twenties, 
calls  up  the  fact  that  throughout  the  year  1826,  the  very  year 
the  Rev.  Joshua  Boucher  was  in  that  place,  there  was  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa,  Ala- 
bama, a  fearful  agitation,  a  bitter  controversy,  an  unseemly 
strife,  on  the  subject  of  Freemasonry,  especially  on  the  sub- 
ject of  ministers  of  the  gospel  affiliating  with  that  Fraternity, 
in  which  the  preacher  in  charge,  the  Rev.  Joshua  Boucher,  and 
the  presiding  elder,  the  Rev.  Robert  L.  Kennon,  were  implica- 
ted, and  by  which  they  were  seriously  hindered  in  their  minis- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         325 


terial  work  for  the  year,  and  the  effect  of  which  was  exceedingly 
damaging  to  Methodism  in  the  place.     During  the  year  the 
white  members  were  reduced  from  sixty-eight  to  forty-eight,  a 
loss  of  nearly  one-third  the  entire  number.     In  that  agitation 
and  controversy  the  Rev.  Samuel  M.  Meek,  then  a  local  preach- 
er at  that  place,  took  an  active  part.     He  was  as  strenuously 
opposed  to  the  initiation  of  preachers  into  the  mysteries  of  Ma- 
sonry and  to  their  affiliating  with  that  Fraternity  as  he  was  to 
clothing  the  officers  of  the  Church  with  episcopal  prerogatives. 
The  controversy  w*ds  carried  on  in  private  circles,  and  by  de- 
bates in  and  addresses  to  assembled  audiences,  and  by  published 
articles  in  the  newspapers  of  the  country.     A  faction,  consist- 
ing of  a  few  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
Tuskaloosa,  upon  their  own  motion,  and  without  any  ecclesias- 
tical authority,  and  in  defiance  of  all  authority,  assembled  and 
adopted  resolutions  denouncing  Masonry,  and  declaring  that 
they  would  not  acknowledge  as  their  minister  any  man  who  had 
joined  the  Masons  and  continued  to  associate  with  them;  and 
that  if  the  minister  who  might  be  sent  to  them  by  the  Bishops 
did  not  conform  to  their  resolutions  they  would  not  receive  him, 
nor -feel  themselves  bound  to  give  him  quarterage,  nor  pay  his 
expenses,  nor  abide  by  his  official  acts.     The  resolutions  adopt- 
ed by  that  faction  were  inserted  in  the  newspapers  then  pub- 
lished at  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa,  and  they  were  copied  by  the 
newspapers  in  different  sections  of  the  country,  and  they  were 
commented  on  in  the  usual  style  of  the  press,  secular  and  re- 
ligious.    In  some  instances  the  comments  and  criticisms  of  the 
press  were  in  the  spirit  of  opposition  to  Methodism.     It  was  re- 
ported as  a  fact  that  a  presiding  elder  and  a  station  preacher  of 
the  Mississippi  Conference,  and,  of  course,  the  presiding  elder 
and  the  station  preacher  of  Tuskaloosa  were  those  intended  in 
the  statement,  had  appeared  in  a  procession  of  Masons  in  Ma- 
sonic uniforms,  and  had  listened  to  an  oration,  had  partaken  of 
a  feast,  and  had  marched  to  the  tune  of  "Yankee  Doodle,"  all 
of  which  was  considered  distasteful  and  disreputable.     There 
was,  for  the  time,  no  allaying  the  storm.     The  issue  was  joined, 
the  'contest  was  furious.     The  strife  was  suicidal,  and  the  year 
was  worse  than  wasted.     The  membership,  as  already  stated,  was 
reduced  during  the  year,  and  nearly  one-third  the  number  was 
lost.    The  question  of  ministerial  affiliation  with  the  Masonic 


326 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Fraternity  agitated  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  that  pe- 
riod, in  other  places  beside  Tuskaloosa.     The  following  item  is 
found  on  record  as  a  part  of  the  proceedings  of  the  South  Car- 
olina Conference  in  session  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1824:  "Joshua  N.  Glenn  and  Noah  Laney  were  called, 
and  it  was  stated  by  Brother  A.  Turner,  that  these  brethren 
have,  during  the  previous  year,  joined  the  Masonic  Fraternity, 
which  he  thought  exceptional,  and  after  much  having  been  said 
on  the  subject  the  following  Kesolution  was  submitted  to  the 
Conference  and  carried  by  a  large  majority:  ''Kesolved,  that  in 
the  opinion  of  this  Conference  the  frequent  immoralities  which 
occur  among  those  who  are  called  Freemasons,  and  the  so  usual 
admission  among  them  of  persons  who  entertain  no  respect  for 
the  Christian  faith  render  it  inexpedient  and  imprudent  for  any 
of   our  preachers  to  unite   themselves  with  that  body.'     The 
cases  of  Brothers  Glenn  and  Laney  were  laid  over  to  afford  an 
opportunity  for  free  conversation  with  them  by  such  brethren 
as  may  feel  a  wish  to  do  so.     After  which  Brother  Laney  arose 
and  made  acknowledgment  of  his  sorrow  for  having  grieved  the 
hearts  of  his  brethren  by  his  conduct — and  promised  that  he 
would  not  attend  Masonic  Lodges  unless  necessarily  required 
so  to  do,  his  character  then  passed."     The  Eecord  shows  that 
the  next  day  "Glenn  made  some  statements,  and  his  character 
passed." 

While  the  strife  on  the  subject  of  Masonry  was  going  on  at 
Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  in  which  the  Kev.  Joshua  Boucher  and 
others  were  involved,  the  Mississippi  Conference  held  another 
session  at  that  place,  and  just  two  years  after  the  first,  and  em- 
bracing December  14-20,  1826.  Bishop  Joshua  Soule  and 
Bishop  Kobert  K.  Koberts  were  both  present.  William  Win- 
ans  was  Secretary.  That  was  an  auspicious  event.  It  would 
serve  to  arrest  attention  and  allay  strife.  That  was  a  grand 
time  in  the  town  of  Tuskaloosa.  The  General  Assembly  of  Ala- 
bama was  in  session  for  the  first  time  in  that  place,  having  con- 
vened there  the  20th  of  the  preceding  month.  Two  noted  bodies 
convened  at  the  same  time  in  a  small  town,  in  that  day,  was  enough 
for  public  attention,  and  suflScient  to  create  a  sensation.  On 
Sunday,  December  17,  the  deacons  and  elders  were  ordained. 
Among  the  deacons  ordained  that  day,  and  at  that  place,  by  Bish- 
op Roberts,  was  Thomas  Whitson,  a  local  preacher,  who  lived  fa 


The  Enlargement  and  Advaficement  of  the  Work,         327 


that  section  of  Alabama  or  in  the  bounds  of  the  Walker  Mission, 
and  maintained  a  good  reputation  for  many  years.  Eight  travel- 
ing preachers  were  ordained  deacons,  and  two  traveling  preach- 
ers were  ordained  elders.  In  addition  to  the  business  usually 
before  an  Annual  Conference  there  was  presented  a  Report, 
which  was  acted  on,  from  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  "  Eliza- 
beth Female  Academy,"  situate  near  the  town  of  AYashington, 
Mississippi,  a  school  which  was  then  presided  over  by  Mrs.  Caro- 
line M.  Thayer,  and  to  which,  as  President,  the  Rev.  John  C. 
Burrus  was  appointed  for  the  next  year.  The  Elizabeth  Female 
Academy  was  the  first  school  ever  put  under  the  fostering  care 
of  the  Mississippi  Conference. 

A  retjort  was  also  presented  to  the  Conference  from  the 
"Mississippi  Female  Assistance  Society,"  situate  at  AVashing- 
ton,  Mississippi.  The  object  of  that  Society  was  to  assist  the 
Mississippi  Conference  in  supplying  the  deficiencies  of  the 
preachers  who  did  not  receive  in  their  respective  Circuits  and 
Stations  the  amount  allowed  them  by  the  Discipline  of  the 
Church.  There  was  received  and  distributed  by  the  Confer- 
ence, as  the  result  of  the  first  year's  labor  of  that  Society,  three 
hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars.  In  answer  to  the  address  re- 
ceived from  the  "Mississippi  Female  Assistance  Society  "an 
elegant,  appropriate,  and  appreciative  response  was  written  and 
sent  by  the  Conference  to  that  Society.  The  document  bears 
date,  Tuskaloosa,  December  19,  1826. 

The  last  act  of  the  Conference  session  was  to  read  the  ap- 
pointments for  the  next  year,  and  for  the  place  where  the  Con- 
ference was  assembled  the  Bishop  read:  Tuskaloosa  town, 
William  Spruill  At  the  end  of  the  year  1827  the  statistical 
report  showed  ninety-three  white  and  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  colored  members,  a  very  gratifying  increase  for  one  year. 
There  was  held  a  Camp-meeting  near  town,  beginning  October 
5,  1827,  which,  doubtless,  gave  accessions  and  contributed  to 
the  increase.  The  Rev.  William  Spruill  was  returned  to  Tus- 
kaloosa for  the  year  1828,  but  as  stated  elsewhere,  it  appears 
that  the  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Ledbetter  served  the  Station  for  that 
year.  It  seems  that  the  health  of  the  Rev.  William  Spruill 
failed,  and  for  that  reason,  possibly,  Ledbetter  was  put  in 
charge  of  the  Tuskaloosa  Station.  For  the  year  the  charge  had 
a  net  increase  of  twenty-six  white  and  forty-two  colored  mem- 


328 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         329 


bers.  A  Camp-meeting  held  near  town,  commencing  October 
16,  1828,  doubtless  contributed  the  most  of  that  increase.  At 
the  end  of  1829  the  Eev.  William  Spruill  located. 

The  Mississippi  Conference  held  its  annual  session  again  at 
Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  beginning  Thursday,  December  25,  1828. 
Bishop  Joshua  Soule  was  present,  and  conducted  the  business 
of  the  Conference.  Notwithstanding  the  storm  long  presaged 
by  the  state  of  the  ecclesiastical  atmosphere  had  commenced 
and  was  raging  furiously,  and  the  work  of  disruption  inaugu- 
rated by  the  Keformers  was  progressing  rapidly  in  some  sec- 
tions of  the  territory  embraced  in  the  Conference,  and  schism 
was  in  the  body,  yet  the  business  of  the  Church  pertaining  to 
that  session  of  the  Conference  went  on,  and  the  additions  to  the 
ministry  were  encouraging.  Fourteen  were  admitted  on  trial; 
seven  remained  on  trial;  four  were  admitted  into  full  connection; 
six  traveling  preachers  were  ordained  deacons,  and  seven  travel- 
ing preachers  were  ordained  elders. 

At  that  session  one,  the  Eev.  Peyton  Smith  Graves,  was  ex- 
pelled from  the  connection.  He  was  charged  with  falsehood 
and  fraud.  He  did  not  answer  to  the  charges,  but  evaded  a  trial 
by  absenting  himself,  and  by  taking  refuge  at  the  shrine  of  the 
Reformers,  and  allying  himself  with  their  cause,  and  attaching 
himself  to  their  organization.  The  Conference,  however,  pro- 
ceeded with  the  investigation  of  the  charges  and  expelled  him 
from  the  connection.  The  Eev.  AVilliam  M.  Curtis  was  his  ac- 
cuser, and  one  P.  Thomson,  of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  partici- 
pated in  making  the  charges  against  him.  Ever  after  his  ex- 
pulsion from  the  connection  Mr.  Graves  had  a  special  spite 
against  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  he  showed  a 
special  animosity  to  the  Eev.  William  M.  Curtis,  to  Mr.  P. 
Thomson,  and  to  the  Eev.  Ebenezer  Hearn.  Some  fifteen  or 
sixteen  years  after  his  trial  at  Tuskaloosa,  and  his  expulsion 
from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  he  published  some  com- 
munications reflecting  on  the  character  of  the  Eev.  William  M. 
Curtis,  and  reflecting  upon  the  character  of  P.  Thomson,  in 
which  he  alluded  to  Curtis  as  his  accuser,  and  to  Thomson  as  in 
league  with  Curtis  in  getting  up  one  of  the  charges  in  1828. 
The  pressure  against  Graves  on  account  of  the  publications 
damaging  to  the  parties  against  whom  they  were  fulminated  was 
so  great  that  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Protes- 


tant Church,  to  which  he  then  belonged,  had,  out  of  respect  for 
themselves,  and  for  their  own  protection,  to  take  cognizance  of 
his  publications,  investigate  the  statements  they  contained,  and 
call  him  to  account  for  his  conduct  therein.     The  Conference 
declared  his  publications  "  exceedingly  inexcusable  and  highly 
censurable,"  and  that  it  was  his  duty  to  make  full  and  imme- 
diate restitution  to  the  parties  he  had  damaged  in  peace  and 
reputation,  and  that  the  restitution  be  made  in  as  public  a  man- 
ner as  the  offense  had  been  committed:  he  had  to  write  letters 
to  the  parties  concerned,  and  make  confession  of  his  wrong  do- 
ing and  ask  pardon.     The  letters  he  wrote  were  published,  and 
in  that  published  form  they  are  still  extant.     Their  purpose 
considered,  said  letters  are  rather  curious  productions,  and  while 
they  contain  confession  of  wrong  doing  on  his  part,  and  while 
they  ask  that  pardon  be  granted  him,  they  must  have  been  very 
offensive  to  the  parties  to  whom  they  were  addressed.     In  his 
recklessness  Mr.  Graves  published  also  some  statements  detri- 
mental to  the  Eev.  Ebenezer  Hearn,  for  which  and  upon  which 
he  was  convicted  of  libel  in  the  courts  of  Alabama.     The  rec- 
ords of  the  courts  contain  statements  of  his  conviction,  and  the 
law  books  published  in  exposition  of  law  make  references  to 
the  case  of  the  State  against  Graves.     At  last,  in  1848,  having, 
in  the  intervening  time,  been  tried  under  charges  and  suspended 
from  the  ministry,  and  then  restored  to  the  ministry,  all  done  in 
and  by  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and  under  untoward 
circumstances  not  a  few,  he,  by  permission,  withdrew  from  the 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  the  fact  being 
published.     It  is  supposed  the  fact  w^as  published  for  informa- 
tion to  all  concerned  that  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church 
might  not  be  held  longer  responsible  for  him,  and  that  she 
might  escape  as  far  as  possible  the  odium  of  his  past  misdeeds. 
These  monstrous  irregularities,  schisms,  personal  animosities, 
and  ecclesiastical  strifes  attaching  to  and  associated  with  this 
man  Peyton  S.  Graves  greatly  scandalized  Methodism  in  the 
section  where  they  occurred  and  in  all  the  region  where  they 
were  known.    In  Autauga,  Butler,  Conecuh,  Dallas,  Lowndes, 
and  Wilcox  Counties,  the  detriment  to  the  general  cause  of 
Methodism  was  very  great.     Who  takes  to  his  bosom  and  there- 
in nourishes  a  viper  will  be  stuug  and  damaged  by  that  which 
he  feeds,  protects,   and  caresses.     The  Methodist  Protestant 


330 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Church  which  interposed  her  protection  to  Peyton  Smith 
Graves,  a  fugitive  from  ecclesiastical  justice,  and  accepted  in 
her  interest  his  championship  in  disrupting  the  Church  from 
whose  judicial  sentence  he  fled,  paid  at  last  the  penalty  of  her 
unwise  course;  she  found,  when  it  was  too  late  to  rid  herself  of 
the  stigma,  that  he  was  to  her  a  moral  upas  whose  influence  was 
exceedingly  deleterious,  and  she  had  to  get  rid  of  him,  if  not  in 
mercy  to  him,  at  least  in  mercy  and  in  justice  to  herself.  Truth 
will  assert  itself,  and  justice  will,  eventually,  be  vindicated. 
The  act  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  in  expelling  Peyton  S.  Graves  from  the  connection 
has  been  thoroughly  vindicated. 

At  that  session  of  the  Conference  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama, 
beginning  Christmas  day,  1828,  there  issued  the  twilight  of  a 
new  era.  There  and  then  was  inaugurated  the  work  of  educa- 
tion in  Alabama  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  There 
and  then  "The  Sims  Female  Acadamy"  was  reported  to  the 
Conference  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  as  completed  and  on  the 
threshold  of  its  literary  career.  There  and  then  the  Confer- 
ence, having  received  liberal  otfers  and  encouraging  guarantees 
from  persons  residing  at  and  around  La  Grange,  Alabama,  for 
erecting  and  sustaining  a  Male  College,  and  having  before  them 
a  proposition  to  unite  with  the  Tennessee  Annual  Conference 
in  the  enterprise,  appointed  commissioners  to  select  and  secure 
a  site,  draft  a  Constitution,  and  appoint  Trustees  for  said  Col- 
lege. In  due  course  and  in  due  process  La  Grange  College  was 
in  existence  and  in  operation. 

The  Eev.  Robert  L.  Kennon  was  the  preacher  in  charge  of  Tus- 
kaloosa Station  for  1829  and  1830.  Some  one,  not  a  member  of 
any  Church,  writing  from  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  August  17, 1829, 
to  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  and  Zion's  Herald,  and  en- 
closing, to  the  Editors,  Ten  dollars  as  a  donation  to  the  "  Pub- 
lishing Fund,"  and  signing  himself  a  "  Friend  to  Religion  and 
Methodism,"  gave  his  estimate  of  the  numerical  strength,  finan- 
cial ability,  and  the  standard  of  benevolence  of  the  Methodists 
of  Tuskaloosa.  His  estimate  of  the  benevolence  of  the  Meth- 
odists of  the  place  was  not  very  flattering.  He  stated  that  there 
was  a  Methodist  Church  at  Tuskaloosa,  having,  according  to  his 
information,  seventy  or  eighty  white  members;  that  a  number 
of  them  were  well  able  to  contribute  largely  to  the  enterprises 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work. 


331 


established  for  the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  the  Churcb; 
that  he  had  looked  over  the  published  list  of  contributors  to  the 
"  Publishing  Fund"  for  the  names  of  Methodists  at  Tuskaloosa, 
and  had  looled  in  vain;  and  that  he  had  two  objects  in  view  in 
making  his  small  contribution,  first,  to  throw  in  his  mite  to  the 
holy  cause,  and,  second,  to  arouse,  if  possible,  the  members  of 
the  Methodist  Church  at  Tuskaloosa  from  their  lethargy,  and 
induce  them,  in  the  discharge  of  their  bounden  duty,  to  contrib- 
ute of  their  means  for  the  dissemination  of  religious  knowledge 
through  the  publications  of  the  Church. 

The  Minutes  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  furnished  for  pub- 
lication at  the  close  of  1830  were  defective  in  that  they  did  not 
contain  the  numbers  in  Society  at  the  close  of  that  year.     It  is 
manifest  that  there  was  not  any  increase  in  the  membership  at 
Tuskaloosa  for  1829  and  1830.     The  Society  did  not  fully  hold 
its  own  during  those  two  years.     It  was  a  time  of  great  agita- 
tion, and  no  doubt  great  wisdom  and  skill  were  required  to  con- 
serve matters  and  maintain  integrity.  ^    ^     ^ 
At  the  close  of  Dr.  Kennon's  term  of  two  years,  the  Mississippi 
Conference  met  again  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  Tuesday,  Novem- 
ber 24,  1830,  and  adjourned  sine  die,  Friday,  December  4,  1830, 
havinc^  been  in  session  eleven  days.     That  was  a  long  and  per- 
plexincr  session.     The  situation  had  to  be  carefully  reviewed, 
and  the  interests  of  the  hour  called  for  wise  adjustments  of 
affairs.    An  Agent  was  appointed  for  La  Grange  College.    There 
was  no  Bishop  present,  and  consequently  there  were  no  ordi- 
nation services.     A  large  number   of   preachers  were   elected 
deacons  and  elders,  but  none  were  ordained  because  no  Bishop 
was  present  to  perform  the  service.     That  was  the  fourth  ses- 
sion of  the  Mississippi  Conference  which  had  been  held  at  the 
town  of  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  in  six  years. 

The  Rev  Robert  L.  Walker  was  appointed  in  charge  of  the 
Tuskaloosa  Station  for  1831  and  1832.  In  a  letter  written  by 
Mrs  Mary  Vincent  to  friends  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
and  bearing  date,  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  June  12, 1832,  are  these 
words:  "  Our  town  is  improving  rapidly,  but  Zion  is  languishing. 
O  for  more  true,  heartfelt  religion!  Yesterday  we  had  an  ex- 
cellent meeting.  The  house  was  crowded  with  a  very  serious 
and  attentive  congregation.  We  feel  the  need  of  our  pastor.  I 
think  he  is  calculated  to  do  much  good  here,  though  I  am  fearful 


332 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


we  put  too  much  dependence  where  we  should  not.  I  hope 
Brother  Walker  has  been  much  with  you.  It  will  be  a  great 
gratification  to  hear  from  you  by  him."  The  Rev.  Eobert  L. 
Walker,  here  mentioned  by  that  godly  woman,  Mrs.  Mary  Yin- 
cent,  then  one  of  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
at  Tuskaloosa,  as  "  our  pastor  "  was  in  Philadelphia  through  the 
month  of  May,  1832,  in  attendance  on  the  General  Conference, 
and  he  had  not  gotten  back  to  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  when  the 
letter  of  Sister  Vincent  to  friends  in  Philadelphia  was  written. 
The  General  Conference  session  and  the  trip  going  to  and  re- 
turning from  it  consumed  about  three  months  of  the  time  of 
the  delegates  who  lived  in  Alabama.  The  latter  part  of  1832 
was  prosperous  in  the  Tuskaloosa  Station,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  year  Brother  Walker  reported  the  membership  at  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-five  white  and  two  hundred  and  twenty-nine 
colored  members.  A  Camp- meeting  held  below  town  October 
18-25, 1832,  resulted  in  forty-nine  accessions  to  the  membership 
of  white  persons.  The  piety  of  the  Church  was  deepened,  her 
spirituality  and  her  membership  increased  in  that  day  by  Camp- 
meetings.  The  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
Tuskaloosa  may  not  have  been  very  generous  in  contributing  to 
the  "Publishing  Fund"  of  the  Church,  but  they  did  contribute 
with  a  princely  liberality  to  the  support  of  Camp-meetings  and 
Annual  Conferences.  They  held  and  maintained  one  or  more 
Camp-meetings  every  year,  and  entertained  an  Annual  Confer- 
ence every  two  years  for  eight  or  ten  years  in  succession.  They 
certainly  did  a  generous  part  on  that  behalf.  Their  hospitality 
abounded.  Has  any  other  place  in  Alabama  ever  equaled  Tus- 
kaloosa in  taking  care  of  Annual  Conferences?  In  Christian 
hospitality  Tuskaloosa  is  not  excelled. 

The  history  of  Tuskaloosa  Methodism  would  be  incomplete 
were  no  account  taken  of  the  membership  of  Africans  at  that 
place.  Through  all  that  period  of  eight  years  of  the  Tuska- 
loosa Station  now  passing  in  review  tlie  roll  of  colored  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  longer  than  the  roll  of 
white  members.  The  white  members  numbered  sixty-eight  at 
the  beginning  of  the  period  and  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  at 
the  close  of  the  period.  The  colored  members  numbered  sev- 
enty-one at  the  beginning  of  the  period  and  two  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  at  the  close.    The  white  and  colored  members  were 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         333 


under  the  same  ministry.  He  who  preached  to  the  one  preached 
to  the  other;  he  who  a-dministered  the  ecclesiastical  affairs  of 
the  one  administered  the  ecclesiastical  affairs  of  the  other.  The 
two  classes,  the  white  and  the  colored,  met  for  religious  service 
at  different  hours,  but  they  were  under  the  care  of  the  same 
preacher.  The  great  body  of  the  colored  members  were  the 
slaves  of  the  white  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
On  the  Register  for  1831  are  found  the  names  of  the  preachers, 
exhorters,  and  class  leaders.  York  Fontaine,  Robin  Smith, 
Peter  Banks,  and  Webster  Banks  are  named  as  local  preachers; 
Jack  Bearing  is  named  as  an  exhorter;  David  Collier  and  Jack 
Guild  are  named  as  class  leaders.  The  Register  shows  a  larger 
number  of  coloi'ed  than  of  white  members  expelled.  There 
were  at  least  two  reasons  why  more  were  expelled  among  the 
colored  than  among  the  white  members.  The  Discipline  could 
be  administered  with  less  friction  with  the  colored  than  with 
the  white  members.  It  was  not  as  difficult  to  arraign  a  colored 
member  for  immorality  as  it  was  to  arraign  a  white  member. 
The  colored  members  did  not  have  as  keen  perception,  and 
as  clear  an  apprehension  of  the  enormity  of  offenses  as  the 
white  citizens,  and  hence  a  greater  number  of  them  violated 
their  vows  and  committed  crimes.  The  colored  members  did 
not  have  as  great  facilities  for  concealing  their  sins  as  the  white 
members,  hence  more  of  them  were  caught.  The  crimes  for 
which  the  colored  members  were  expelled^  are  given  in  the 
Record,  and  are  named  immorality,  intemperance,  uncleanness, 
fighting,  stealing,  lying.  Many  of  them  were  moral,  honest,  and 
temperate,  true  and  truthful,  pure  and  pious.  Some  of  them 
are  reported  in  the  Register  as  having  died  in  peace  and  in  faith. 
Many  of  them  upon  dying  were  translated  to  the  home  of  the 
pure  and  the  good. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Enlakgement  and  Advancement  of  the  Wobk  of 

Methodism  in  Alabama. 

THE  Mareugo  Circuit  first  appeared  for  the  year  1826.  The 
name  of  the  Circuit  indicated  the  center  of  the  Territory 
which  it  was  to  occupy.  It  was  to  embrace  Marengo  County, 
Alabama,  and  the  points  which  touched  thereabout.  The  Cir- 
cuit included  a  part  of  Wilcox  County,  and  at  certain  points, 
for  a  time,  went  into  Clarke,  Greene,  Perry,  and  Sumter.  Lines 
in  that  day  were  not  well  established,  and  in  the  work  of  the 
Church  boundaries  were  indefinite.  Previous  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Marengo  Circuit  the  Territory  which  it  was  to  em- 
brace had  been  touched  on  its  various  sides  and  penetrated  by 
the  Tombecbee,  Cahawba,  Tuskaloosa,  and  Cedar  Creek  Cir- 
cuits. These  four  Circuits  here  named  touched  each  other,  so 
far  as  they  touched,  in  the  Territory  set  oft*  in  December,  1825, 
to  the  Marengo  Circuit. 

The  first  preacher  appointed  to  the  Marengo  Circuit  was  the 
Rev.  John  Collier.  He  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1800,  and  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church;  afterwai*&  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and,  December 
25,  1823,  he  was  received  on  trial  in  the  Mississippi  Conference; 
at  the  close  of  1825  he  was  admitted  into  full  connection  in  the 
Conference  and  ordained  a  deacon;  at  the  session  of  the  Confer- 
ence in  December,  1826,  he  located,  so  the  Marengo  Circuit 
was  the  last  appointment  he  filled  in  connection  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  He  spent  a  year  or  two,  after  locat- 
ing, in  sympathy  with  the  Reformers,  or  the  "Associated  Meth- 
odist Churches,"  and  finally,  not  later  than  May,  1829,  he 
repudiated  his  ordination,  his  baptism,  and  his  Methodism,  and 
declared  his  acceptance  of  immersion  for  baptism,  and  received 
ordination  at  the  hands  of  the  successors  of  Ezekiel  Holliman  and 
Roger  Williams.  He  lived  in  jVlarengo  County,  and  preached 
the  doctrine  that  immersion  in  water  is  a  Christian  ordinance, 
and  necessary  to  the  existence  of  a  Christian  Church.  This  he 
(334) 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         335 


did  under  the  auspices  of  the  Baptist  Church.     He  and  the 
Rev.  Thomas  S.  Abernathy,  Sen.,  married  sisters. 

For  a  long  while  there  were  but  few,  if  any,  houses  of  wor- 
ship in  Marengo  County,  Alabama.  The  public  services  were 
held  by  the  Methodists  in  private  residences,  in  School -houses, 
under  trees  and  awnings  made  of  brush.  At  the  county  seat 
after  it  was  established  the  Methodists  worshiped  in  the  Court- 
house. In  1819,  Nathan  Hawkins,  who  was  born  in  1786,  on 
Holston  River,  in  East  Tennessee,  and  who  united  with  the 
Methodists  in  Christian  County,  Kentucky,  and  who  had  lived  a 
few  months  near  Erie,  Greene  County,  Alabama,  moved  to 
Marengo  County,  Alabama,  and  settled  near  a  place  which  bore 
the  euphonious  name  of  Screamersville,  and  not  more  than  a 
section  line  or  two  from  where  Linden  was  finally  located.  In 
the  house  of  this  man,  Nathan  Hawkins,  the  Methodist  preach- 
ers held  public  worship  and  proclaimed  the  word  of  life.  At 
his  house,  in  1823,  before  the  Marengo  Circuit  was  formed,  the 
Rev.  Henry  P.  Cook,  then  the  preacher  on  the  Tombecbee  Cir- 
cuit, had  an  appointment  once  a  month,  though,  of  course,  the 
appointment  was  not  met  with  much  regularity. 

By  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Alabama,  passed  De- 
cember 6,  1820,  Commissioners  were  appointed  to  select  a  site. 
for  the  permanent  seat  of  justice  for  the  County  of  Marengo j; 
and  said  Commissioners  having  finally  selected  said  site,  the- 
General  Assembly  of  Alabama,  by  an  act  approved  December- 
17,  1823,  appointed  Commissioners  to  survey,  lay  off,  and  selll 
lots  at  the  site  selected  and  named  Linden;  and  to  contract  for,, 
and  cause  the  public  buildings  for  the  County  of  Marengo  to  be- 
erected.  A  year  later,  by  legislative  enactment,  a  special  tax: 
was  provided  for  to  defray  the  expenses  of  erecting  said  public: 
buildings;  and  in  due  course  the  buildings  were  completed. 
Previous  to  the  erection  of  the  permanent  public  buildings  in 
the  town  of  Linden  a  pine  pole  Court-house  served  the  County. 
Public  services  were  held  by  the  Methodist  preachers  in  the 
pine  pole  Court-house.  From  the  earliest  times  the  Methodists 
have  worked  at  Linden,  and  thereabout,  but  religion  has  never 
flourished  much  there.  In  September,  1829,  the  Rev.  William 
riuker,  the  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Linden,  was  con- 
victed of  adultery  and  excluded  from  the  Church.  He  had  for 
several  terms  represented  the  County  in  the  Legislature.  The 
22 


336 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


downfall  of  that  preacher  of  the  gospel  brought  scandal  on  the 
Church  and  great  harm  to  religion.  The  Christian  cause  has  not 
recovered  from  that  damage  to  this  day.  The  perpetration  of  sin, 
especially  the  sin  of  adultery,  by  a  preacher  of  any  denomina- 
tion of  Christians  scandalizes  religion  and  emboldens  infidelity. 

At  an  early  day  a  Methodist  Society  was  organized  in  a  School- 
house  about  one  mile  from  the  present  Old  Spring  Hill.  By 
that  Society  a  Meeting  House  was  built  of  hewed  logs,  proba- 
bly about  1827,  and  the  place  was  called  Mount  Zion.  That 
Society  was  composed  at  the  first  of  intelligent,  thrifty,  and 
liberal  citizens.  Daniel  Curtis,  Thomas  K.  Curtis,  and  several 
members  of  the  Curtis  families,  and  Jane  Lucy  and  her  daugh- 
ters were  members  at  Mount  Zion  in  the  time  of  the  building 
of  the  first  Meeting  House  there.  Enoch  James,  a  local  preach- 
er, and  John  Tagart,  a  local  preacher,  were  members  there  at  an 
early  day,  and  at  a  little  later  date  John  and  Jake  McCarty  and 
their  families,  and  the  families  of  Kaif  Grayson,  Martin  Wil- 
son, and  James  Eenfroe  were  added  to  that  Society.  William 
McAlister  and  John  Boyd  were  there  in  the  early  days.  Later 
still  came  others  who  were  most  devoted  Methodists,  and  whose 
liberal  views,  generous  acts,  and  magnanimous  support  of  the 
institutions  of  the  Church  contributed  much  to  the  elevation  of 
religion  and  the  perpetuation  of  the  influence  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  that  section  of  Alabama.  Daniel  Curtis 
was  the  class  leader  at  Mount  Zion  at  an  early  day,  and  a  good 
class  leader  has  ever  contributed  much  to  the  spirituality  of  a 
Society. 

At  various  points  in  the  territory  of  the  Marengo  Circuit 
Societies  were  organized  as  communities  formed  and  oppor- 
tunity offered.  Camp-meetings  commenced  in  that  section  of 
the  State  at  an  early  day.  A  Camp-ground  was  established  at 
Mount  Zion  in  1828,  or  in  1829,  and  Camp-meetings  were  held 
there  annually  for  many  years,  and  they  were  attended  with 
great  religious  power  and  achieved  grand  results. 

The  preacher  for  Marengo  Circuit  for  1827  was  the  Kev. 
John  Griffing  Jones.  That  was  his  first  and  last  work  in  Ala- 
bama. He  did  a  good  work  and  made  a  lasting  impression  on 
that  Circuit.  He  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Mississippi 
Territory,  August  23,  1804  Just  after  he  had  passed  seven- 
teen summers  he  was,  as  a  seeker  of  religion,  admitted  into  the 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,         337 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  in  three  or  four  months 
thereafter  he  was  pardoned  of  guilt  and  filled  with  love  impart- 
ed by  the  Holy  Ghost;  as  the  days  passed  peace  gave  place  to 
doubts,  and  then  doubts  subsided  and  assurance  ensued;  and 
subsequently,  though  in  the  same  year,  he  attained  a  pure 
heart.  By  a  District  Conference  at  Bethel  Camp-ground,  in 
Wilkinson  County,  Mississippi,  October  9, 1824,  he  was  licensed 
to  preach,  and  was  recommended  to  the  Annual  Conference  for 
admission  on  trial.  At  the  session  of  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  December  24,  1824,  his  recom- 
mendation was  presented  and  he  was  admitted.  At  the  session 
of  the  Conference  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  beginning  Decem- 
ber 14,  1826,  he  was  admitted  into  full  connection,  and  on  Sun- 
day, December  17,  he  was  ordained  a  deacon  by  Bishop  Robert 
B.  Roberts;  and  at  the  session  of  the  Conference  at  Tuskaloosa, 
on  Sunday,  December  28,  1828,  in  the  presence  of  the  Confer- 
ence and  the  congregation.  Bishop  Joshua  Soule  ordained  him 
an  elder.  He  was  a  delegate  to  a  number  of  the  General  Confer- 
ences of  his  Church.  He  read,  studied,  and  wrote  much.  He 
knew  the  Scriptures  thoroughly.  He  was  a  man  of  prayer  and 
of  piety.  He  wrote  a  History  of  Methodism  in  the  Mississippi 
Conference  which  is  a  very  valuable  work,  and  well  written. 
He  deserves  a  monument  for  that  work,  and  it  is  a  monument 
itself.  He  continued  a  member  of  the  Mississippi  Conference 
till  the  close  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage.  On  October  1, 1888,  he 
left  these  earthly  shores  and  entered  into  the  mansions  on 
high. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  S.  Abernathy  and  the  Rev.  John  A.  Cot- 
ton were  the  preachers  on  the  Marengo  Circuit  in  1828.  That 
year  there  was  a  revival  in  that  Circuit  such  as  had  not  been 
in  that  country  before,  and  over  one  hundred  were  added  to  the 
Society;  and  Preston  Cooper,  a  young  man  of  neatness  and  of 
industry,  was  licensed  to  preach  and  recommended  from  that 
Circuit  as  a  suitable  person  to  be  admitted  on  trial  in  the  trav- 
eling connection,  and  at  the  session  of  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  December  25,  1828,  he  was  ad- 
mitted on  trial. 

Hugh  McPhail  and  John  Bilbo  were  the  preachers  on  the 
Marengo  Circuit  for  1829.  That  was  the  first  and  the  last  year 
of  itinerant  work  by  these  two  men  in  Alabama.     They  had  for 


338 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         339 


the  year  on  the  Circuit  a  moderate  increase  of  white  members 
and  a  considerable  decrease  in  colored  members.  The  Eev. 
Hugh  McPhail  had  been  living  as  a  local  preacher  in  the  sec- 
tion of  Alabama  embraced  in  the  Marengo  Circuit  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  he  had  just  been  re-admitted  to  the  traveling 
connection  by  the  Mississippi  Conference  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed in  charge  of  the  Marengo  Circuit  At  the  end  of  the 
year  he  located  again,  and  lived  in  the  bounds  of  the  Marengo 
Circuit,  or  in  the  surrounding  region  thereof  for  a  long  while, 
exercising  as  a  local  preacher,  and  administering  medicine  for 
a  livelihood,  and  finally  he  removed  to  Mississippi,  in  which 
State  he  died.  In  December,  1811,  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in 
the  South  Carolina  Conference,  and  in  due  course  as  provided 
in  the  Discipline  he  was  admitted  into  full  connection,  and  or- 
dained deacon  and  elder.  For  the  years  1816  and  1817  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Tennessee  Conference,  and  at  the  session  of 
that  Conference  beginning  October  30,  1817,  he  located,  and 
then  moved  to  Alabama.  He  was  a  good  man  and  a  good 
preacher,  but  he  was  too  anxious  about  pecuniary  interests  to 
continue  in  the  itinerant  work  long  at  a  time. 

For  1830  the  Marengo  Circuit  was  served  by  the  Kev.  Daniel 
D.  Brewer  and  the  Kev.  Joseph  P.  Sueed.  They  were  good 
men  and  true,  but  at  that  time  they  were  without  much  expe- 
rience and  without  great  attainments,  and  it  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  they  succeeded  on  the  Circuit  in  anything  beyond 
ordinary  achievements.  The  Kev.  Joseph  P.  Sneed  had  just 
been  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  that 
was  his  first  Circuit.  He  made  a  faithful  and  successful 
preacher.  He  was  an  itinerant  preacher  from  the  time  he  en- 
tered the  Mississippi  Conference  on  trial  December  17,  1829, 
till  he  died,  November  21,  1881,  except  from  the  first  of  1846 
till  the  last  of  1855,  during  which  time  he  was  a  local  preacher. 
He  preached  in  Alabama,  Arkansas,  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  and 
Texas.  In  the  prosecution  of  the  work  of  the  ministry  he  en- 
counted  dangers,  endured  hardships,  and  suffered  privations, 
but  to  encounter,  endure,  and  suffer  he  esteemed  a  privilege. 
Dismal  swamps  with  hooting  owls,  hissing  adders,  prowling 
beasts  of  prey,  and  deathful  miasma,  and  boundless  prairies 
with  unbroken  solitude  never  daunted  his  courage,  nor  damp- 
ened his  zeal,  nor  arrested  his  going.     He  moved  grandly  on  in 


his  great  mission  in  bearing  a  message  of  redemption  and  sal- 
vation to  the  wandering  and  the  lost.  For  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century  he  possessed  in  his  own  personal  experience  and 
enjoyed  in  his  own  life  the  blessing  of  entire  sanctification. 
He  died,  at  the  date  already  mentioned,  in  Milam  County, 
Texas,  and  was  buried  at  Port  Sullivan. 

The  preachers  on  the  Marengo  Circuit  for  1831  were  Eugene 
V.  Le  Vert  and  Ewell  Petty;  and  for  1832  Daniel  Monaghan 
and  Hazlewood  B.  Parish. 

At  Tuscumbia,  the  town  by  the  Big  Spring  five  or  six  miles 
from  the  lower  end  of  Muscle  Shoals,  subscription  to  a  fund  was 
secured,  in  1826,  to  build,  at  that  place,  a  Meeting-house  for  the 
use  of  the  Methodists;  and  in  September,  1827,  the  gratifying  an- 
nouncement was  made  that  the  Meeting-house  provided  by  the 
subscribed  fund,  a  building  sixty  by  thirty-six  feet  and  contain- 
ing a  spacious  gallery,  had  been  erected  and  was  complete  from 
foundation  to  roof.  In  July,  just  two  or  three  months  before 
the  announcement  of  the  completion  of  the  Meeting-house  was 
made,  a  few  women  organized  themselves  in  a  band  to  fast  and 
pray  for  a  revival,  and  while  the  godly  women  were  fasting  and 
praying  a  revival  work  deep  in  its  nature  and  extending  over 
that  section  of  the  Tennessee  Valley  went  on,  and  at  the  altar 
of  the  Methodist  congregation  at  Tuscumbia  gathered  large 
numbers  of  mourners,  many  of  whom  were  justified  and  re- 
ceived into  the  Society  under  the  provisions  of  the  Discipline, 
and  while  joy  filled  the  hearts  of  the  worshipers,  songs  of  praise 
and  shouts  of  victory  were  heard  in  the  assembly  of  the  saints. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  house  of  worship  just  com- 
pleted, and  true  piety  and  a  genuine  revival  prevailing,  the 
Tennessee  Conference  held  its  session  at  Tuscumbia,  beginning 
November  22,  1827.  Unusual  love,  harmony,  and  peace  pre- 
vailed at  that  session  of  the  Annual  Conference.  The  Confer- 
ence Sunday  was  a  great  day,  notwithstanding  it  was  a  cloudy, 
cold,  and  rainy  day;  twelve  deacons  and  seven  elders  were  or- 
dained. Bishop  Joshua  Soule  presided  over  the  deliberations 
of  the  Conference.  On  Sunday  he  delivered  a  grand  sermon, 
lifting  up  an  ensign  upon  the  land,  and  showing  the  people  the 
way  wherein  they  might  walk,  and  the  thing  which  they  might 
do.  Less  than  two  months  before  that,  on  the  third  day  of  Oc- 
tober of  that  year,  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  had  been 


340 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


conferred  on  him  by  the  University  of  Nashville.  At  that  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference  Tuscumbia  was  made  a  Station,  and  the 
Bev.  Francis  A.  Owen  appointed  to  serve  it  for  1828,  and  he  was 
returned  there  for  1829. 

The  salvation  of  the  Lord  was  seen  in  Tuscumbia  during  1828. 
At  a  Quarterly  Meeting  held  there  July  25,  of  that  year,  a  num- 
ber were  received  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Church,  and  during 
the  following  months  an  unusual  work  of  reformation  and  of 
grace,  such,  it  was  thought,  as  never  before  was  witnessed  in 
that  place,  progressed  without  abatement,  and  a  large  number 
were  added  to  the  Society. 

In  June,  1828,  the  Tuscumbia  Sunday  School  Union,  auxiliary 
to  the  Sunday  School  Union  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
was  organized,  and  Managers  were  appointed,  consisting  of  the 
following  persons:  Dr.  George  Morris,  John  Southerland,  Jr., 
William  Manifee,  Thomas  AVooldridge,  D.  S.  Goodloe,  Sen.,  and 
B.  Merrill.  There  were  connected  with  this  Sunday-school, 
when  first  organized,  one  Superintendent,  six  male  and  six  fe- 
male teachers,  and  seventy-eight  scholars.  Only  two  of  the 
teachers  were  professors  of  religion  when  first  they  connected 
themselves  with  the  work  of  the  school.  In  September,  1829, 
when  it  had  been  in  operation  about  eighteen  months,  the  school 
had  increased  in  the  number  of  pupils,  and  was,  under  the  divine 
blessing,  in  a  prosperous  condition.  Up  to  that  date  thirty- 
seven  of  the  scholars  had  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and 
had,  after  their  justification,  generally  evinced  that  stability  and 
firmness  in  the  Christian  cause  creditable  to  those  of  maturer 
years;  and  the  ten  teachers,  who  when  they  entered  the  school 
were  without  faith  and  without  renewing  grace,  had  obtained 
the  grace  of  regeneration,  and  were  triumphant  in  Christian  ex- 
perience. 

The  preacher  for  Tuscumbia  Station  for  1830  was  the  Rev. 
Robert  Paine.  He  was  also  Superintendent  of  La  Grange  Col- 
lege. He  served  the  two  together,  though  they  were  about  ten 
miles  apart. 

For  1831  the  Rev.  Ambrose  F.  Driskill  was  at  Tuscumbia, 
and  for  1832  the  Rev.  Pleasant  B.  Robinson  was  stationed  at 
Tuscumbia. 

It  is  a  fact  not  without  its  significance  that  from  the  close  of 
the  first  year  as  a  Station  to  the  close  of  1831  Tuscumbia  had 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work. 


341 


an  annual  and  continued  decline  in  its  membership  both  white 
and  colored.  At  the  close  of  1828  there  were  reported  at  Tus- 
cumbia one  hundred  and  fifty-six  white  and  ninety-four  colored 
members;  at  the  close  of  1831  there  were  seventy-two  white  and 
thirty-seven  colored  members.  During  the  year  1832  there  was 
a  gain  of  nine  white  and  three  colored  members.  After  five 
years'  work  there  were  not  half  as  many  members  at  the  town  of 
Tuscumbia  as  there  were  at  the  end  of  one  year. 

There  was  a  Paint  Rock  Circuit  on  the  river  of  that  name, 
which  continued  for  three  years  beginning  with  1824;  there  was  a 
Saint  Clair  Circuit  in  the  county  of  that  name  for  1826  and  1827; 
the  town  of  Claiborne,  in  Monroe  County,  Alabama,  was  a  Station 
for  1827,  and  then  again  for  1830;  the  Oakmulgee  Circuit  first 
appeared  for  1829;  the  Prairie  Circuit  first  appeared  for  1830. 
None  of  these  appointments  has  had  separate  notice,  but  as  they 
were  all  in  the  bounds  of  territory  which  has  passed  in  review 
in  connection  with  other  Circuits,  and  as  they  all  were  only 
temporary,  except  the  last  two  named,  it  is  not  necessary  to  give 
them  special  consideration. 

Florence,  on  the  Tennessee  River,  was  first  made  a  Station  for 
1829,  with  the  Rev.  William  P.  Kendrick  as  preacher.  Accord- 
ing to  the  best  testimony  accessible,  a  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  was  organized  at  that  place  in  1822,  and  of  the 
following  persons:  John  Cox,  a  local  preacher,  Mrs.  Frances 
Cox,  Miss  Mary  Cox,  Thomas  L.  Cox,  James  Cox,  Dr.  Shadrach 
Nye,  John  Kerr,  and  Joseph  Paddleford.  After  that  Society 
was  organized,  and  the  same  year,  Thomas  Farmer  and  Eliza- 
beth Farmer,  husband  and  wife,  and  Jacob  Ellinger,  a  local 
preacher,  moved  to  Florence,  and  being  Methodists  before  they 
came,  they  united  with  the  Society  there.  Farmer  was  a  shoe- 
maker, and  Ellinger,  in  addition  to  being  a  local  preacher^  was 
a  silversmith.  A  large  room  of  a  log  house,  the  residence  of 
John  Cox,  and  the  front  room  of  the  residence  of  Thomas  Far- 
mer, which  was  used  as  a  shoe-shop,  served,  as  occasion  required, 
as  a  place  of  meeting  to  hear  preaching  and  to  hold  class-meet- 
in  o-s.  These  rooms  were  used  for  divine  worship  by  the  Meth- 
odists till  a  Church  was  built  in  1826.  The  first  Church  built 
there  was  on  what  was  then  the  west  side  of  the  town,  and  in 
size  was  about  thirty  by  twenty-four  feet.  That  house  was  aft- 
erward moved  to  where  the  Methodist  Church  now,  1891,  stands. 


342 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


For  1823  a  new  Circuit  was  put  in  the  list  of  appointments, 
and  named  Florence,  and  Nathaniel  E.  Jarratt,  the  son  of  a 
Methodist  preacher,  and  then  about  twenty-two  years  old,  was 
the  preacher  on  that  new  Circuit.  He  located,  an  act  which, 
after  it  was  too  late  to  undo,  he  regretted.  He  died  in  the  State 
of  Mississippi,  in  the  first  month  of  1862.  At  the  end  of  one  year 
the  name  of  the  new  Circuit  was  changed  from  that  of  Florence 
to  Cypress.  Henceforth  till  it  was  made  a  Station,  Florence  was 
in  the  Cypress  Circuit;  and  for  1824,  the  preachers  for  that  place 
and  that  Circuit  were  George  W.  Morris,  and  James  W.  Allen; 
for  1825,  Thomas  Madden;  for  1826,  Jeremiah  Jackson,  and 
Francis  A.  Jarratt;  for  1827,  Elias  Tidwell  and  William  M.  Hol- 
liman;  for  1828,  William  M.  Holliman  and  John  W.  Jones. 
During  1828  a  grand  revival  swept  through  the  Cypress  Circuit. 
In  August  of  that  year  a  Camp-meeting  was  held  near  Florence, 
by  the  Methodists,  at  which  upward  of  one  hundred  persons 
were  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  pardoning  love  of  Christ; 
and  immediately  after  that  meeting  a  gracious  revival  took  place 
at  the  town  of  Florence,  in  which  fifty-five  members  were  added 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  that  place,  while  a  goodly 
number  were  added  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  there.  Other 
Camp-meetings  were  held  in  the  bounds  of  the  Cypress  Circuit, 
and  that  year  there  were  between  two  and  three  hundred  mem- 
bers added  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  that  Circuit. 
That  grand  revival  and  large  increase  in  the  membership  at 
Florence  induced  that  place  to  attempt  to  proitide  for  a  preacher 
all  their  own,  and  at  the  end  of  the  Conference  year  Florence 
was  made  a  Station  and  the  Cypress  Circuit,  for  the  time  being, 
went  on  without  it.  The  Cypress  Circuit  for  the  series  of  years 
beginning  with  its  organization  at  the  close  of  1822  to  the  close 
of  1828  had  a  steady  growth  in  membership.  At  the  end  of  the 
first  year  of  its  existence  there  were  reported  in  its  bounds  one 
hundred  and  seventy-seven  white  and  thirty-one  colored  mem- 
bers, and  at  the  close  of  1828  the  number  was  five  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  white  and  seventy-six  colored  members.  At  that 
period  the  revival  culminated,  and  for  the  next  four  years,  or 
from  that  time  till  the  close  of  1832  the  Circuit  did  not  more 
than  hold  its  own  in  numbers.  The  Cypress  Circuit  was  named 
for  a  large  creek  of  that  name  which  forms  a  junction  with  the 
Tennessee  Kiver  not  far  from  the  town  of  Florence. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         343 


H 


John  Cox,  the  local  preacher,  and  the  leading  man  in  that 
first  Society  at  Florence,  was  born  at  Portsmouth,  England,  and 
was  inducted  into  Methodism  and  licensed  a  local  preacher  un- 
der the  administration  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodists.  It  is  not 
known  exactly  when  he  came  to  America.  He  was  in  Marshall 
County,  Kentucky,  as  early  as  1808,  and  lived  in  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  in  the  first  part  of  1821,  and  from  there  he  moved  to 
Florence,  Alabama.  He  was,  in  addition  to  being  a  local 
preacher,  the  class  leader  of  that  first  Society  in  Florence, 
and  he  was  well  qualified  for  and  admirably  adapted  to  the  du- 
ties of  that  office.  He  knew  the  Scriptures,  and  was  pious  and 
zealous.  His  class-meetings  were  profitable  and  edifying.  He 
was  a  tower  of  strength.  Mrs.  Frances  Cox  was  the  wife  of 
John  Cox,  the  local  preacher,  and  the  mother  of  Miss  Mary 
Cox,  Thomas  L.  Cox,  and  James  Cox.  She  was  born  in  England, 
and  was  the  daughter  of  the  Kev.  Thomas  Longley,  who  was  one 
of  the  preachers  and  expounders  of  God's  Holy  Word,  under 
the  care  and  in  connection  with  John  Wesley,  and  who  was 
named  by  Mr.  Wesley  in  his  Deed  of  Declaration  made  and 
signed  February  28, 1784.  She  was  prompt  and  punctual  in  at- 
tendance upon  the  services  of  the  Church,  and  was  a  woman  of 
beautiful  Christian  character,  amiable,  humble,  pious,  and 
pure.  Miss  Mary  Cox  demonstrated  her  faith,  and  attested  her 
fidelity  by  searching  out  the  poor  and  caring  for  them,  and  by 
visiting  and  nursing  the  sick.  By  marriage  she  became  Mrs. 
George,  and  she  last  lived  in  Selma,  Alabama.  She  departed 
hence^to  heaven,  whither,  by  her  alms  and  prayers,  her  memo- 
rial had  preceded  her.  Thomas  L.  Cox  was  about  thirteen  years 
old  when  that  Society  at  Florence  was  organized.  He  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  about 
one  year  before  he  became  a  member  of  that  Society  at  Flor- 
ence. In  1833  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  in  November  of 
that  year  he  was  received  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  Conference, 
and  immediately  transferred  to  the  Alabama  Conference,  and 
for  1834  he  was  on  the  Buttahatchee  Circuit;  for  1835  he  was  on 
Centerville  Circuit,  these  two  appointments  being  in  the  State 
of  Alabama.  At  the  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  at  Tus- 
kaloosa,  beginning  December  16,  1835,  he  was  received  into  full 
connection,  and  on  the  Conference  Sunday  he  was  ordained  a 
deacon,  and  at  the  close  of  the  session  of  the  Conference  he  was 


344 


Historif  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


assigned  to  the  Chickasawhay  Circuit,  but  his  work  was  done. 
On  January  18, 1836,  a  hemorrhage  brought  him  to  the  gates  of 
death,  and  he  soon  passed  through  the  gates  in  grand  triumph. 
He  died  in  Mobile,  Alabama. 

John  Kerr,  one  of  the  eight  who  constituted  that  first  Meth- 
odist Society  at  Florence,  Alabama,  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 
He  came  to  America  in  1817,  and  in  the  very  year  the  Society 
at  Florence  was  organized  he  was  recommended,  as  by  Disci- 
pline provided,  as  a  suitable  person  for  the  traveling  connection, 
and  in  pursuance  thereof  at  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Con- 
ference at  Ebenezer,  Green  County,  near  Greenville,  East  Ten- 
nessee, in  October,  1822,  he  was  admitted  on  trial,  and  trans- 
ferred in  that  relation  to  the  Virginia  Conference,  in  the  bounds 
of  which  he  spent  his  days  and  found  his  grave.  He  attained 
to  the  full  offices  of  the  ministry,  and  did  successful  work  for 
many  long  years.  He  was  a  quiet,  modest,  and  retiring  man, 
who  never  sought  earthly  preferments.  He  continued  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Conference  till  his  translation  to  the  paradise  on 
high.     He  died  March  31,  1865. 

Jacob  EUinger,  the  local  preacher,  and  the  silversmith,  who 
came  into  that  first  Society  at  Florence  just  after  its  organiza- 
tion, joined  the  Tennessee  Conference  in  the  latter  part  of  1826, 
and  continued  therein  till  the  close  of  1831.  He  afterward  moved 
to  Kentucky.     Till  life's  fitful  close  he  maintained  the  faith. 

Thomas  Farmer,  the  shoe-maker,  was  emotional,  and  demon- 
strative. He  went  about  the  streets  and  from  house  to  house 
declaring  his  joy  and  delivering  to  his  neighbors  exhortations 
on  the  subject  of  religion.  He  died  in  Florence.  His  wife, 
Elizabeth  Farmer,  lived  to  an  uncommon  old  age.  She  ended 
her  long  pilgrimage  at  Florence,  patient,  and  pious  to  the  last 

Thomas  J.  Crowe  became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  at  Florence  as  early  as  1824,  and  was  an  active 
member  for  a  number  of  years,  but  for  some  reason,  now  not 
known,  he  withdrew  from  the  Church,  and  ever  after  stood 
aloof  from  her  communion.  When  he  died  he  was  buried  with 
Christian  service,  and  on  the  occasion  a  suitable  sermon  was 
preached  by  that  local  preacher  and  judicial  officer,  the  Rev.  and 
Hon.  William  B.  Wood,  a  man  who,  for  his  work  for  Methodism 
at  Florence  and  the  surrounding  country,  deserves  a  monument. 

Mrs.  Martha  Brandon,   whose  earthly  pilgrimage  was  pro- 


JUDGE  WILLIAM  B..  WOOD. 


(344) 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         345 


^ 


longed  beyond  that  of  all  her  descendants,  was  for  more  than 
half  a  century  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
Florence,  she  having  affiliated  at  that  place  as  early  as  1824, 
and  there  continued  in  the  communion  until  her  death.  Her 
upright  life  was  a  power  for  good,  and  in  class-meetings  and  in 
love  feasts  she  constantly  declared  her  love  of  God  and  at- 
tested her  confidence  in  his  goodness.  She  was  without  guile 
and  without  hypocrisy. 

James  Sample,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Martha  Brandon,  and  his 
wife,  Mrs.  Parthenia  Sample,  a  daughter  of  Gov.  Hugh  McVay, 
became  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Flor- 
ence by  or  before  1826.  James  Sample  was  a  leader  in  every 
good  work.  In  building  houses  of  worship,  in  sustaining  Camp- 
meetings,  in  hospitality,  in  benevolence,  in  prayer,  and  in  song, 
he  led  the  active,  generous,  and  worshiping  hosts.  He  was  de- 
voted to  the  Lord,  and  addicted  to  his  service.  His  wife,  Par^ 
thenia  Sample,  whose  life  was  not  long,  was  a  woman  of  Chris- 
tian zeal  and  of  Christian  hospitality.  She  died  in  Florence. 
James  Sample  married  the  second  time,  and  sometime  in  the 
fifth  decade  of  this  nineteenth  century  he  removed  from  Flor- 
ence to  the  State  of  Mississippi,  where  he  died  iu  1864. 

The  style  of  the  appointment  and  the  names  of  the  preach- 
ers were  as  follows:  for  1830:  Florence  and  South  Florence,  Ja- 
cob B.  Crist;  for  1831:  Florence  and  South  Florence,  Lorenzo 
D.  Overall;  for  1832:  Florence,  Wilson  L.  McAlister. 

For  some  reason  the  Florence  Station  did  not  flourish,  and  at 
the  close  of  1832  it  was  relegated  to  the  Cypress  Circuit.  At 
the  close  of  its  first  year  as  a  Station  there  were  sixty  white  and 
twenty-eight  colored  members;  at  the  close  of  1830  there  were 
forty  white  and  twenty-eight  colored  members;  at  the  close  of 
1831  there  were  forty-eight  white  and  twenty  colored  members; 
and  at  the  close  of  1832  there  were  thirty-seven  white  and  sev^ 
enteen  colored  members.  The  decline,  in  a  weak  place  as  that 
was,  was  very  great,  and  very  perceptible,  and  exceedingly  em- 
barrassing. Everything  was  so  feeble  that  the  order  of  having' 
a  Station  was  abandoned  and  Florence  was  in  the  Cypress  Cir- 
cuit for  1833  and  1834. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  the  town  of  Courtland, 
Lawrence  County,  just  nine  years  after  the  town,  by  Legislative 
enactment,  had  been  incorporated,  undertook  to  sustain  a  Sta- 


346 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         347 


tion,  and  for  1829  and  1830  Lorenzo  D.  Overall,  a  single  man, 
but  an  elder,  was  the  preacher  in  charge.  The  flock  consisted 
of  eighty-six  white  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  colored 
members.  For  1830  the  towns  of  Athens  and  Triana,  they  to- 
gether having  a  membership  of  sixty,  constituted  a  pastoral 
charge,  under  the  oversight  of  the  Rev.  James  W.  Allen;  and 
the  next  year  Courtland  and  Athens  were  put  together  with  Al- 
len as  preacher  in  charge.  The  two  places,  Courtland  and  Ath- 
ens, had  one  hundred  and  eight  white  and  one  hundred  and  five 
colored  members.  Failing  to  sustain  the  position  of  a  Station, 
Courtland  fell  back  into  the  Franklin  Circuit,  and  never  ap- 
peared as  a  Station  any  more  until  1859.  Athens  fell  back  into 
the  Limestone  Circuit,  where  it  remained  until  1836. 

Under  discouragements  and  disabilities  incident  to  ailments, 
the  Rev.  James  W.  Allen,  in  November,  1831,  located.  During 
an  itinerant  ministry  of  nine  years  he  filled  acceptably  the  lead- 
ing Stations  at  that  day  in  the  Tennessee  Conference.  At  Ath- 
ens, Alabama,  where  he  did  his  last  itinerant  work,  he  was  re- 
leased from  earth's  sufferings  and  woes,  on  Monday,  October  1, 
1838,  and  in  the  cemetery  at  that  place  his  comrades  buried  his 
body.  There,  through  him  who  is  the  resurrection  and  the  life, 
he  will  rise  out  of  the  grave,  and  from  thence  he  will  go  up  to 
meet  the  Judge  of  quick  and  dead. 

In  1817,  Andrew  Dexter,  from  somewhere  in  the  antislavery 
States,  located  a  town  in  south-east  and  south-west  quarters  of 
Section  seven.  Township  sixteen.  Range  eighteen,  in  Alabama 
Territory,  and  named  it  New  Philadelphia.  In  1818,  a  Land 
Company,  with  some  cash,  though  without  a  soul,  located  anoth- 
er town  on  Section  twelve.  Township  sixteen.  Range  seventeen, 
and  adjoining  New  Philadelphia,  and  named  it  East  Alabama. 
In  the  same  year,  some  parties  made  au other  town  just  west  of 
the  two  here  above  named,  and  called  it  Alabama  Town.  These 
towns,  all  in  such  proximity,  were  rivals  of  each  other.  The  fol- 
lowing quotation  from  the  Laws  of  Alabama  will  show  the  time 
and  manner  of  the  origin  of  the  town  named  therein,  as  well  as 
the  place  of  its  location,  and  the  limits  assigned  to  it  at  the  first: 

"Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives 
of  the  State  of  Alabama,  in  general  assembly  convened,  That  all 
that  tract  of  land  situate  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Alabama  River, 
of   the   following  description,  viz.:    Fraction  number  twelve, 


Township  sixteen,  Range  seventeen,  south-east  and  south-west 
quarters  of  Section  number  seven,  Township  sixteen,  Rauge 
eighteen,  including  all  that  part  of  the  river  lying  opposite  to 
said  Fraction,  within  sixty  yards  of  its  margin,  in  the  County  of 
Montgomery,  is  hereby  incorporated,  and  shall  be  called  and 
known  by  the  name  of  the  town  of  Montgomery."  That  act 
was  passed  December  3,  1819.  That  act  of  incorporation  con- 
solidated the  towns  of  New  Philadelphia  and  East  Alabama,  and 
obliterated  their  names,  and  left  the  Alabama  Town  to  carry  on 
its  conflict  and  prosecute  its  rivalry  with  the  newly  incorporat- 
ed and  newly  named  town  as  best  it  could.  Alabama  Town  dis- 
appeared in  the  on-going  of  matters. 

The  moral  status  of  Montgomery  during  the  first  decade  of 
its  existence  was  suggestive  of  apathy,  lethargy,  and  even  things 
worse.  In  truth,  for  two  decades  and  a  half  the  place  was  openly 
and  shamelessly  immoral.  During  that  period  of  its  existence 
a  move  profligate  place  was  not  to  be  found  in  Alabama.  For  the 
first  decade  of  its  existence  there  was  not  an  organized  Church  at 
the  place,  nor  was  there  thereat  a  house  of  worship  in  any  proper 
condition  for  divine  service.  Some  missionary  under  the  auspices 
of  some  Home  Missionary  Society  of  that  day,  visited  Montgom- 
ery, in  1828  and  in  the  middle  of  that  year  wrote  an  account  of 
the  religious  condition  of  the  place  at  that  time,  which  was  pub- 
lished in  the  Family  Visitor  and  Telegraph,  a  paper  issued  from 
Richmond,  Virginia,  in  which  the  following  statement  is  made: 

"  The  town  of  Montgomery,  situated  on  the  River  Alabama, 
in  Alabama,  contains  about  twelve  hundred  inhabitants,  of 
which  five  or  six  only  are  professors  of  religion.  They  have  a 
Meeting-house,  which  is  not  yet  finished,  though  commenced 
several  years  ago.  They  have  no  regular  preaching,  sometimes 
none  at  all  for  five  or  six  weeks  together.  The  Bible  is  seldom 
seen  or  used  by  the  inhabitants,  except  in  courts  of  justice, 
where  it  is  used  in  the  way  of  business,  as  if  a  sight  of  the  Holy 
Book  would  operate  as  a  charm  to  bind  the  conscience,  while  its 
truths  and  sanctions  are  unknown  and  unheeded.  As  to  religion 
or  morality,  there  is  little  of  either  in  the  place.  These  facts 
are  derived  from  a  source  on  which  we  may  rely  with  confidence. 
The  condition  of  this  town  is  an  index  of  the  moral  state  of 
many  places  in  the  south  and  west,  where  the  people  perish  be- 
cause there  is  no  vision." 


348 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


This  statement  was  copied  into  the  Christian  Advocate  and 
Journal  and  Zion's  Herald,  of  September  12,  1828,  a  paper  pub- 
lished in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  the  Editor  made  such  com- 
ments upon  the  facts  set  forth  as  he  deemed  proper  and  perti- 
nent, whereupon  the  Alabama  Journal,  a  newspaper  published 
at  Montgomery,  gave  the  Editor  of  the  Christian  Advocate  a  se- 
vere castigation,  charging  him  with  entertaining  an  uncharitable 
opinion  of  the  religious  character  of  the  citizens  of  Montgomery. 
The  Editor  of  the  Christian  Advocate  in  response  to  the  writers 
for  the  Alabama  Journal,  and  in  defense  of  himself  against  their 
castigation  and  accusation,  proposed  to  them  that  if  they  would 
furnish  him  a  well  autlienticated  statistical  account  of  the  re- 
ligious state  of  the  town  of  Montgomery,  he  would  publish  the 
account  for  the  information  of  his  readers,  and  do  all  he  could 
in  that  way  to  roll  away  any  reproach  which  had  been  innocent- 
ly brought  on  the  people  of  Montgomery.  No  report — statistical, 
authenticated,  or  otherwise — was  ever  presented,  and  for  the  very 
reason  that  none  could  be  furnished  which  would  be  creditable 
to  the  people  of  the  place,  or  that  would  discredit  the  statements 
which  had  been  made  and  published,  and  under  which  they 
writhed  and  raged.  They  writhed  and  raged,  but  they  never  de- 
nied the  substantial  facts  which  had  been  published. 

The  Montgomerif  Bepublican,  a  newspaper  published  at  Mont- 
gomery, and  afterward  changed  in  name  to  the  Alabama  Journal, 
announced  in  its  issue  of  February  17,  1821 :  "  We  are  about  to 
begin  preparations  for  erecting  a  place  of  public  worship." 
Look  at  the  words  used  and  see  how  far  that  people  were  from 
even  the  prospect  of  having  a  place  of  public  worship.  "  We 
are  about  to  begin  preparations  for  erecting!  "  That  was  not  even 
a  beginning  of  preparation.  Nothing  ever  came  of  it.  In  the 
early  part  of  1823,  an  address  was  set  forth  to  the  people  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Moses  Andrew,  a  local  preacher  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  at  that  time  living  at  Montgomery,  and  Wil- 
liam Sayre,  a  Presbyterian,  declaring  that  "  Montgomery  is  be- 
coming conspicuous  for  its  advantages,  and  is  already  respecta- 
ble for  its  size  and  population"  and  "there  is  not  a  house  of 
worship  among  us,"  and  setting  out  a  document  for  subscription 
with  sums  attached  to  be  paid  for  erecting  a  house  of  worship 
at  Montgomery,  which  should  be  "open  to  all  orthodox  minis- 
ters," and  not  "belong  exclusively  to  any  denomination  of  Chris- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.  349 


tians."  July  10,  1823,  at  a  meeting  of  some  of  the  citizens  of 
the  place,  held  for  the  purpose,  preliminary  steps  were  taken  to 
erect  a  house  of  worship,  and  by  the  end  of  that  year  a  house, 
forty-eight  feet  long  and  twenty-four  feet  wide,  was  commenced, 
on  a  lot  owned  by  a  Land  Company.  After  herculean  efforts, 
sometime  in  1825,  a  weather-boarded  and  covered  frame  stood 
forth  as  the  product  of  the  benevolence  of  the  whole  people  of 
Montgomery.  In  that  rough,  unceiled,  unfinished  condition, 
without  a  pulpit  and  without  seats  for  a  congregation,  it  stood 
for  at  least  four  long  years.  A  school-master,  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, and  for  his  own  personal  accommodation,  put  some  sort 
of  school  furniture  in  it  and  occupied  it  as  a  school-house. 
The  court-house  was  the  place  where  divine  service  was  held 
when  a  passing  or  visiting  preacher  happened  along;  or,  in  ab- 
sence of  the  court-house  some  private  residence  was  used,  and 
this  was  the  case  until  the  latter  part  of  1829. 

This  criminal  neglect  of  the  house  of  God  and  of  the  institu- 
tions of  religion  in  a  growing  town,  where,  as  early  as  1822,  it 
was  boastfully  stated,  "  the  mercantile  business  done  here  very 
far  exceeds  that  of  any  town  of  the  same  magnitude  we  have 
ever  known,"  is  found  in  the  character  of  the  people  who  gath- 
ered there,  and  controlled  the  public  sentiment  of  the  place.  It 
did  not  originate  in  the  fact  that  there  were  no  preachers  in  the 
country.  The  preachers  were  accessible,  and  could  have  been 
had,  but  they  were  rather  neglected  and  rejected  than  sought 
for  and  appreciated.  The  public  advertisements  and  public  no- 
tices of  that  day  reveal  the  character  of  the  citizens  of  that  town 
at  that  time.  In  the  beginning  of  1821,  one  merchant  of  the 
place  advertised  that  he  had  for  sale  or  exchange  "whisky,  gin, 
cognac  brandy,  sugar,  and  molasses  per  barrel;"  and  another 
"  offered  for  sale  six  barrels  of  sugar,  five  of  gin,  four  of  whisky, 
four  of  rum; "  and  still  another  "  offered  in  a  general  assortment 
of  goods  forty  barrels  of  whisky,  four  barrels  of  gin;  "  and  yet 
another  had  "just  received  a  general  assortment  of  sugar,  tea, 
coffee,  rum,  wine,  tobacco;"  and  on  Independence  Day,  "a 
grand  ball  was  given  at  Montgomery  Hall."  In  October,  1822, 
was  made  this  announcement:  "We  are  pleased  to  hear  that 
there  will"  be  a  public  ball  in  this  town  on  Wednesday,  the  30th 
inst.  .  .  .  This  elegant  amusement,  which  tends  so  much 
to  refine  and  polish  the  manners  and  soften  the  asperities  of  life, 
23 


350 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


we  hope  will  not  be  discontinued  during  the  winter."  In  De- 
cember, 1823,  the  following  announcement  was  made:  "The 
Montgomery  races  will  commence  on  Thursday  next,  and  con- 
tinue three  days.  A  new  race-course  is  progressing  near  the 
villa^re.  The  gentlemen  of  the  turf  meet  at  the  court-house  this 
day  to  form  a  jockey  club.  It  is  probable  that  a  jockey  club 
ball  will  be  given  during  next  year's  races  for  the  gratification  of 
the  ladies."  Preaching  and  piety  never  find  much  appreciation 
with  people  who  are  given  up  to  balls  and  brandy,  jigs  and  gin, 
mammon  and  mirth,  and  races  and  rum. 

The  first  preacher  who  exercised  his  ministry  at  Montgomery, 
Alabama,  was  the  Eev.  James  King,  a  local  preacher  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  born  1782,  and  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1800.  He  married  in  1802. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  180G,  and  was  ordained  a  deacon, 
by  Bishop  William  McKendree,  in  Wilmington,  North  Carolina, 
in  1816.  He  preached  as  a  local  preacher  in  North  Carolina  for 
twelve  years,  when  he  moved  to  Alabama.  He  says  over  his 
own  signature:  "  On  the  21st  of  April,  1819, 1  removed  with  my 
family  to  Alabama.  I  arrived  at  Alabama  Town,  where  I  met 
with  some  of  my  North  Carolina  friends,  who  prevailed  upon 
me  to  stop  there  for  the  year.  My  ministerial  labors  during 
that  year  were  as  follows:  One  Sabbath  at  Alabama  Town— the 
next  at  Philadelphia  (now  Montgomery).  I  was  the  first  li- 
censed preacher  that  ever  preached  in  that  place.  This  was  one 
of  the  years  of  great  trial  and  privation  to  me,  there  being  no 
regularly  organized  Society,  and  I  heard  but  one  sermon 
preached  during  the  time.  In  the  winter  of  1819,  I  removed  to 
Conecuh  Eiver."  The  greater  p;irt  of  the  remainder  of  his  life 
he  spent  in  Conecuh  and  Wilcox  Counties.  He  was  a  local 
preacher  to  his  death,  which  occurred  January  12,  1870.  He 
was  buried  at  Oak  Hill,  Wilcox  County,  Alabama.  He  was  a 
plain,  good  man. 

On  Sunday,  August  26,  1821,  the  Kev.  James  H.  Mellard, 
then  a  local  preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  liv- 
ing in  Autauga  County,  Alabama,  conducted  divine  service  in 
the  court-house,  in  Montgomery,  the  town  being  without  a 
Church.  The  Eev.  Peyton  S.  Graves,  one  of  the  preachers  on 
the  Alabama  Circuit  at  the  time,  was  announced  to  perform  di- 
vine service  at  the  court-house  at  Montgomery,  between  three 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work. 


351 


and  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  Sunday,  October  20,  1822. 
No  doubt,  from  time  to  time  other  preachers  held  services  at 
the  court-house,  of  which  there  is  no  record.     The  local  and 
itinerant  Methodist  preachers  in  passing  to  and  fro  preached 
occasionally  in  the  court-house  from  year  to  year,  though  there 
was  no  organized  Society  in  the  place.     The  Presbyterians  and 
Baptists  likewise  had  services  occasionally  in  the  court-house, 
conducted  by  their  own  i)reachers,  though  neither  of  these  de- 
nominations organized  a   Church   in  the  town  until  after  the 
Methodists   had  organized  a  Society.     It  has  been  stated  by 
what  ought  to  be  good  authority  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  organized  September  15,  1829,  in  the  Church  built 
in  the  town  for  all  denominations.     This  statement  is  made  by 
M.  P.  Blue,  Esq.,  in  his  "  Churches  of  the  City  of  Montgomery, 
Alabama."     For  good  reasons  it  is  believed  that  the  Eev.  James 
H.  Mellard  organized  a  Society  in  Montgomery  in  the  latter 
part  of  1828.     That  was  the  year  he  was  on  the  Alabama  Cir- 
cuit as  preacher  in  charge,  and  the  Alabama  Circuit  was  the 
Circuit  which  was  round  about  Montgomery,  and  to  which  the 
Mills  and  Westcott  Meeting  House  belonged,  and  it  was  just 
about  that  time  that  the  "Associated  Methodist  Eeformers" 
were  agitating  and  disrupting  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  that  section  of  Alabama  and  in  other  places.     It  was  just 
then  that  the  Eev.  Peyton  S.  Graves,  the  junior  preacher  on  the 
Alabama  Circuit  with  the  Eev.  James  H.  Mellard  in  charge, 
took  his  leave  of  tlie  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  led  the 
hosts  of  the  "Eeformers"  thereabout.     All  these  things  con- 
spire in  the  support  of  the  statement  that  the  Society  was  or- 
ganized in  Montgomery  in  the  last  months  of  1828.     The  Soci- 
ety first  organized  consisted  of  about  ten  members— nine  women 
and  one  man,  and  a  number  of  these  had  up  to  that  time  held 
their  membership  at  the  Mills  and  Westcott  Meeting  House, 
two  miles  from  town. 

For  a  number  of  years  that  Society  experienced  great  incon- 
veniences and  many  annoyances  from  a  want  of  a  suitable  place 
of  worship.  That  noted  unfinished  house  started  for  a  place  of 
worship,  and  which  did  not  belong  exclusively  to  any  denomi- 
nation of  Christians,  was  still  there,  was  still  there  in  a  state  of 
chaos,  tne  ownership  in  all  denominations,  and  the  titles  in  no 
one,  except  that  the  titles  to  the  lot  on  which  the  structure  stood 


352 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


were  in  a  Land  Company.  Yes,  that  structure  was  still  there, 
and  just  enough  of  it,  and  under  just  such  environments  as  to 
be  inadequate  to  any  good  purpose.  Invested  rights  and  joint 
claims  made  complete  the  something  and  the  nothing!  The 
pittance  of  money  invested,  the  mutual  ownership  involved,  the 
endless  chatter  about  the  fraternity,  good  will,  and  Christian 
union  expressed  and  sustained  through  the  use  of  a  Union 
Church  made  complications  which  the  wisdom  of  the  serpent 
and  the  blamelessness  of  the  dove  combined  could  not  control. 
That  incomplete  structure,  then  under  decay,  could  neither  be 
held,  nor  turned  loose:  could  neither  be  kept,  nor  gotten  rid  of. 
It  was  offered  and  rejected,  released  and  retained.  It  was  a 
source  of  friction,  and  an  object  of  strife.  Satan  hindered  Paul 
by  the  agency  of  the  persecuting  Jews,  and  Satan  hindered  the 
few  Christians  of  Montgomery  by  the  agency  of  that  structure 
called  a  Union  Church.  It  was  a  damage  to  all  the  denomina- 
tions, a  blight  upon  the  common  cause,  a  public  nuisance. 

Notwithstanding  the  smallness  of  the  Society  and  the  incon- 
veniences under  which  said  Society  labored,  by  then  the  organ- 
ization was  little  more  than  a  year  old  steps  were  taken  to 
secure  the  services  of  a  Station  preacher,  and  at  the  session  of 
the  Mississippi  Conference  beginning  December  17,  1829,  the 
Kev.  Benjamin  A.  Houghton  was  appointed  to  the  town  of 
Montgomery  for  the  next  year.  He  did  his  work  faithfully,  and 
notwithstanding  the  many  disadvantages,  added  on  probation, 
and  by  certificate,  and  otherwise,  fourteen  persons  during  the 

year. 

The  Eev.  Eobert  D.  Smith  was  the  preacher  on  the  Mont- 
gomery Station  for  1831.  The  work  in  the  year  prospered,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  year  there  were  reported  sixty-four  white  and 
thirty-five  colored  members. 

The  preacher  for  Montgomery  Station  for  1832  was  the  Rev. 
Seymour  B.  Sawyer,  who  was  when  he  entered  on  his  work 
there  just  twenty -four  years  old,  and  a  single  man.  That  was 
his  first  pastoral  charge,  his  first  appointment  as  an  itinerant 
preacher.  That  was  a  year  of  great  prosperity  to  the  Society 
at  Montgomery  in  the  addition  of  members.  There  was  an  in- 
crease of  forty-six  white  and  ninety-two  colored  members. 
The  whole  membership  more  than  doubled  and  the  colored 
membership  more  than    tripled    during   the    year.     Notwith- 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  W^ork.         353 


standing  the  Methodists  of  the  town  of  Montgomery  were, 
at  the  beginning  of  1832,  oppressed  with  impecuniosity  and 
absolute  poverty,  and  notwithstanding  they  were  then  without 
tenure  or  temple,  and  notwithstanding  an  adversary  at  that  time 
with  malicious  purpose  persistently  enterprised  their  defeat  in 
possessing  themselves  of  a  place  of  worship,  and  notwithstand- 
ing the  untoward  had  then  reached  the  utmost  bound,  victory 
came  to  the  sacred  cause,  and  there  was  during  that  year  per- 
ceptible advancement  and  positive  improvement  in  the  temporal 
affairs  of  the  Society.  The  end  of  the  distress  and  the  end  of 
the  strife  came  at  last,  and  the  notorious  Union  Church  with 
the  parcel  of  ground  on  which  it  stood  passed  into  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  lot  on  which 
stood  the  Union  Church  belonged,  as  already  stated,  to  the  Ala- 
bama Company.  Tiiat  Company  sold  the  lot  and  house  at  pub- 
lic auction.  The  Methodists  bid  for  the  property,  but  withdrew 
from  the  contest  before  it  was  closed  because  the  property  ran 
to  a  price  beyond  their  financial  ability  to  pay.  The  property 
was  closed  out  to  General  John  Scott  for  the  sum  of  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  General  Scott,  though  not  a  member  of  the 
Church,  generously  donated  it  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  for  use  as  a  place  of  worship.  One  liberal  man  was 
found  where  there  ought  to  have  been  many,  and  that  was  a 
joyous  day  with  that  feeble  band  of  Christian  workers.  The 
deed  was  made  by  the  Alabama  Company  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  was  executed  May  9,  1832,  by  John  Giu- 
drat  and  John  H.  Thorington,  Agents  of  the  Alabama  Company, 
to  John  G.  Rush,  Robert  Harwell,  Zachariah  Fields,  Neil  Blue, 
Thomas  Hattchett,  Robert  Parker,  and  Andrew  Crossley,  Trus- 
tees of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

At  the  session  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  at  Tuskaloosa, 
Alabama,  beginning  November  24,  and  adjourning  December  4, 
1830,  the  Greene  Circuit  was  placed  in  the  list  of  appointments, 
and  the  Rev.  Ralph  G.  Christopher  put  in  charge  of  it  for  1831, 
the  statements  of  his  obituary  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 
The  Greene  Circuit  occupied  the  country  between  the  Tuska- 
loosa or  Black  Warrior  and  the  Tombigbee  Rivers,  and  extend- 
ed from  the  junction  of  these  rivers  into  Pickens  county. 

In  order  to  give  the  names  of  the  men  who  composed  the 
Quarterly  Conference  and  the  names  of  the  Societies  which 


354  History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 

constituted  the  Greene  Circuit  at  the  time  of  its  organization, 
as  well  as  a  sample  of  the  order  of  the  business  of  a  Quarterly 
Conference  of  that  time  the  Minutes  of  the  First  Quarterly 
Conference  held  for  that  Circuit  are  transcribed  here  in  full: 

"Minutes  of  the  First  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference  held  for 
Greene  Circuit  at  Ebenezer,  March  12,  1831. 

Members  present:  Kobert  L.  Kennon,  P.  E.;  E.  G.  Christo- 
pher, A.  P.;  John  R  Lambuth,  L.  R;  Eeuben  Mason,  L.  D.; 
Benjamin  Williams,  C.  L.;  William  Eaney,  C.  L.;  Duncan 
McPhail,  C.  L. 

Q.  1.  Are  there  any  complaints? 
A.  None. 

Q.  2.  Are  there  any  appeals? 
A.  None. 

Brother  Eeuben  Mason  was  received  as  a  member  of  the  Con- 
ference by  letter  from  the  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference. 
Appointment  of  Stewards. 

The  following  persons  were  nominated  by  the  preacher  in 
charge  and  elected  by  the  Conference:  J.  N.  Thompson,  Benja- 
min  Williams,    William   Anderson,   and    John    E.   Lambuth. 
John  E.  Lambuth  was  elected  Eecording  Steward. 
A  list  of  Societies  rendered  to  the  Stewards: 

Ebenezer $  7  10 

Salem 4  70 

Thompson's 3  50 

Springfield 4  00 

Bay's 0  00 

Everett's 1  50 

$20  62J 
Amount  of  Quarterage  paid  to  E.  L.  Kennon: 

Expenses $  1  62J 

Quarterage 5  00 

Paid  to  E.  G.  Christopher: 

Quarterage 14  00 

No  further  business  before  the  Conference,  it  adjourned  to 
meet  again  on  the  10,  11,  and  12  of  June,  at  Salem. 

E.  L.  Kennon,  P.  E. ; 

John  E.  Lambuth,  Secty." 
There  is  a  mistake  in  adding  the  totaL 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work. 


355 


Ebenezer  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  Portland,  just  above 
the  junction  of  the  Black  AVarrior  and  the  Tombigbee.  The 
Eev.  John  E.  Lambuth,  a  local  preacher,  and  his  wife's  family, 
Kirkpatric,  held  membership  there.  The  Eev.  John  E.  Lambuth 
was  the  father  of  the  Eev.  John  W.  Lambuth,  so  long  a  Mis- 
sionary in  China  and  Japan.  John  W.  Lambuth  was  born 
near  Ebenezer.  Springfield,  one  of  the  Societies  named  above, 
was  two  or  three  miles  east  of  north  of  the  town  of  Eutaw. 
In  two  years  the  Greene  Circuit  was  enlarged  until  it  took  in 
Hargrove's  Church,  in  Pickens  County,  and  had  eighteen  or 
more  appointments.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year  there  were 
on  the  Greene  Circuit  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  white  and 
sixty-two  colored  members. 

The  preacher  on  the  Greene  Circuit  for  1832  was  William 
Weir.  That  was  his  second  year  in  the  Conference  on  trial. 
The  first  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  year  was  held  at  Salem, 
the  second  at  Ebenezer,  and  the  third  at  Thompson's  Meeting 
House,  July  21, 1832,  w^here  and  when  it  was:  "Eesolved,  That, 
this  Quarterly  Conference  do  concur  with  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference of  the  Prairie  Creek  Circuit  in  the  resolution  to  carry 
into  effect  the  provisions  of  the  Discipline  for  the  support  of 
the  traveling  preachers  and  their  families;  and  that  we  do  ap- 
point J.  E.  Lambuth  one  of  our  Delegates  to  attend  a  Meeting 
of  Delegates  from  the  different  Circuits  and  Stations  in  the 
bounds  of  the  Tuskaloosa  District  in  order  to  devise  means  to 

effect  this  object.'* 

Certainly  there  was  a  necessity  in  that  day  for  inaugurating 
and  executing  plans  and  devising  means  for  supporting  the 
traveling  preachers  and  their  families,  and  the  resolutions 
adopted  indicated  that  there  were  some  persons  connected  with 
the  Prairie  Creek  and  the  Greene  Circuits  who  appreciated  the 
work  of  the  ministry  and  understood  the  obligations  of  the  peo- 
ple in  the  premises.  A  correct  enumeration  of  the  sufferings 
endured  and  the  burdens  borne  by  the  priests  of  the  sanctuary 
of  that  day  brought  to  them  and  laid  upon  them  by  the  mea- 
eerness  of  the  means  of  subsistence  and  the  actual  scarcity  of 
bread  would  a  narrative  unfold  stranger  than  fiction.  The  peo- 
ple literally  refused  to  let  the  men  who  had  sown  unto  them 
spiritual  things  reap  their  carnal  things,  they  refused  to  let  them 
even  glean  among  the  sheaves,  or  about  the  hedges.    The  chil- 


356 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


dren  of  the  priest  of  the  sanctuary  often  needed  bread,  and  few 
from  among  the  people  gave  unto  them.  The  persons  and  the 
ofl&ces  of  the  priests  were  not  respected,  and  the  elders  were  not 
favored.  The  people  were  as  cruel  as  the  ostrich  of  the  wilder- 
ness, which  is  hardened  against  her  young  ones,  as  though  they 
were  not  hers.  The  Eev.  Kobert  L.  Kennon,  the  presiding 
elder  of  the  Tuskaloosa  District,  a  man  of  noble  spirit,  of  com- 
plete graces,  of  brilliant  talents,  wise  in  counsel,  efficient  in  ad- 
ministration, the  noblest  among  the  noble,  the  chiefest  among 
thousands,  continually  going  forth  making  the  crooked  ways 
straight,  breaking  in  pieces  the  gates  of  brass,  cutting  in  sun- 
der the  bars  of  iron  for  the  liberation  of  captive  souls,  bringing 
forth  to  the  people  the  hidden  riches  of  secret  places,  and  open- 
ing to  them  the  very  fountains  of  bliss  and  immortality,  actual- 
ly presided  over  Quarterly  Conferences  and  departed  with  the 
pitiful  receipt  of  five  and  six  dollars,  and  sometimes  no  receipt 
whatever. 

There  is  a  well  authenticated  tradition  that  Edward  Clement 
with  his  family  moved  to  where  Greenesborough,  Alabama,  now 
is,  in  1820,  when,  at  the  place,  there  were  but  a  few  persons  and 
a  few  log  houses,  and  in  the  course  of  a  year  or  two  he  built  a 
well  framed  and  neatly  weatherboarded  and  ceiled  house,  on 
the  lot,  where,  now,  in  1891,  stands  the  court-house  of  Hale 
County,  and  as  he  intended  it  for  a  Hotel,  and  used  it  for  that 
purpose,  he  named  it  the  "  Planter's  Inn."  In  that  Inn,  on 
April  7,  1823,  was  ])orn  James  A.  Clement,  the  eleventh  child 
and  seventh  son  of  Edward  and  Margaret  Clement.  By  an  act 
of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of 
Alabama,  passed  and  approved  December  24,  1823,  the  town  of 
Greenesborough,  in  Greene  County,  was  incorporated.  In  1823 
the  Rev.  Ralph  Griffin  Christopher,  M.D.,  a  local  elder  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  moved  to  Greene  County,  Ala- 
bama, and  in  the  neighborhood  of  Greenesborough.  Im- 
mediately Edward  Clement,  who  was  a  Methodist  in  South 
Carolina  before  he  came  to  Alabama,  invited  Dr.  Christopher  to 
preach  at  Greenesborough,  and  furnished  to  the  preacher  and 
his  audience  as  a  place  for  preaching,  the  reception  room  of  the 
Planter's  Inn.  In  that  reception  room  of  the  Hotel,  James  A. 
Clement,  in  the  same  year  he  was  born,  was  baptized,  by  Dr. 
Christopher;  and  there,  in  the  same  room,  and  in  the  same 


The  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.         357 


year,  the  year  1823,  Dr.  Christopher  organized  a  Methodist  So- 
ciety, the  first  ever  organized  at  Greenesborough.  Edward 
Clement  and  Margaret  Clement,  his  wife,  and  two  of  their 
daughters  were  members  of  that  new  Society.  There  is  a  tra- 
dition that  there  were  six  members  of  that  original  Society. 
Who  the  other  two  were  is  not  now  certainly  known,  but  the  in- 
dications are  that  Thomas  M.  Johnson  and  Eliza  A.  Johnson 
were  the  other  two;  they  were  there  in  the  beginning  of  things, 
and  a  long  while  members  of  that  Society,  with  their  names  at 
the  head  of  the  list.  The  Rev.  John  DuBoise  joined  at  Greenes- 
borough, by  certificate,  December  21,  1834,  Dr.  William  Jones 
joined  there,  on  trial,  November  22,  1835,  and  Robert  Dickens 
was  received  in  the  Church  there  in  1834,  and  other  prominent 
members  about  the  same  time,  and  still  others  in  still  later 
years,  so  it  is  evident  that  they  were  not  of  the  original  six. 

One  zealous  and  liberal  man  can  do  much  for  the  cause  of 
religion.     There  is  a  tradition  which  says  that  in  the  time  from 
1823   to  1826  John  Nelson,  who  was   not  a  member  of  any 
Church,  donated  a  lot  in  the  town  of  Greenesborough,  and  on 
it,  with  his  own  labor  and   means,  Edward  Clement  built  a 
house   of  worship  for  the  use  of   the   Methodist    Episcopal 
Church.     The  oldest  Deed  on  record  made  to  the  Methodists  of 
Greenesborough  was  made  March  12,  A.D.  1836,  and  was  made 
by  John  May,  James  Yeates,  and  Francis  Thomas,  Commis- 
sioners of  Greenesborough,  and  was  made  to  Andrew  AValker, 
Robert  Dickens,   William    Jones,   and  Thomas  M.   Johnson, 
Trustees   of   the   Methodist   Episcopal   Church.     The   lot   to 
which  the  Deed  is   made  is  designated   as  lot  No.  Fifty- four 
in  the  plan  and  plot  of  the  Town  of  Greenesborough,  in  the 
County  of  Greene,  lying  upon  the  back  Alley  in  said  Town, 
and  north  of    Main   Street,   and    directly  north   of  Lot  No. 
Twelve,  and  containing  one  half  acre  more  or  less.     It  is  the 
same  lot  now  owned  by  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  (Zion) 
Church.     It  is  not  known  where  Mr.  John  Nelson,  who  donated 
the  lot  for  the  use  of  the  Methodists  in  the  town  of  Greenes- 
borough, was  born.     His  donations,  and  the  donations  out  of 
his  accumulations,  have  been  a  benefit  to  Methodism  about 
Green  esborough. 

Mr.  Edward  Clement  was  born  in  Amelia  County,  Virginia, 
September  21,  1780.     His  wife,  Margaret  Clement,  nee  Mont- 


358 


History  of  Metliodism  in  Alabama, 


gomery,  and  related  to  the  poet  of  that  name,  was  born  in  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania,  November  7, 1780.  During  their  minor- 
ity, Edward  Clement  and  Mai-garet  Montgomery  went  to  Spar- 
tanburg District,  South  Carolina,  where  they  became  acquaint- 
ed, and  where,  about  1800,  they  married.  Soon  after  marriage 
they  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  1826  Mr. 
Clement  removed  from  Greenesborough  and  settled  six  miles 
from  the  place  on  the  road  leading  to  Centerville.  He  moved 
asain  and  settled  in  four  miles  of  Gainesville,  Sumter  County, 
Alabama,  where  he  died  September  21,  1841.  He  was  buried 
at  Gainesville.  There  he  held  his  membership  while  he  lived 
four  miles  from  the  place.  He  was  a  muscular  man,  weighing 
about  two  hundred  pounds.  He  was  a  man  of  decision,  and  of 
purpose.  Though  a  man  of  few  words,  he  was  affable  in  spirit, 
and  social  in  disposition.  He  was  pronounced  on  all  questions 
of  temperance,  integrity,  and  piety.  He  led  his  household  in 
righteousness.  During  all  the  years,  nearly,  he  was  in  the 
communion  of  the  Church  he  was  a  class  leader,  and  enjoyed 

the  meetings. 

Mrs.  Margaret  Clement  died  in  Perry  County,  Alabama,  in 
the  summer  of  1855,  and  she  was  buried  at  Mount  Hermon 
Church  in  that  County,  and  eight  miles  from  Greenesborough. 
She  was  a  woman  of  Christian  principle,  and  of  steadiness  of 

character. 

James  A.  Clement,  who  was  baptized  in  the  reception  room 
of  the  Planter's  Inn,  in  his  infancy,  and  in  the  same  year  the 
Methodist  Society  was  organized  there,  made  a  preacher,  an 
able  preacher,  and  was  long  a  member  of  the  Alabama  Confer- 
ence. He  was  licensed  to  preach  at  Mount  Hermon  Church, 
on  the  Centerville  road,  eight  miles  from  Greenesborough,  in 

October,  1842. 

Greenesborough  was  first  named  in  the  appointments  of 
1832,  and  was  put  down  in  the  following  style:  Greenesborough, 
Erie,  etc.,  Thomas  S.  Abernathij.  At  the  end  of  the  year  the 
charge  was  reported  as  having  sixty-one  white  and  thirty-one 
colored  members. 


CHAPTEE  XV. 

Annual  Conferences,  Distkicts,  and  Presiding  Elders  in 

Alabama. 

DUKING  the  period  of  years  from  the  beginning  of  1808 
till  the  close  of  1832,  just  a  quarter  of  a  century,  several 
Annual  Conferences  held  jurisdiction  and  operated  in  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  Territory  set  off  in  1817  and  named  Alabama. 
During  that  period  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  the  Western 
Conference,  or  the  Tennessee  Conference,  the  Mississippi  Con- 
ference, and  the  Georgia  Conference  occupied  some  part  of 
what  is  now  Alabama.  From  the  beginning  of  1808  till  the 
close  of  1811  the  Tombecbee  Charge  was  attached  to  the  Oconee 
District  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  with  the  Ptev.  Josiah 
Eandle  one  year  and  the  liev.  Lovick  Pierce  three  years  presid- 
ing elder.  As  stated  in  a  former  chapter,  neither  of  these  pre- 
siding elders  ever  visited  the  Tombecbee  work.  At  the  close  of 
1811  the  Tombecbee  Circuit  was  attached  to  the  MississipjDi  Dis- 
trict of  the  Western  Conference,  and  for  1812  the  Eev.  Samuel 
Dunwoody  was  api^ointed  presiding  elder.  The  Tombecbee 
Circuit  was  then  the  only  pastoral  charge  which  in  that  section 
touched  what  is  now  Alabama.  For  some  reason  unknown  the 
Eev.  Samuel  Dunwoody  did  not  go  to  the  Mississippi  District, 
but  was  changed  and  appointed  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 
Who  took  his  place  on  the  District  is  not  known.  For  1813  the 
Tombecbee  Circuit  was  in  the  Mississippi  District  of  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference,  the  Eev.  Samuel  Sellers,  presiding  elder, 
and  for  1814,  1815,  1816  it  was  in  the  Mississippi  District  of 
the  Mississippi  Conference,  the  Eev.  Samuel  Sellers,  presiding 
elder.  Through  those  years  the  Mississippi  Conference  existed 
provisionally,  and  under  contingent  conditions  and  perplexing 
circumstances.  It  was  while  the  Eev.  Samuel  Sellers  was  pre- 
siding elder  of  the  Mississippi  District,  and  as  such  had  super- 
vision of  the  Tombecbee  Circuit,  the  terrible  massacre  of  Fort 
Mims  took  place,  and  the  Creek  Indians  and  the  British  Na- 
tion waged  war  to  the  danger  and  detriment  of  every  one  in 

(359) 


358 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


gomery,  and  related  to  the  poet  of  that  name,  was  born  in  the 
iState  of  Pennsylvania,  November  7, 1780.  During  their  minor- 
ity, Edward  Clement  and  Margaret  Montgomery  went  to  Spar- 
tanburg District,  South  Carolina,  where  they  became  acquaint- 
ed, and  where,  about  1800,  they  married.  Soon  after  marriage 
they  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  1826  Mr. 
Clement  removed  from  Greenesborough  and  settled  six  miles 
from  the  place  on  the  road  leading  to  Centerville.  He  moved 
again  and  settled  in  four  miles  of  Gainesville,  Sumter  County, 
Alabama,  where  he  died  September  21,  1841.  He  was  buried 
at  Gainesville.  There  he  held  his  membership  while  he  lived 
four  miles  from  the  place.  He  was  a  muscular  man,  weighing 
about  two  hundred  pounds.  He  was  a  man  of  decision,  and  of 
purpose.  Though  a  man  of  few  words,  he  was  affable  in  spirit, 
and  social  in  disposition.  He  was  pronounced  on  all  questions 
of  temperance,  integrity,  and  piety.  He  led  his  household  in 
righteousness.  During  all  the  years,  nearly,  he  was  in  the 
communion  of  the  Church  he  was  a  class  leader,  and  enjoyed 

the  meetings. 

Mrs.  Margaret  Clement  died  in  Perry  County,  Alabama,  in 
the  summer  of  1855,  and  she  was  buried  at  Mount  Hermon 
Church  in  that  County,  and  eight  miles  from  Greenesborough. 
She  was  a  woman  of  Christian  principle,  and  of  steadiness  of 

character. 

James  A.  Clement,  who  was  baptized  in  the  reception  room 
of  the  Planter's  Inn,  in  his  infancy,  and  in  the  same  year  the 
Methodist  Society  was  organized  there,  made  a  preacher,  an 
able  preacher,  and  was  long  a  member  of  the  Alabama  Confer- 
ence. He  was  licensed  to  preach  at  Mount  Hermon  Church, 
on  the  Centerville  road,  eight  miles  from  Greenesborough,  in 

October,  1842. 

Greenesborough  was  first  named  in  the  appointments  of 
1832,  and  was  put  down  in  the  following  style:  Greenesborough, 
Erie,  etc.,  Thomas  S.  Abernathij.  At  the  end  of  the  year  the 
charge  was  reported  as  having  sixty-one  white  and  thirty-one 
colored  members. 


CHAPTEE  XY. 

Annual  Conferences,  Distkicts,  and  Pkesiding  Elders  in 

Alabama. 

DUKING  the  period  of  years  from  the  beginuiug  of  1808 
till  the  close  of  1832,  just  a  quarter  of  a  century,  several 
Annual  Conferences  held  jurisdiction  and  operated  in  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  Territory  set  off  in  1817  and  named  Alabama. 
During  that  period  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  the  Western 
Conference,  or  the  Tennessee  Conference,  the  Mississippi  Con- 
ference, and  the  Georgia  Conference  occupied  some  i)art  of 
what  is  now  Alabama.  From  the  beginning  of  1808  till  the 
close  of  1811  the  Tombecbee  Charge  was  attached  to  the  Oconee 
District  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  with  the  Piev.  Josiali 
Eandle  one  year  and  the  liev.  Lovick  Pierce  three  years  presid- 
ing elder.  As  stated  in  a  former  chapter,  neither  of  these  pre- 
siding elders  ever  visited  the  Tombecbee  work.  At  the  close  of 
1811  the  Tombecbee  Circuit  was  attached  to  the  Mississippi  Dis- 
trict of  the  Western  Conference,  and  for  1812  the  Eev.  Samuel 
Dunwoody  was  appointed  presiding  elder.  The  Tombecbee 
Circuit  was  then  the  only  pastoral  charge  which  in  that  section 
touched  what  is  now  Alabama.  For  some  reason  unknown  the 
Eev.  Samuel  Dunwoody  did  not  go  to  the  Mississippi  District, 
but  was  changed  and  appointed  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 
Who  took  his  place  on  the  District  is  not  known.  For  1813  the 
Tombecbee  Circuit  was  in  the  Mississippi  District  of  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference,  the  Eev.  Samuel  Sellers,  presiding  elder, 
and  for  1814,  1815,  1816  it  was  in  the  Mississippi  District  of 
the  Mississippi  Conference,  the  Eev.  Samuel  Sellers,  presiding 
elder.  Through  those  years  the  Mississippi  Conference  existed 
provisionally,  and  under  contingent  conditions  and  perplexing 
circumstances.  It  was  while  the  Eev.  Samuel  Sellers  was  pre- 
siding elder  of  the  Mississippi  District,  and  as  such  had  super- 
vision of  the  Tombecbee  Circuit,  the  terrible  massacre  of  Fort 
Mims  took  place,  and  the  Creek  Indians  and  the  British  Na- 
tion waged  war  to  the  danger  and  detriment  of  every  one  in 

(359) 


3G0 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Annual  ConferenceSy  Districts,  and  Presiding  Elders.      361 


that  section.  Sellers  was  the  only  presiding  elder  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi Conference  for  1816,  and  at  four  consecutive  Annual 
sessions  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  he  was  the  President,  no 
Bishop  being  present.  Bishop  Eobert  R.  Roberts  reached  the 
session  held  October,  1816,  and  presided  during  the  last  days  of 
the  occasion,  Sellers  having  presided  and  guided  the  affairs  iu 
the  first  and  advancing  i)art  of  the  session.  At  that  session  of 
the  Conference  Sellers  located,  having  completed  his  eleventh 
year  of  an  itinerant  ministry.  He  lived  only  a  few  years  after 
he  located.  He  was  physically  well  formed,  though  hardly  of 
medium  size,  and  he  was  of  hardy  mold,  though  his  complexion 
was  fair  and  his  hair  was  of  light  color.  In  his  mental  and 
moral  make-up  he  was  a  man  of  poise.  He  was  an  animated 
preacher,  a  leader  of  men,  and  an  administrator  of  ecclesiastical 
affairs. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Griffin  was  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi District  with  the  Tombecbee  Circuit  in  it  for  1817  and 
1818. 

The  Flint  Circuit  was  organized  by  a  missionary,  a  part  of  it 
being  in  what  is  now  Madison  County,  Alabama,  and  it  was  one 
of  the  appointments  of  the  Western  Conference  for  1810,  and 
for  that  and  the  next  year  was  in  the  Cumberland  District,  with 
the  Rev.  Learner  Blackman,  presiding  elder,  and  for  the  next 
seven  years  it  was  in  the  Nashville  District,  three  of  the  years 
Learner  Blackman  being  the  presiding  elder,  and  the  other  four 
years  the  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Douglass  being  the  presiding  elder. 

In  less  than  one  short  year  after  he  left  the  District  in  which 
the  Flint  Circuit  was  one  of  the  appointments  the  Rev.  Learner 
Blackman  camQ  to  the  terminus  of  life  and  labor.  He  was 
drowned  in  the  Ohio  River,  near  Cincinnati.  He  and  his  wife 
were  traveling  in  a  carriage,  and  in  crossing  the  river  in  an  open 
ferry-boat,  the  horses  which  drew  the  carriage  became  fright- 
ened and  leaped  from  the  boat  into  the  river,  and  drew  him  who 
held  the  reins  into  the  river  with  them,  and  the  powerful  billows 
swept  him  down,  and  instantly  extinguished  his  life.  His  body 
was  recovered  and  buried  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  He  was  a  native 
of  New  Jersey.  He  was  about  thirty-four  years  old,  and  he  had 
been  an  itinerant  preacher  about  sixteen  years.  Though  he  was 
snatched  away  before  he  had  reached  the  meridian  of  life,  he 
had  made  proof  of  his  ministry.     His  parish  actually  extended 


from  the  Delaware  Bay  on  the  east  to  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Sabine  River  on  the  west,  and  from  twenty-ninth  degree  of  north 
latitude  on  the  south  to  the  Ohio  River  on  the  North.  He 
preached  amid  the  luxuriant  cornfields  of  the  State  of  Dela- 
ware, in  the  swamps  of  Mississippi  and  Louisiana,  and  about 
the  Cumberland  Mountains  and  in  the  Great  Bend  of  the  Ten- 
nessee River.  In  the  discharge  of  ministerial  duty  he  traversed, 
back  and  forth,  time  and  again,  the  wilderness  where  dwelt  the 
Indian  in  his  savage  life  and  barbarous  habits.  He  did  hard 
and  successful  work.  He  was  a  man  of  polite  manners,  of 
great  energy,  and  of  Christian  zeal  without  any  offensive  eccen- 
tricities. In  the  midst  of  his  usefulness  and  in  the  midst  of  his 
domestic  bliss  he  was  hurried  home  to  God  and  to  glory. 

At  the  Annual  Conference  convened  in  October,  1818,  and  at 
which  the  appointments  were  made  for  the  next  year,  the  Dis- 
tricts were  re-arranged,  and  the  Tennessee  River  District  of  the 
Tennessee  Conference,  and  the  Alabama  District  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Conference  were  made,  and  these  two  Districts  contained 
all  the  appointments  then  in  Alabama  Territory.  That  year  and 
the  next  the  Tennessee  River  District  was  composed  of  the 
same  pastoral  charges,  except  one  Circuit,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas 
D.  Porter  was  the  presiding  elder.  That  District  has  been  de- 
scribed, and  the  Rev.  Thomas  D.  Porter  has  been  sketched  in  a 
preceding  chapter. 

The  Alabama  District  was  constituted  of  three  pastoral 
charges,  two  of  them  in  Mississippi,  and  one,  the  Tombecbee 
Circuit,  in  Alabama.  The  next  year  the  Alabama  Circuit  was 
added  to  it,  and  for  1821  the  District  was  still  further  enlarged 
by  the  addition  of  the  Conecuh  Circuit.  During  these  throe 
years  the  Rev.  Thomas  Griffin  was  the  presiding  elder  of  that 
Alabama  District. 

At  the  session  of  the  Conference  in  December,  1832,  he  located, 
having  been  in  the  itinerant  ministry  twenty-three  years.  He 
started  in  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  and  on  reception  into 
full  connection  in  that  Conference  he  was  sent  to  Louisiana.  He 
was  henceforth  a  member  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  till  his 
location.  He  was  born  in  Virginia,  at  what  time  is  not  known, 
but  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the  frontiers  of  Georgia,  in  Ogle- 
thorpe County.  He  was  of  Welch  descent,  and  his  mold,  features, 
complexion,  carriage,  and  traits  of  character  clearly  indicated 


362 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Annual  Conferences,  Districts,  and  Presiding  Elders,      363 


his  nationality.  He  was  about  medium  height,  sallow  in  com- 
plexion, sturdy,  industrious,  decided,  and  firm.  His  mother  was 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Cliurch,  and  his  father  was  of  that 
faith,  thou^rh  not  initiated.  Thomas  Griffin  was  inducted  into  a 
Christian  experience,  into  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
into  the  ministry  in  early  life.  His  parents  were  much  opposed 
to  his  engagement  to  the  itinerant  ministry,  but  he  was  true  to 
his  convictions.  He  was,  when  he  started  in  the  ministry,  very 
limited  in  his  literary  attainments,  but  he  was,  notwithstanding 
that,  a  great  singer,  and  a  rousing,  stirring  preacher,  fearless, 
earnest,  plain,  direct.  He  did  much  for  Christianity  under  the 
auspices  of  Methodism  in  Alabama,  Louisiana,  and  Mississippi. 
He  married  one  of  the  daughters  of  the  Eev.  John  Ford,  who 
lived  so  long  on  Pearl  Eiver. 

At  the  close  of  1820  there  was  a  change  made  in  the  bounda- 
ries of  the  Tennessee  Eiver  District,  and  a  new  district  was 
made  and  called  Cahawba.  By  the  new  arrangement  the  Ten- 
nessee District  was  all  north  of  the  Tennessee  River,  and  the 
Cahawha  District  extended  from  the  Coosa  River,  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mulberry  Creek,  and  the  Alabama  River  on  the 
south  to  the  Tennessee  River  on  the  north,  and  from  AVills 
Creek,  the  Cherokee  Indian  line,  on  the  east  to  the  Tombigbee 
River  on  the  west,  and  was  composed  of  the  Cahawba,  Franklin, 
Marion,  and  Tuskaloosa  Circuits;  and  Jones's  Valley,  Lawrence, 
and  New  River  Circuits  were  added  to  it  when  they  were  made. 

For  1S21  the  Rev.  Thomas  D.  Porter  was  presiding  elder  of 
the  Tennessee  District;  and  the  presiding  elder  on  it  for  1822 
was  the  Rev.  William  McMahon,  and  at  the  close  of  1822  the 
name  of  the  District  was  changed  to  Huntsville,  and  the  Rev. 
"William  McMahon  continued  on  it  as  presiding  elder  for  1823 
and  1824.  The  presiding  elder  of  the  Alabama  District  for  1822, 
1823,  182-1  was  the  Rev.  Nicholas  Mclntyre.  For  1821  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Nixon  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Cahawba  District, 
and  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Cahawba  Circuit.  The  presiding 
elder  of  the  Cahawba  District  for  1822  was  the  Rev.  John  C. 
Burruss,  and  he  was  followed  on  the  District  by  the  Rev.  Alex- 
ander Sale,  who  served  it  for  1823,  1824. 

While  his  parents  were  in  transit  from  Scotland  to  America 
on  the  high  seas,  the  Rev.  Nicholas  Mclntyre  was  born,  Octo- 
ber, 1700.     By  his  father's  dying  charge,  received  when  he  was 


/ 


about  eighteen  years  old,  he  was  aroused  to  a  realization  of  his 
lost  condition,  and  when  he  was  about  twenty  years  of  age  he 
obtained  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  the  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  He  was  recommended  from  the  Santee  Circuit,  and  was 
admitted  on  trial  in  the  traveling  connection  by  the  South  Car- 
olina Conference  in  session  at  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  Jan- 
uary  14,  1814.  In  January,  1820,  he  was  sent  from  the  South 
Carolina  Conference,  a  missionary  to  the  Mississippi  Conference, 
and  from  then  until  his  death,  which  occurred  August  15, 1824, 
he  preached  in  Alabama.  He  was  the  presiding  elder  of  the 
Alabama  District  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  true,  able, 
faithful,  and  successful. 

The  Rev.  John  C.  Burruss  started  in  the  Virginia  Confer- 
ence, being  received  on  trial  in  February,  1814,  and  into  full 
connection  in  January,  1816,  and  locating  at  the  same  time,  and 
for  about  six  years  he  was  a  local  preacher,  and  most  of  that 
time,  or  at  least  a  part  of  that  time,  he  lived  in  the  Franklin 
Circuit,  in  Franklin  and  Lawrence  Counties,  Alabama.  He  was 
a  brother  of  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Sale.  He  was  a 
brother  of  Richard  Burruss,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  at  Ebenezer,  near  Courtland,  Alabama, 
and  at  one  time  a  trustee  of  the  Church.  This  Richard  Bur- 
russ was  a  man  who  judged  the  qualities  and  metal  of  a  horse 
with  great  accuracy,  and  a  man  who  obtained  and  lost  religion 
every  year — he  obtained  it  in  the  summer,  and  lost  it  in  the 
winter.  He  once,  so  it  is  reported,  saw  the  Saviour  in  a  hickory 
tree,  and  he  finally  turned  Universalist.  The  Rev.  John  C. 
Burruss  was  re-admitted  to  the  traveling  connection  in  the 
Mississippi  Conference  at  the  time  he  was  appointed  presiding 
elder  of  the  Cahawba  District.  He  made  a  greater  impression 
as  a  preacher  in  the  bounds  of  the  Cahawba  District  than  any 
other  preacher  of  that  day.  He  was  somewhat  of  a  scholar, 
having  made  considerable  literary  attainments,  and  he  was  ornate 
in  his  style,  and  quite  a  fluent  speaker.  He  was  for  four  years, 
and  while  a  member  of  the  Conference,  President  of  the  Eliza- 
beth Female  Academy  at  Washington,  Mississippi,  and  for  two 
years,  while  a  member  of  the  Conference,  he  was  Agent  of  the 
American  Colonization  Society.  He  was  stationed  in  New  Or- 
leans, Louisiana,  for  1835,  and  at  the  close  of  that  year  he  lo- 
cated. 


364 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Annual  Conferences^  Districts,  and  Presiding  Elders,      365 


The  General  Conference  in  May,  1824,  changed  the  bounda- 
ries of  the  Tennessee  and  the  Mississippi  Conferences,  and  the 
Tennessee  Conference  was  so  bounded  as  to  include  that  part  of 
North  Alabama  watered  by  those  streams  flowing  into  the  Ten- 
nessee Eiver.     That  extended  the  Tennessee  Conference  further 
South  than  it  had  been  hitherto,  and  made  a  re-arrangement  of 
the  Districts  necessary.     The  Franklin  and  Lawrence  Circuits, 
hitherto  in  the  Mississippi  Conference,  were,  under  the  new 
boundaries,  in  the  Tennessee  Conference.     At  the  close  of  1824 
the  Districts  were  arranged  according  to  the  order  of  the  new 
boundaries  of  the  Conferences,  and  the  Huntsville  District  was 
re-arranged,  and  under  its  new  form  extended  entirely  across 
the  State  of  Alabama,  from  the  Georgia  line  on  the  east  to  the 
Mississippi  line  on  the  west,  and  including  in  its  bounds  all  the 
pastoral  charges  in  Alabama  belonging  to  the  Tennessee  Con- 
ference, except  the  Shoal  and  Cypress  Circuits,  which  were  for 
four  years,  beginning  with  1825,  in  Forked  Deer  District,  and 
then  for  four  years,  closing  with  1832,  with  Florence,  m  the 
Eichland  District.     The  Cahawba  District  in  the  changes  of 
boundaries  lost  the  Franklin  and  Lawrence  Circuits,  and  was 
given  the  Alabama  Circuit;  and  the  Alabama  District,  giving  up 
the  Alabama  Circuit,  took  in  the  Mobile  andPensacola  Mission. 
At  the  same  time  the  Tallahassee  District  of  the  South  Caro- 
lina Conference,  which  had  in  it  the  Chattahoochee  Circuit, 
which  was  partly  in  Alabama,  was  made,  and  the  next  year  that 
District  took  in  other  pastoral  charges  in  Alabama. 

For  five  years  in  succession,  beginning  with  1825  and  closing 
with  1820,  the  Eev.  William  McMahon  was  presiding  elder  of 
the  Huntsville  District,  the  provisions  of  the  Discipline  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding.  The  appointments  to  the  Indians 
was  attached  to  the  Huntsville  District  through  these  years. 
The  Kev.  William  McMahon  was  a  grand  man.  He  moved  with 
imperial  step,  and  with  the  moral  tread  of  a  giant,  and  his  ad- 
ministration was  royal  and  righteous.  For  1830,  1831,  and  1832 
the  Rev.  Joshua  Boucher  was  the  presiding  elder  for  the  Hunts- 
ville District. 

For  four  years,  beginning  with  1825  and  closing  with  1828, 
the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hearn  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Alabama 
District,  and  the  four  succeeding  years,  closing  with  1832,  the 
Rev.  James  H.  Mellard  was  presiding  elder  of  this  District. 


For  four  years,  beginning  with  1825  and  closing  with  1828, 
the  Rev.  Robert  L.  Kennon  was  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Ca- 
hawba  District;  and  for  1829  and  1830  the  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Hearn  was  the  presiding  elder  on  it;  and  for  1831  and  1832  the 
boundaries  of  the  District  were  somewhat  changed,  and  the 
name  was  changed  to  Black  Warrior,  and  the  Rev.  Robert  L. 
Kennon  was  the  presiding  elder. 

For  1832  there  was  a  Tombecbee  District,  and  the  Rev.  Eb- 
enezer Hearn  was  the  presiding  elder. 

For  four  years,  beginning  with  1825,  the  Rev.  Josiah  Evans 
was  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Tallahassee  District;  and  for  the 
next  four  years,  closing  with  1832,  the  Rev.  Zaccheus  Dowling 
was  the  presiding  elder  of  this  District,  with  its  boundaries 
greatly  changed. 

For  one  year  each  the  Rev.  Lewis  Garrett,  the  Rev.  Robert 
Paine,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  Smith  was  presiding  elder  of  the 
Forked  Deer  District,  with  Shoal  and  Cypress  Circuits  within 
the  District.  For  three  years,  the  years  1830,  1831,  1832, 
the  Rev.  James  McFerrin  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Richland 
District  with  Shoal  and  Cypress  Circuits  in  the  District 

There  were  in  the  State  of  Alabama,  at  the  close  of  1832, 
when  the  Alabama  Conference  was  organized,  in  round  num- 
bers, about  twelve  thousand  Methodists,  the  number  of  twa 
thousand  being  colored  members.     There  were  at  work  in  the 
State,  at  that  date,  about  sixty-five  itinerant  preachers.     It  is 
not  possible  to  ascertain  the  number  of  local  preachers  then  in 
the  State.     The  above  estimate  of  twelve  thousand  does  not 
count  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  at  that 
time  in   the   State  of  Alabama;   and  the  sixty-five  itinerant 
preachers  is  exclusive  of  the  itinerant  preachers  of  that  Church. 
The  Methodist  Protestant  Church  claimed  in  the  latter  part  of 
1830  to  have  in  Alabama,  eight  hundred  and  eighty-one  mem- 
bers; and  in  1833  they  claimed  to  have  in  the  State  one  thou- 
sand members.     That  Church  also  claims  to  have  commenced 
in  1829  with  sixteen  preachers. 
24 


N 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama. 


367 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama. 

THAT  part  of  Alabama  within  the  following  designated 
lines  has  a  peculiar  history  and  a  special  interest:  A  line 
beginning  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Coosa  River  opposite  the 
mouth  of  Wills  Creek;  running  from  thence  down  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  Coosa  River  to  a  point  one  mile  above  the  mouth  of 
Cedar  Creek,  thence  east  two  miles,  thence  south  two  miles, 
thence  west  to  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Coosa  River,  thence 
down  the  eastern  bank  thereof  to  the  upper  end  of  the  We- 
tumpka  Falls,  thence  east  from  a  true  meridian  line  to  a  point 
due  north  of  the  mouth  of  Okfuskee  Creek,  thence  south  by  a 
true  meridian  line  to  the  mouth  of  Okfuskee  Creek  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Tallapoosa  River,  thence  up  the  Okfuskee  to 
a  point  where  a  direct  course  will  cross  the  same  at  the  distance 
of  ten  miles  from  the  mouth  thereof,  thence  a  direct  line  to  the 
junction  of  the  Summochico  Creek  and  the  Chattahoochee 
River;  from  thence  along  the  eastern  line  of  the  State  of  Ala- 
bama to  one  mile  above  the  north  line  of  Township  fourteen; 
from  thence  a  direct  line  to  the  beginning  point  on  the  Coosa 
River  opposite  the  mouth  of  Wills  Creek.  The  territory  en- 
closed by  the  foregoing  lines  was  the  last  of  the  ancient  domain 
of  the  Creek  Indians,  ceded  by  them  to  the  United  States,  and 
they  ceded  it  by  treaty  made  March  24,  1832;  and  it  was  in  the 
bounds  of  this  territory  that  Mission  Stations  and  Mission 
work  for  the  Creek  Indians  were  located,  and  was  prosecuted 
by  the  South  Carolina  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  The  Creek  Indians  resisted  unto  blood,  striving 
against  the  surrender  of  the  land  of  their  fathers  to  the  white 
man;  some  of  them  resisted  unto  blood  even  when  the  time  of 
their  departure  by  the  terms  of  the  Treaty  had  arrived;  and  it  is 
not  surprising.  No  deeper  affliction,  no  more  trying  ordeal  can 
befall  a  people  than  the  dispossession  of  their  native  land,  than 
separation  from  the  land  and  graves  of  their  ancestors.  It  is, 
therefore,  not  strange  that  these  aborigines  resisted  the  issue, 
(366) 


though  they  might  have  known  that  it  was  folly  to  fight  against 
the  inevitable,  and  to  resist  that  which  had  already  been  con- 
summated. 

Noted  history  and  special  interest  attach  also  to  that  part 
of  Alabama  enclosed  by  the  following  designated  lines:  Com- 
mencing at  the  Tennessee  River,  opposite  the  Chickasaw  Is- 
land, running  from  thence  a  due  south  course  to  the  top  of  the 
dividing  ridge  between  the  waters  of  the  Tennessee  and  Tom- 
bigbee  Rivers,  thence  eastwardly  along  said  ridge,  leaving  the 
head  waters  of  the  Black  Warrior  to  the  right  hand,  until  op- 
posed by  the  West  branch  of  Wills  Creek,  down  the  east  bank 
of  said  creek  to  the  Coosa  River;  from  thence  a  direct  line  to 
the  eastern  line  of  the  State  of  Alabama  one  mile  above  the 
north  line  of  Township  fourteen;  from  thence  along  the  eastern 
line  of  the  State  of  Alabama  to  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
State;  from  thence  along  the  northern  line  of  Alabama  to  the 
Tennessee  River;  from  thence  along  the  southern  bank  of  the 
Tennessee  River  to  the  starting  point  opposite  the  Chickasaw 
Island.  The  territory  embraced  within  the  foregoing  lines  was 
of  the  last  portion  of  the  ancient  domain  of  the  Cherokee  In- 
dians ceded  by  them  to  the  United  States.  They  ceded  it,  as 
the  last  portion  of  land  owned  by  them  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
in  a  Treaty  made  December  29,  1835.  It  was  in  that  territory 
and  in  the  adjoining  section  in  Georgia  and  Tennessee  and 
North  Carolina  that  the  Tennessee  Conference  established  Mis- 
sions to  the  Cherokee  Indians. 

The  work  of  opening  a  Mission  and  introducing  Christian 
civilization  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama  by  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  was  provided  for  at  the  Conference  held  at  Col- 
umbia, South  Carolina,  commencing  January  11,  1821,  when 
Bishop  McKendree  appointed  the  Rev.  William  Capers  Mis- 
sionary  in  South  Carolina,  and  to  the  Indians.  For  the  deli- 
cate and  difficult  work  undertaken  no  more  suitable  agent 
could  have  been  selected  than  the  Rev.  William  Capers,  the 
amiable,  intelligent,  and  eloquent  son  of  South  Carolina. 
Funds  had  to  be  secured  to  support  the  enterprise,  and  permis- 
sion for  ministers  of  the  gospel  to  enter  their  territory  and  en- 
gage in  preaching  and  teaching  among  them  had  to  be  obtained 
from  the  Chiefs  of  the  Nation.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Capers  applied  him- 
self diligently  to  the  work,  and  he  succeeded  admirably  in  apart 


368 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


of  the  enterprise.  He  enlightened,  and  enthused  the  Charch  on 
the  subject,  and  secured  liberal  gifts  for  the  enterprise.  He, 
in  September  of  the  year,  accompanied  by  E.  A.  Blount,  a  gen- 
erous and  noble  Christian  gentleman,  and  who,  under  a  com- 
mission for  the  purpose,  in  1826,  superintended  the  running 
and  marking  the  boundary  line  between  Georgia  and  Alabama, 
went  to  the  town  of  Coweta  on  the  Chattahoochee  Kiver  to  lay 
before  the  chiefs  whom  he  might  find  there  the  purposes  of  the 
Church  in  the  premises,  and  to  negotiate  such  articles  of  agree- 
ment as  would  further  the  work.  In  October  he  made  a  second 
visit  to  the  capital  town  of  the  Nation  on  the  Chattahoochee. 
A  National  Council  was  held  in  November,  and  the  Chiefs  of 
the  Nation  in  Council  assembled  agreed  that  a  Mission  might 
be  opened  in  their  country,  and  their  children  might  be  in- 
structed in  Christian  civilization.  Consent  was  given  to  the  in- 
troduction and  prosecution  of  the  work,  but  the  consent  was  nei- 
ther unanimous  nor  hearty.  There  was  strong  opposition  in 
the  Creek  nation  to  having  the  gospel  introduced  among  them. 
The  Indians  were  opposed  to  any  innovations  upon  their  cus- 
toms and  habits. 

In  the  Conference  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  on  Saturday,  February 
23,  1822,  "The  report  of  the  Conference  Missionary  was  read," 
at  the  conclusion  of  which  the  Conference  gave  their  Mission- 
ary a  "  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  for  his  indefatigable  labors, 
wisdom,  prudence,  and  success  in  forming  Missionary  Schools 
among  the  Creek  Indians."  The  efPort  was  made  to  have  two 
Schools  in  the  Nation.  One,  and  the  principal  one,  was  in 
Alabama,  about  one  mile  from  the  Chattahoochee  Kiver,  about 
nine  miles  below  the  present  city  of  Columbus,  and  was  near 
Fort  Mitchell  which  was  afterward  established.  The  second 
School  was  to  be  in  Alabama,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  town 
of  Tuckabatchee  on  the  Tallapoosa  Kiver.  At  the  same  Con- 
ference at  which  the  Keport  of  the  Conference  Missionary  was 
read,  on  the  27th  of  the  month,  it  was  moved  by  Daniel  Hall 
and  seconded  by  William  Capers,  and  unanimously  agreed  to 
by  the  Conference,  "that  the  site  of  our  second  Missionary 
School  which  is  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tuckabatchee 
in  the  Creek  Nation  be  called  McKendree." 

The  appointments  for  1822,  in  which  and  with  which  the  ac- 
tual work  among  the  Creek  Indians  commenced,  are  as  follows: 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama, 


869 


Indian  Mission,  William  Capers,  Superintendent,  with  the 
charge  of  the  collections. 

Asbury  and  McKendree,  Isaac  Smith,  Andrew  Hammill. 

The  Kev.  William  Capers  was  the  Superintendent  of  the  Mis- 
sion for  four  years,  or  from  the  beginning  of  1821  till  the  close 
of  1824.  Then  the  Mission  was  placed  as  a  regular  appoint- 
ment in  a  District,  and  the  presiding  elder  was,  by  his  official 
relation,  the  Superintendent  of  the  Mission.  For  1825,  1826 
the  Kev.  Samuel  K.  Hodges  was  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Dis- 
trict in  which  it  was  placed.  For  1827,  1828  William  Arnold 
was  the  presiding  elder,  and  for  1829  Andrew  Hammill.  Every 
year  during  its  existence  two  preachers  were  assigned  to  the 
Mission.  The  Kev.  Isaac  Smith  was  one  of  the  two  and  in 
charge  for  five  years.  For  1823  the  Kev.  Daniel  G.  McDaniel 
was  with  Mr.  Smith.  For  1824  the  Kev.  Matthew  Kaiford  was 
there  with  him,  for  1825,  1826  the  Kev.  Whitman  C.  Hill.  For 
1827,  1828  the  Kev.  Andrew  Hammill  was  in  charge  of  the 
Mission,  and  the  Kev.  Whitman  C.  Hill  was  his  colleague.  For 
1829  the  Kev.  Nathaniel  H.  Khodes  was  in  charge  of  the  Mis- 
sion, with  Kobert  Kogers  as  colleague.  That  year  closed  the 
Asbury  Mission  in  Alabama. 

W^ben  the  Kev.  William  Capers  was  appointed  Missionary  in 
South  Carolina  and  to  the  Indians  he  was  just  thirty-one  years 
old.  The  Kev.  Isaac  Smith  when  appointed  to  take  charge  of 
the  Asbury  Mission  was  about  sixty-three  years  old,  and  his 
colleague,  the  Kev.  Andrew  Hammill,  was  about  twenty-four 
years  old.  These  men  of  God,  Capers,  Smith,  and  Hammill,  at 
the  beginning  of  1822,  entered  promptly  upon  their  work,  and 
prosecuted  it  with  fidelity.  The  Superintendent,  Mr.  Capers, 
emphasized  the  financial  affairs,  and  with  all  possible  dispatch 
improved  and  fitted  up  the  premises  at  Asbury  for  the  proper 
prosecution  of  the  work  proposed  by  the  Mission.  A  School- 
house  was  built  in  which  Mr.  Smith  opened  a  School.  It  is 
said  that  at  the  opening  he  received  and  enrolled  the  names  of 
twelve  Indian  children,  and  in  a  week  he  had  as  many  more. 
It  appears  that  the  School  which  was  to  be  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  town  of  Tuckabatchee  on  the  Tallapoosa  Kiver  and  called 
McKendree  never  formulated,  and  at  the  end  of  the  first  year 
all  trace  of  it,  even  the  name,  disappeared.  At  Savannah, 
Georgia,  on  Monday  morning,  February  24,  1823,  the  Confer- 


370 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


ence,  in  session,  upon  motion,  referred  Brother  Hammill,  Mis- 
sionary, to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Missionary  Committee  for  set- 
tlement of  his  deficiency  in  salary.  On  the  Wednesday  morn- 
ing following,  "  Brother  Smith  addressed  the  Conference  on  the 
subject  of  the  Mission  at  Asbury." 

That  School  at  Asbury  Station,  one  mile  or  so  west  of  the 
Chattahoochee  Biver  in  Alabama,  was  an  innovation,  and  pro- 
posed radical  changes  in  the  habits  of  the  aborigines.  It  pro- 
posed to  take  the  children  of  savages,  who  in  a  state  of  nudity, 
and  fantastically  and  grotesquely  bedecked  with  the  horns  of 
the  ox,  the  tails  of  beasts,  the  feathers  of  owls,  and  the  talons 
of  hawks,  roamed  the  unbroken  forest  in  degradation,  and 
clothe  them  in  comely  garments,  which  would  give  decency  and 
virtue,  neatness  and  comfort,  and  put  them  in  a  Boarding 
School.  Upon  the  inauguration  of  the  Mission  a  small  farm 
was  opened  in  connection  with  the  School,  and  it  was  kept  up 
as  long  as  the  Mission  and  the  Boarding  School  continued.  As 
late  as  1826  the  farm  was  still  small,  there  being  only  about 
twenty-five  acres  in  cultivation,  and  the  stock  of  cattle  on  it  not 
exceeding  thirty-five  head.  The  farm  was  managed  by  a  man 
hired  for  the  purpose.  In  1825,  and  not  until  then,  the  Mis- 
sionaries obtained  permission  to  engage  the  Indian  children  in 
manual  labor.  In  that  year  the  Bev.  Isaac  Smith,  the  senior 
preacher  of  the  Mission,  obtained  from  the  Little  Prince,  and 
one  of  the  Cusetau  Chiefs  liberty  to  teach  the  native  children 
to  work.  That  order  gave  an  impetus  to  matters,  and  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Mission  was  greatly  improved.  The  children  en- 
gaged in  the  work  of  the  farm  with  promptness  and  with  cheer- 
fulness, such  as  had  not  been  anticipated.  After  the  edict  giv- 
ing permission  to  employ  the  children  in  domestic  labor  and 
instruct  them  in  agriculture  and  the  mechanical  arts,  there  was 
a  necessity  for  domestic  tools  and  manufacturing  implements 
which  was  not  fully  supplied.  The  boys  needed  carpenters* 
tools,  and  the  girls  needed  cards,  wheels,  and  looms.  Some  of 
the  girls  did  attend  to  the  domestic  concerns  of  the  household, 
and  some  learned  to  knit  and  sew.  Some  of  them  became  very 
neat  in  dress. 

The  principal  business  of  the  School,  aside  from  the  imme- 
diate salvation  of  the  soul,  from  its  incipiency  to  its  final  close, 
was  to  instruct  the  children  in  the  ordinary  branches  of  educa- 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama. 


371 


tion.  They  were  taught  reading,  writing,  grammar,  and  arith- 
metic, and  many  of  them  made  gratifying  advancement  in 
these  studies.  Many  competent  judges  who  were  not  associa- 
ted with  the  School,  but  who  attended  the  examinations  of  its 
classes  from  time  to  time,  expressed  in  high  terms  the  excel- 
lence of  the  work  done  in  the  School,  and  declared  in  emphatic 
terms  that  the  pupils  acquitted  themselves   with  credit. 

The  Mission  work  in  the  Creek  Nation  was,  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  end  thereof,  environed  by  many  difficulties,  and 
those  who  had  the  work  in  hand  felt  hope  and  fear  by  turns, 
the  hope  of  success  and  the  fear  of  failure.  Some  of  the  Chiefs 
openly  opposed  the  admission  of  the  Missionaries  to  the  Nation, 
and  even  the  Chiefs  wh6  consented  to  the  establishment  of  the 
School  for  their  people  did  not  pay  the  slightest  attention  to 
the  preaching  of  the  Missionaries,  or  in  any  way  give  the 
slightest  encouragement  thereto.  The  indications  are  that  not 
until  the  latter  part  of  1825  did  a  single  Chief  hear  a  single  ser- 
mon from  one  of  the  Missionaries,  and  not  until  then  was  there 
even  an  indication  of  an  opening  for  preaching  to  the  aborig- 
ines at  large,  and  that  indication  was  deceptive,  the  hope  it  in- 
spired was  never  realized.  On  December  13,  1825,  a  very  cold 
day,  the  Bev.  Isaac  Smith  met  at  the  Council  Square,  which  it  is 
supposed  was  at  the  town  of  Coweta,  some  of  the  Chiefs,  among 
them  Little  Prince,  the  head  man  of  the  Nation,  and  about  fifty 
other  Indians,  and  he  preached  them  a  sermon,  which,  on  ac- 
count of  the  extreme  cold,  had  to  be  short,  after  which  the 
Chiefs  expressed  a  willingness  to  hear  him  at  any  time.  The 
venerable  man  of  God  took  that  for  an  omen  of  good,  but  the 
future  did  not  realize  the  good  anticipated.  One  thing,  how- 
ever, is  sure,  the  Bev.  Mr.  Smith  had  gained  the  confidence  of 
the  Chiefs  as  to  his  friendship  for  them.  The  United  States 
Agent  of  Indian  Affairs  at  the  Agency  near  Asbury,  Col.  John 
Crowell,  had  as  little  appreciation  of  preachers  as  the  Indian 
Chiefs  had,  and  while  he  was,  under  the  instructions  of  the 
United  States  Government,  compelled  to  consent  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  School  at  Asbury,  and  recognize  its  existence, 
he  did  as  much  to  hinder  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  as  did  the 
Indian  Chiefs. 

In  addition  to  the  difficulties  and  hindrances  which  origina- 
ted in  the  natural  opposition  of  natives  and  Agent,  there  were 


372 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama, 


37^ 


feuds  in  the  Nation,  fearful  commotions,  constant  migrations, 
and  general  uncertainties,  all  of  which  militated  against  the 
work  of  educating  and  evangelizing  the  clans. 

At  Indian  Springs,  on  the  twelfth  day  of  February,  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  twenty-five,  a  Treaty  was  concluded  be- 
tween the  representatives  of  the  United  States  and  those  claim- 
ing to  represent  and  act  for  the  Creek  Nation,  by  the  terms  of 
which  there  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  all  the  lands  of  the 
Creek  Nation  then  lying  within  the  boundaries  of  the  State  of 
Georgia,  and  all  their  lands  then  in  Alabama  north  and  west  of 
a  line  running  from  the  first  principal  falls  on  the  Chattahoo- 
chee Kiver,  above  Coweta  town,  to  Okfuskee  Old  Town,  upon 
the  Tallapoosa,  thence  to  the  falls  of  the  Coosa  River,  at  or 
near  a  place  called  the  Hickory  Ground.     That  Treaty  was 
signed  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  by  duly  authorized 
Commissioners,  and  on  the  part  of  the  Creek  Nation  by  William 
Mcintosh,  Head  Chief  of  Cowetas,  and  fifty-one  other  Chiefs, 
and  was  ratified  by  the  United  States  on  the  seventh  day  of 
March,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-five,  but  a  great 
majority  of  the  Chiefs  and  Warriors  of  the  Creek  Nation  repu- 
diated it,  and  protested  against  its  execution,  claiming  that  its 
stipulations  were  void  because  it  was  signed  on  the  part  of  the 
Indians  by    persons   having  no   sufiicient   authority   to  form 
Treaties  and  make  cessions.     A  great  majority  protested  and 
resisted.     The  party   protesting  charged   William    Mcintosh, 
Head  Chief  of  the  Cowetas,  with  betraying  the  cause  of  the 
Indians,  and  selling  out  to  the  Georgians,  and  it  must  be  con- 
fessed that  the  stipulations  of  the  Treaty,  and  the  stipulations 
of  the  articles  supplemental  thereto,  indicate  that  the  charges 
made  against  Mcintosh  were  founded  in  truth.     That  Treaty 
was  in  contravention  of  a  known  law  of  the  Creek  Nation.     A 
storm  of  indignation  arose,  and  raged  unrestrained.     A  party 
of  Warriors  determined  to  avenge  the  injuries  which  they  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  the  Head  Chief  of  the  Nation,  and  they 
proceeded  to  the  home  of  W^illiam  Mcintosh,  and  killed  him. 
That  did  not  allay  the  indignation,  but  rather  intensified  it. 
Parties  formed,  divisions  and  strifes  ensued.     While  a  great 
majority  of  the  Nation  were  united  against   the   Treaty   and 
against  the  men  who  made  it,   there  was  a  Mcintosh  party. 
There  were  sharp  contests  and  bitter  strifes,  and  unhappy  con- 


■ 


sequences  were  anticipated.  The  situation  was  so  fraught  with 
evil  consequences  that  the  United  States  Government  had  to 
take  steps  to  remove  the  difficulties,  and  arrest  an  intestine 
war.  A  Council  was  called  to  meet  in  the  city  of  Washington, 
and  on  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  January,  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  twenty-six,  a  Treaty  was  made  with  the  Chiefs  and 
Head  Men  of  the  Creek  Nation  of  Indians,  in  which  the  Treaty 
concluded  at  the  Indian  Springs,  on  the  twelfth  day  of  Febru- 
ary, one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-five,  was  declared 
to  be  null  and  void,  to  every  intent  and  purpose  whatever,  and 
every  right  and  claim  arising  from  the  same  to  be  canceled  and 
surrendered. 

It  was  in  1825,  while  the  tumults  created  by  that  noted 
Treaty,  so  offensive  to  a  great  majority  of  the  Chiefs  and  War- 
riors of  the  Nation,  and  which  cost  Mcintosh  his  life,  were  pre- 
vailing, that  the  United  States  troops  were  stationed  at  Fort 
Mitchell  near  the  Asbury  Mission  School. 

The  cession  of  his  lands  to  the  white  man  was  the  thing 
which  the  Indian  most  of  all  dreaded,  and  the  thing  which  he 
most  earnestly  opposed.  To  the  aborigines  the  presence  of  the 
white  man  on  the  borders  of  their  lands  was  a  constant  menace, 
and  any  movement  which  intimated  the  ceding  of  territory 
alarmed  their  fears  and  aroused  their  ire.  The  cession  of  that 
extensive  district  of  country  named  for  cession  in  the  Treaty 
consummated  under  the  treachery  of  Mcintosh  excited  the 
Creeks  as  only  the  alienation  of  home  and  country  can  excite 
human  beings.  The  Indian's  already  intense  hatred  of  the 
white  people  was  intensified  by  that  business  of  Treaty  and  ces- 
sion, and  his  already  existing  aversion  to  the  white  people's  re- 
ligion was  thereby  increased,  and  the  disabilities  under  which 
the  Missionaries  prosecuted  their  work  among  the  savages  were 
thereby  greatly  multiplied. 

The  tragic  events  and  untoward  circumstances  which  followed 
the  making  of  that  fatal  Treaty,  for  a  time,  diminished  the 
number  of  pupils  in  attendance  upon  the  School  at  Asbury,  and 
threatened  a  general  disaster  to  the  Mission,  but  in  spite  of  all 
evils,  the  Mission  survived  and  the  work  went  on.  The  Rev, 
Isaac  Smith,  the  senior  Missionary,  became,  in  some  way,  im- 
plicated in  the  complications  growing  out  of  that  ever  memor- 
able Treaty,  and  he  was  thrust  at  by  his  enemies,  and  distressed 


374 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


in  his  feelings.  It  is  judged  that  his  influence  with  the  Indians 
was  not  damaged  by  anything  he  did  in  the  premises,  but  that 
his  influence  with  the  Indians  was  rather  strengthened  and 
helped.  It  appears  that  in  the  investigations  of  the  Tragedies 
growing  out  of  that  notorious  Treaty  the  Commissioners  of 
Georgia  proposed  a  number  of  written  interrogatories  to  the  Kev. 
Isaac  Smith,  and  he  did  not  answer  said  interrogatories  as  the 
Commissioners  wished  him  to  answer,  and  he  was  charged  with 
interpolating  one  of  the  interrogatories,  with  untruth  in  answer- 
ing another,  and  with  evasion  in  answering  others.  The  South 
Carolina  Conference,  investigating  the  charges,  found  nothing 
against  him  worthy  of  death.  On  December  19,  1825,  just 
twenty-five  days  before  the  Conference  met  which  investi- 
gated the  charges  against  him,  and  while  he  was  annoyed  by 
the  very  censures  which  the  case  involved,  he  wrote  over  his 
own  signature  these  words:  "The  sun  is  near  setting  with 
me,  I  expect  soon  to  be  beyond  the  censure  or  praise  of  mor- 
tals." 

The  Agent  of  Indian  Aifairs,  Colonel  John  Crowell,  was  in- 
volved in  some  trouble  growing  out  of  the  tragedies  and  polit- 
ical questions  which  followed  the  making  of  that  mischievous 
Treaty.  He  was,  in  some  way,  through  his  Agency,  or  other- 
wise, associated  with  the  tragedies  which  occurred  in  the  Nation, 
and  he  was  entangled  by  the  strifes  prevailing  at  the  time.  He 
was  exceedingly  ofi'ensive  to  those  who  had  charge  of  the  Mis- 
sion at  Asbury.  He  was  an  irreligious  man,  and  had  no  sympa- 
thy with  preachers,  and  was  not  disposed  to  tolerate  their  work 
or  aid  their  cause.  In  the  official  management  of  the  Indian  Af- 
fairs and  in  his  personal  influence  he  was  against  the  interests 
of  the  Mission  and  against  the  men  who  had  control  of  it  just 
as  far  as  he  could  be.  He  made  himself  obnoxious,  and  the 
South  Carolina  Conference,  led  by  the  Kev.  William  Capers, 
prepared  and  adopted  a  memorial  against  him,  and  resolved  to 
furnish  the  Governor  of  Georgia  with  a  copy  of  the  memorial. 
By  the  Conference  in  session  on  the  afternoon  of  January  20, 
1826,  at  Milledgeville,  Georgia,  it  was  "  Moved  and  carried  that 
the  Governor  of  this  State  be  allowed  to  have  a  copy  of  Brother 
Capers'  Memorial  against  the  Agent,  Colonel  John  Crowell." 
That  action  of  the  Conference,  or  something  else,  seems  to  have 
had  a  good  influence  upon  Colonel  Crowell,  for  two  years  from 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama. 


375 


the  time  of  that  action,  lacking  a  few  days,  he  did,  in  the  fol- 
lowing certificate,  give  to  the  School  faint  praise: 

"Ckeek  Agency,  January  4,  1828. 

"  I  was  present  at  the  examination  of  the  Indian  children  at 
the  Asbury  Mission  School,  in  this  Nation,  a  few  days  since. 
Several  of  the  larger  children  have,  in  the  last  twelve  months, 
made  considerable  progress,  and  several  smaller  ones,  and  who 
had  been  but  a  short  time  at  school,  surpassed  my  most  san- 
guine expectations,  for  which  much  credit  is  due  to  the  gentle- 
men who  have  charge  of  the  institution. 

John  Crowell,  Agent  for  Indian  Affairs." 

Colonel  Crowell  had  not  advanced  further  in  his  friendship 
for  the  Mission  than  had  the  Indian  Chiefs,  for  the  Little  Prince, 
a  few  days  later,  gave  the  following  commendation  of  the  Mis- 
sionaries in  charge  of  the  School: 

"  Creek  Nation,  January  8, 1828. 

"I,  Tustinuggee  Hopaie,  or  Little  Prince,  head  man  of  this 
Creek  Nation,  certify  that  I  reside  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Asbury  Missionary  School,  in  this  Nation,  and  so  far 
as  I  am  informed,  the  conduct  of  those  who  have  charge  of  the 
institution  has  been  perfectly  satisfactory,  and  I  have  no  cause 
of  complaint.  The  children  seem  to  be  satisfied,  and  say  they 
are  kindly  treated. 


his 


Little  X  Prince." 

mark. 

During  the  time  the  Kev.  William  Capers  was  Superintendent 
of  the  Mission  he  visited  the  School  at  Asbury  repeatedly,  and 
the  children  at  the  School,  Indians  though  they  were,  treated 
him  with  the  tenderest  affection,  and  made  the  greatest  demon- 
strations of  their  joy  upon  his  arrival  at  the  place.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1823,  he  spent  several  days  at  Asbury,  and  on  Sunday,  the 
twenty-first  of  that  month,  he  baptized  Mr.  Martin,  the  man 
who  was  hired  to  manage  the  little  farm  which  was  in  connection 
with  the  School,  and  he  administered  the  Lord's  Supper  to  the 
few  who  would  communicate,  and  he  considered  the  fruits  gath- 
ered an  earnest  of  the  harvest  to  follow.  A  short  time  after 
that  day's  service,  there  was,  among  the  children  under  the  care 
of  the  School,  a  gracious  religious  awakening,  and  several  of  the 
children  gave  evidence  of  a  genuine  work  of  grace  in  the  soul, 
and  that  interest  was  had  with  the  children,  notwithstanding  the 
Missionaries,  up  to  that  time,  and  for  some  time  afterward,  were 


376 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama, 


377 


not  permitted  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  adult  Indians  of  the 
tribe. 

The  United  States  troops  being  stationed  at  Fort  Mitchell, 
which  was  near  Asbury,  the  Missionaries  preached  to  them,  and 
in  December,  1825,  there  were  eleven  soldiers  belonging  to  the 
Society  at  Asbury,  six  of  whom,  if  no  more,  were  born  of  God. 
There  were  at  the  same  time  eleven  Indian  children  belonging 
to  the  Society,  and  three  of  the  Indian  boys  at  the  School  would 
conduct  the  prayer  meetings,  and  there  in  the  wilderness,  among 
savages.  Love-feasts  and  class-meetings  were  held. 

Hardridge,  a  white  man,  born  in  South  Carolina,  but  from  a 
child  residing  in  that  part  of  the  Creek  Nation,  his  wife,  an  In- 
dian woman,  together  with  two  soldiers,  were  baptized  on  the 
night  of  the  eighteenth  of  December,  1825,  at  Asbury.  Mr. 
Hardridge  and  his  wife  were  valuable  acquisitions  to  the  Church. 
Tliey  were  deeply  experienced  in  the  things  of  God,  were  zealous, 
worshipers,  active  workers,  and  influential  persons.  Brother 
Hardridge  was  in  great  favor,  as  a  man,  with  the  Indians. 
They  were  his  people.  He  had  grown  up  among  them,  and 
had  married  one  of  their  women.  He  could  speak  the  English 
and  the  Indian  languages,  and  rendered  valuable  services  as  an 
interpreter.  The  first  sermon  Brother  Smith,  the  senior  Mis- 
sionary, ever  preached  to  Chiefs  and  adults  in  the  Nation  was 
interpreted  by  Brother  Hardridge.  Brother  Hardridge  said  of 
himself:  "I  am  a  poor  ignorant  creature,  but  God  has  had 
mercy  upon  me.  What  a  Saviour  I  have  found!  I  am  a  won- 
der unto  myself."  On  Sunday  night,  March  26,  1826,  in  a 
Love-feast,  Sister  Hardridge,  Indian  though  she  was,  arose,  and 
told  in  her  own  mother-tongue,  how  she  had  been  brought  to 
know  the  Lord,  and  how  happy  she  was  since  she  had  found 
the  divine  peace,  never  was  she  so  happy  before  in  her  life. 
She  told  how  her  own  people  laughed  at  her  in  derision,  and 
chided  her  with  the  folly  of  having  turned  Christian.  In  reply 
to  their  jeers  and  taunts,  she  said:  "Till  I  die,  I  will  never  quit 
praying." 

One  of  the  Quarterly  or  Sacramental  Meetings  was  held 
April  2,  1826,  and  the  next  Sunday,  April  9,  four  of  the  boys 
belonging  to  the  School  were  baptized,  and  received  into  the 
Church.  Joseph  Marshal  was  baptized  by  the  name  of  Joseph 
Soule,  Jesse  Brown  was  baptized  by  the  name  of  Jesse  Lee, 


Thomas  Carr  was  baptized  by  the  name  of  Thomas  Coke,  and 
John  Winelett  was  baptized  by  the  name  of  John  AVesley.  In 
that  year  the  Missionaries  obtained  access  to  a  few  Indian 
families.  There  were  that  year  about  fifty  children  in  School, 
but  there  was  on  the  part  of  the  children  some  unsteadiness, 
and  there  was  scarcity  of  clothing,  which  was  furnished  by  the 
Mission.  At  that  time  there  were  in  the  School  three  or  four 
Indian  girls,  one  of  w^hom  was  named  Ann  Capers,  and  another 
Mary  Ann  Battis,  who  for  neatness  in  dress  and  appearance 
would  equal  thousands  in  civilized  life.  Henry  Ferryman  and 
Samuel  Mcintosh  were  young  men,  Indians,  of  piety  and  prom- 
ise, and  Daniel  Asbury  was  an  Indian  lad  there  at  the  same 
time  of  good  name  and  of  religious  bearing.  September  2, 
1826,  the  time  of  formulating  the  report  for  the  year,  there 
were  present  at  the  School  above  fifty  pupils.  The  money  ex- 
pended in  the  interest  of  the  mission  for  1826  was  $1,681.95. 

Through  the  last  three  years  of  the  Mission  the  greater  part 
of  the  congregations  were  Negroes,  and  though  some  of  them 
were  slaves  owned  by  the  Indians,  they  were  valuable  members 
of  the  Church.  They  could  speak  both  the  English  and  the 
Indian  languages,  and  as  they  could  interpret  they  were  medi- 
ums of  communication.  The  removal  of  a  part  of  the  Creek 
tribe  to  the  west  of  the  Mississippi  Kiver  in  1827  reduced  the 
number  of  pupils  in  the  School  at  Asbury,  though  there  was 
during  that  year  a  very  good  increase  in  the  membership  of  the 
Church  in  the  Mission.  During  the  year  1827  seventeen  In- 
dians and  thirty-three  Negroes  joined  the  Church  at  the  Mis- 
sion, and  six  members  were  discontinued,  nine  were  removed, 
and  two  died.  At  the  close  of  that  year  there  were  in  the  So- 
ciety at  that  place  sixty  members,  forty-three  of  them  being 
Negroes,  fifteen  of  them  being  Indians,  and  two  of  them  being 
white  persons.  That  year  the  Missionaries  preached  at  the  new 
town  of  Columbus,  about  nine  miles  above  Asbury,  and  formed 
there  a  class  of  eleven  white  members.  Another  event  of  that 
year  was  the  reception  of  one  hundred  dollars  ($100)  from  the 
United  States  Government  to  support  the  Asbury  School.  In 
a  Treaty  made  at  the  Creek  Agency,  on  the  fifteenth  day  of 
November,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-seven,  and 
which  Treaty  was  signed  in  the  presence  of  the  Kev.  Andrew 
Hammill,  and  the  Rev.  Whitman  C.  Hill,  their  names  being  at- 


w 


378 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


tached  to  the  Treaty  as  witnesses,  it  was  agreed  to  allow  one 
thousand  dollars  toward  the  support  of  the  Asbury  Station,  it 
being  in  the  Creek  Nation,  and  under  regulations  of  the  De- 
partment of  War.  That  was  all  the  aid  the  Mission  ever  re- 
ceived from  the  United  States,  so  far  as  is  known  by  the  author 
of  these  pages.  Those  in  charge  of  the  School  at  Asbury  ap- 
plied to  the  Government  for  aid  in  supporting  the  School,  and 
expected  an  annual  contribution,  as  other  Schools  were  being 
helped. 

During  1828  four  or  five  members  were  expelled  from  the 
Church  for  negligence,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  there  were 
sixty-nine  members  in  the  Society,  forty-three  of  them  being 
Negroes,  twenty-four  of  them  being  Indians,  and  two  of  them  be- 
ing white  persons.  There  were  at  that  time  over  fifty  children  in 
the  School.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  1828  that  Samuel  Chicote,  who 
was  born  in  the  year  1819,  on  the  Chattahoochee  Eiver,  in  Ala- 
bama, and  was  for  years  an  able  and  influential  preacher  and 
member  of  the  Indian  Mission  Conference,  Indian  Territory,  was 
sent  to  "the  Methodist  Boarding  School  near  Fort  Mitchell," 
where  he  remained  until  sometime  in  1829,  when  he  went  with 
his  parents  to  the  land  west  of  the  great  Mississippi  Kiver. 
At  the  same  time  that  Samuel  Chicote  was  at  the  School  at  As- 
bury, James  McHenry,  who  was  born  on  Flint  Kiver,  in  Geor- 
gia, possibly  about  1818,  but  had  to,  under  the  provisions  of  a 
Treaty  concluded  on  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  January,  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-six,  move  to  Alabama  by 
the  first  day  of  the  succeeding  January,  and  was  loug  a 
preacher  in  the  Indian  Mission  Conference,  in  the  Indian  Ter- 
ritory, was  also  "  at  the  Methodist  Boarding  School  near  Fort 
Mitchell,  in  Alabama." 

The  Methodist  women  of  that  day  at  Camden,  and  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  and  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  bestowed  much  labor 
on  the  Mission  to  the  Creek  Nation,  they  toiled  with  their  own 
hands  and  gave  much  alms  out  of  their  own  means  to  clothe, 
adorn,  and  civilize  the  Indian  children  gathered  in  the  School  at 
Asbury,  Alabama.  Their  names  are  not  known  to  this  author, 
nor  to  many  persons  of  this  generation,  but  their  deeds  are  on 
record,  and  their  works  do  live,  and  shall  endure  to  all  genera- 
tions. Their  kindly  offices  entitle  them  to  eulogy;  were  their 
names  known  they  would  adorn  this  page;  their  names  are 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama, 


379 


worthy  to  be  mentioned  with  the  name  of  Phebe,  who  was  a  serv- 
ant of  the  Church  at  Cenchrea,  and  with  the  name  of  Mary, 
who  bestowed  much  labor  on  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  and 
with  the  names  of  Tryphena  and  Tryphosa,  two  devoted  sisters, 
who  labored  in  the  Lord  in  apostolic  times. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  Mission  among  the  Creek  Indians 
to  the  close  thereof  the  establishment  was  kept  up  at  compara- 
tively heavy  expense,  and  with  rather  meager  results,  the  pros- 
pect never  very  bright,  but  sometimes  very  gloomy,  and,  the 
vicissitudes  being  many,  the  embarrassments  having  accumula- 
ted until  they  were  insurmountable,  at  last,  the  inevitable  was 
accepted,  and  the  field  was  abandoned.     In  a  General  Council, 
convened  at  Wetumpka,  the  third  day  of  January,  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  twenty-eight,  the  last  vestige  of  the  claim 
and  title  of  the  Creek  Nation  to  lands  within  the  chartered  lim- 
its of   the  State  of  Georgia^  was,  by  stipulation,  obliterated. 
The  Nation  was  then  confined  to  the  narrow  limits  of  that  terri- 
tory in  Alabama  which  had  not  yet  been  ceded  to  the  United 
States.     That  day  the  tribe  lost  hope,  and  became  more  discon- 
tented and  restless  and  more  indifferent  to  religion  and  educa- 
tion than  ever  before.     The  white  settlers  approached  the  very 
borders  and  encroached  upon  the  narrow  limits  of  that  reduced 
and  enfeebled  tribe,  and  in  the  vicinity  thereof  exposed  to  sale 
large  quantities  of  intoxicants,  and  the  savages,  as  much  given 
to  sensuality  as  their  white  neighbors  were  given  to  avarice,  be- 
came more  intemperate  and  indolent  than  they  were  in  former 
years.     The  Mission  was  environed  by  a  new  set  of  opponents. 
The  property  of  the  Mission  was  in  jeopardy  as  it  had  not  been 
in  the  past  years.     The  cattle,  poultry,  and  corn  belonging  to 
the  Mission  were  stolen,  and  it  became  evident  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  keep  together  enough  of  the  property  and  products 
of  the  premises  to  prosecute  the  work  successfully.     Under 
these  circumstances,  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  Wednesday, 
February  3,  1830,  the  South  Carolina  Conference  being  in  ses- 
sion: "It  was  moved  and  carried  That  the  Asbury  Mission  es- 
tablished among  the  Creek  Indians  be  discontinued."     "  It  was 
then  moved  and  carried  That  Brother  Hammill  be  requested  to 
furnish  the  Conference  at  as  early  an  hour  as  practicable  with 
a  statement  of  the  facts  and  circumstances  which  have  led  to 
the  relinquishment  of  the  Asbury  Mission."     Brother  Andrew 


380 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Ham  mill  made  report  according  to  request,  and  it  was  ordered 
printed  in  the  Advocate  and  Journal.  The  Mission  among  the 
Creek  Indians  at  Asbury,  Alabama,  was  at  an  end.  At  the  time 
the  Mission  was  abandoned  there  were  connected  with  it  as 
members  sixteen  Indians,  one  white  person,  and  a  large  number 
of  Negroes.  The  supposition  is  that  these  all  went  in  the  course 
of  the  next  few  years  to  the  lands  assigned  the  Creeks  west  of 
the  Mississippi  Kiver.  About  the  last  of  1836,  or  by  that  time, 
the  last  of  that  tribe  left  Alabama. 

The  Creeks  have  been  represented  by  those  who  were  among 
them  as  ignorant  and  superstitious,  and  corrupt  and  profligate; 
as  full  of  conceit  and  deceit.  Evidently  they  descended  from 
fallen  Adam;  and  many  of  them  were  no  worse  in  any  respect 
than  their  civilized  neighbors,  and  many  of  them  have  made  as 
good  Christians  as  any  of  the  pale  faces. 

The  Kev.  William  Capers,  who  inaugurated  the  work  of  the 
Gospel  among  the  Creek  Indians,  and  who  was  often  at  Asbury, 
in  Alabama,  was  a  man  of  note  and  worth;  who  did  much  serv- 
ice for  the  Church  in  various  relations  and  in  numerous  fields. 
He  was  the  author  of  a  Catechism,  which  has  been  recognized 
as  of  superior  merit;  and  he  was  the  firm  friend  of  the  slaves  of 
the  United  States;  was  the  founder  of  Missions  to  the  slaves  of 
his  native  State;  and  was  elected  and  consecrated  a  Bishop  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  at  the  first  General 
Conference  of  that  Church.  He  died  at  his  home,  in  his  native 
State,  January  29,  1855.  He  was  buried  at  Columbia,  in  his  na- 
tive State,  the  very  same  place  at  which  he  was  appointed  Mis- 
sionary in  South  Carolina  Conference,  and  to  the  Indians. 

The  Rev.  Isaac  Smith,  a  native  of  Virginia,  for  three  years  an 
orderly  sergeant  in  the  army  under  AVashington  and  La  Fay- 
ette, the  friend  and  host  of  Bishop  Asbury,  and  other  of  the 
Bishops  of  the  Church,  for  more  than  half  a  century  a  minis- 
ter of  the  Gospel,  serving  the  longest  term  at  Asbury  Mission 
of  any  man  ever  connected  with  it,  and  terminating  his  active 
ministry  at  that  place,  was  a  man  of  noble  character,  a  model 
Christian,  and  he  made  an  honorable  record.  **  Believing  every 
word  of  God,  meek  above  the  reach  of  provocation,  and  thor- 
oughly imbued  with  the  spirit  of  love  and  devotion,  he  was  a 

saint  indeed." 

An  incident  may  be  related  here  which  will  relate  his  patriot- 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama, 


381 


ism,  and  which  will  indicate  his  fidelity  to  the  ministry  and  his 
constant  adherence  to  his  religion.  In  August,  1824,  Marquis 
De  La  Fayette,  the  friend  of  Washington  and  of  American  lib- 
erty, made  a  visit  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  New  York, 
and  he  was  tendered  a  reception  worthy  of  his  patriotic  serv- 
ices and  worthy  of  the  country  whose  liberty  he  had  helped  to 
achieve.  The  Senate  and  House  of  Eepresentatives  of  the  State 
of  Alabama  in  General  Assembly  convened,  at  Cahawba,  Ala- 
bama, passed,  by  unanimous  vote,  a  resolution,  which  was  ap- 
proved, December  24,  1824,  as  follows:  "And  be  it  further 
Eesolved,  That  his  excellency  the  Governor  be  requested  to  in- 
vite, in  such  manner  as  he  shall  deem  most  respectful.  Major 
General  La  Fayette  to  honor  the  State  of  Alabama  with  a  visit, 
and  in  the  event  of  his  acceptance  of  such  invitation,  he  be  re- 
ceived in  such  manner  as  shall  best  comport  with  the  important 
services  he  has  rendered  the  American  people."  In  pursuance 
of  the  Resolution  Governor  Pickens  invited  the  distinguished 
guest  of  the  Nation  to  Alabama,  and  the  invitation  was  accept- 
ed, and  the  visit  was  made.  On  March  31,  1825,  the  venerable 
and  honored  La  Fayette,  under  an  escort  of  Georgians,  halted, 
in  the  midst  of  the  Creek  Nation,  upon  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Chattahoochee  River,  whose  western  side  laves  the  soil  of  Ala- 
bama. The  Georgia  escort  delivered  the  hero  of  American  lib- 
erty, and  their  guest,  to  fifty  nude  and  painted  Creek  Indian 
warriors.  The  Indians,  vying  with  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States  in  the  homage  paid  the  noble  Frenchman,  conveyed  him 
across  the  river  and  put  him  down  on  Alabama  soil.  He  was 
then  about  one  mile  from  the  Asbury  School.  One  of  the  first 
white  men  to  greet  La  Fayette  when  he  set  foot  on  Alabama 
soil  was  the  man  who  for  three  years  attended  him  as  orderly 
sergeant,  and  carried  messages  for  him  while  the  struggle  for 
the  independence  of  the  American  Colonies  went  on.  That  man 
was  the  Rev.  Isaac  Smith,  the  Missionary  in  charge  of  the  As- 
bury School  for  the  Indians.  They  greeted,  recollected,  and 
recognized  each  other.  There  in  the  howling  wilderness,  and  in 
the  presence  of  painted  warriors  and  naked  savages,  the  old  com- 
rades in  arms  embraced  each  other,  and  gave  expression  to  their 
friendship,  and  vent  to  their  emotions,  and  the  once  young  or- 
derly, now  a  grave  preacher  of  the  Gospel  and  a  devoted  Mis- 
sionary, prayed  with  and  for  the  old  Commander  and  patriot, 
25 


n 


382 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


3Iissions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama, 


383 


and  with  deep  emotion,  strong  faith,  and  earnest  petitions  com- 
mended him  to  the  court  of  Heaven,  and  besought  for  him  cit- 
izenship in  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  the  liberty  which 
pertains  to  the  sons  of  God.  How  anomalous  and  yet  how 
appropriate  all  this!  No  event  in  all  the  course  of  that  trium- 
phal tour  through  the  American  continent  made  a  deeper  or 
more  lasting  impression  upon  the  old  patriot  than  that  reunion 
of  himself  and  the  orderly  sergeant  of  the  former  times,  on  the 
borders  of  Alabama.  La  Fayette  tarried  for  the  day,  and  he 
and  Smith,  the  Missionary  to  the  Indians,  talked  of  the  past 
and  the  present,  in  sweet  counsel,  and  in  the  meantime  wit- 
nessed one  of  those  special  contests  and  social  pastimes  peculiar 
to  the  aborigines,  a  game  of  ball.  The  meeting  of  his  old  Com- 
mander at  the  very  spot  of  his  missionary  labors  was  one  of  the 
unexpected  pleasures  which  the  Kev.  Mr.  Smith  enjoyed  beyond 
description.  That  meeting  recollected  the  reminiscences  of  the 
past,  revived  his  spirits,  renewed  his  youth,  strengthened  his 
patriotism,  and  made  an  epoch  in  his  eventful  life. 

The  Kev.  Isaac  Smith  died  in  Monroe  County,  Georgia,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six,  and  went  to  his  eternal  home.  His  children 
have  honored  him  by  religious  lives. 

The  Kev.  Andrew  Hammill,  a  man  of  ability,  integrity,  and 
piety,  an  able  minister  of  the  New  Testament,  a  Delegate  to 
several  General  Conferences,  and  who  made  the  last  report  ever 
made  of  Asbury  Mission,  died  March  22,  1835. 

The  Kev.  Matthew  Kaiford  was  a  native  of  Georgia.  He 
commenced  preaching  in  1818,  and  was  one  of  the  preachers 
appointed  to  Asbury  Mission  for  1824,  at  the  close  of  that  year 
he  located,  and  as  a  local  preacher  he  was  connected  with  the 
Asbury  Mission  until  it  was  discontinued,  and  he  labored  as  a 
local  preacher  at  that  place  *'  with  pleasure  to  himself  and  profit 
to  others."  At  the  time  the  Mission  was  discontinued  he  was 
re-admitted  to  the  itinerant  ranks.  He  was  punctual  and  faith- 
ful.    He  died  in  liis  native  State,  April  16,  1849. 

The  Kev.  Whitman  C.  Hill  was  at  Asbury  for  four  years,  be- 
ginning with  1825  and  closing  with  1828.  He  married  one  of 
the  daughters  of  the  Kev.  Isaac  Smith,  the  senior  preacher  at 
the  Mission.  He  w^as  born  in  1790,  and  died  in  1861,  and  was 
admitted  into  the  South  Carolina  Conference  on  trial  in  Decem- 
ber, 1809,  all  other  statements  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 


He  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  and  achieved 
much  success  in  the  fields  he  served,  when  there  were  condi- 
tions of  success.  He  was  long  on  the  Superannuated  list.  He 
will  no  doubt  in  the  last  day  see  the  gathering  of  the  results 
of  his  work  at  Asbury. 

Mrs.  Smith  and  Mrs.  Hill,  mother  and  daughter,  the  wives  of 
the  missionaries  whose  names  they  bore,  and  related  by  blood 
to  the  Kemberts  of  South  Carolina  and  Alabama,  did  much 
faithful  and  efficient  work  at  the  Asbury  Mission.  They  were 
there  in  all  Christian  meekness  moderating  the  domestic  affairs 
of  the  School.  The  deeds  of  those  noble  women  were  of  note, 
and  worthy  of  praise.  Upon  the  Indian  girls  at  the  School  they 
bestowed  great  parental  care,  and  thoroughly  instructed  them 
in  the  domestic  affairs  of  civilized  life.  They  taught  them  to 
cook,  wash,  sweep,  sew,  knit,  and  darn,  etc. ;  and  also  instructed 
them,  in  so  far  as  could  be  done  under  the  surroundings,  in  the 
rules  of  politeness  and  etiquette.  These  women  succeeded  in 
giving  good  satisfaction  to  the  boarders  and  patrons  of  the 
School.  They  helped  to  prepare  the  moral  waste,  and  to  sow 
the  seeds  of  truth,  and  in  the  day  when  the  final  harvest  is 
gathered  and  garnered,  there  will  be  sheaves  the  result  of  their 
sowing  and  culture. 

In  the  lovely  County  of  Kowan,  in  the  patriotic  and  conserv- 
ative State  of  North  Carolina,  in  the  midst  of  a  generous  and 
hospitable  people,  was  the  home  of  a  reputable  family  by  the 
name  of  Neely.  In  that  home,  and  to  that  family,  on  January 
13,  1802,  was  born  a  comely  child,  of  small  mold  and  feeble 
frame,  to  whom  was  given  the  name  of  Kichard.  From  that 
home,  in  a  few  years,  Kichard  was  carried,  by  his  parents,  to 
Kutherford  County,  in  the  State  of  Tennessee,  where  he  grew 
to  a  lad,  trim  and  handsome.  In  that  County,  at  a  Camp- 
meeting,  on  August  20,  1819,  that  lad,  Kichard  Neely,  received 
the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  was  initiated  into  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  entered  at  once  upon  an  ac- 
tive Christian  life,  and  his  zeal  increased  as  the  field  enlarged. 
In  April,  1821,  he  was  licensed  to  exhort,  in  September  follow- 
ing, he  was  licensed  to  preach,  recommended  to  the  Annual 
Conference  as  a  suitable  person  to  be  admitted  into  the  travel- 
ing connection,  and  at  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference 
in  the  succeeding  November,  he  was  admitted  on  trial  by  the 


384 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Conference,  and  was  sent,  as  junior  preacher,  to  the  Jackson 
Circuit  for  the  year  1822.     The  Tennessee  Kiver  was  at  that 
time  the  line  between  the  white  settlements  and  the  lands  of 
the  Cherokee  Indians  where  the  Jackson  Circuit  touched  that 
river.     For  that  year  the  Jackson  Circuit  traversed  the  length 
of  the  Paint  Rock  River  to  its  junction  with  the  Tennessee 
River,  and  with  the  Tennessee  River  as  its  southern  boundary, 
went  up  to  Belle  Fontte  and  Bolivar,  and  Doran's  Cove.     On  the 
south  side  of  the  Tennessee  River  opposite  that  Circuit  then 
lived  the  Cherokee  Indians  in  full  right  and  possession.     As 
Richard  Neely  served  the  Jackson  Circuit  he  touched  the  bor- 
ders of  savage  life.     He  fell  into  a  place  not  where  two  seas 
met,  but  where  two  manner  of  people  touched  side  by  side. 
Silent  influences  often  prepare  the  way  for  new  developments 
and  grand  results.     Mere  happenings,  not  in  any  way  depend- 
ent upon  preconcerted  plan  or  purpose,  are  often  potent  fac- 
tors.    The  barest  casualties  direct  and  control  the  course  of 
human   events.     Fortuitous   associations,  associations   neither 
pre-arranged  nor  designed,  become  powerful  in  the  inaugura- 
tion  and  prosecution  of   even   divine   work.     That   which    is 
spontaneous  is  often  most  potent  and  enduring.     The  drift  of 
circumstances,  as  unforeseen  as  the  course  of  the  wind  and  the 
drift  of  the  clouds,  often  decides  the  fate  of   Empires.     The 
Apostle  said,  "  The  things  which  happened  unto  me  have  fallen 
out  rather  unto  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel."     The  dispensa- 
tion of  the  gospel  to  the  Cherokee  Indians  did  not  begin  in  pre- 
meditated purpose  and  pre-arranged  plan,  but  commenced  in 
fortuitous  circumstances,  accidental  approximations,  and  inci- 
dental associations.     No  one  was  sent  to  the  Cherokees  as  a 
preacher  or  Missionary.     Richard  Neely  was  sent  to  the  Jack- 
son Circuit,  which  terminated  at  the  boundary  line  between  the 
civil  and  the  savage.     Richard  Neely,  the  white  man,  and  Rich- 
ard Riley,  the  native  Cherokee,  met.     Richard  Riley  lived  at 
that  time  twelve  miles  south  of  Fort  Deposit.     Fort  Deposit  is 
on  the  Tennessee  River  five  or  six  miles  north-west  of  Gunters- 
ville.    Mr.  Riley  invited  the  Rev.  Richard  Neely  to  preach  at 
his  house,  and  the  invitation  was  accepted. 

It  was  in  the  Spring  time  of  1822,  just  after  the  burning  of 
the  woods,  when  the  fresh,  green  grass  in  luxuriance  was  cover- 
ing hill  and  dale,  the  wild  flowers  were  out  in  variety,  beauty, 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama. 


385 


and  fragrance,  the  birds,  responsive  to  the  cheer  of  the  season, 
were  singing  in  the  boughs,  and  the  deer  were  feeding  beside 
the  rivulets  which  run  among  the  hills,  when  the  Rev.  Richard 
Neely,  with  the  dew  of  youth,  the  zeal  of  apostles,  and  the  faith 
of  martyrs,  passed  over  the  river  which  laved  the  borders  of  his 
Circuit,  and  entered  the  land  of  savages,  to  proclaim  to  the 
dwellers  of  the  forest  that  gospel  which  brings  to  view,  through 
its  light,  righteousness  and  immortality.  From  that  time  on 
through  the  Conference  year.  Brother  Neely  preached  once  a 
month  at  the  house  of  Richard  Riley,  and  in  the  summer  he, 
assisted  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Boyd,  who  was  then  junior  preach- 
er on  the  Limestone  Circuit,  all  other  statements  to  the  contrary 
notwithstanding,  held  a  meeting  there  at  Richard  Riley's,  and 
organized  a  Society  of  thirty-three  members,  all  natives,  and 
appointed  Brother  Riley  class  leader.  That  was  the  beginning 
of  Christian  work  among  the  Cherokee  Indians  in  Alabama  un- 
der the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  That 
was  the  beginning  of  the  gospel  in  the  Cherokee  Nation  under 
the  ministrations  of  Methodism. 

The  work  performed  and  the  success  attained  by  the  Rev. 
Richard  Neely  among  the  Cherokees,  at  Riley's,  twelve  miles 
south  of  Fort  Deposit,  was  reported  to  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence at  the  session  in  October,  1822,  and  considered  by  the 
Conference  with  marked  interest.  The  Conference  decided 
to  take  under  the  care  and  supervision  of  its  ministry  those 
whom  the  youthful  Neely  had  by  his  labors  gathered  into  the 
fold,  and  to  establish  a  Mission  to  the  Indians  of  the  Cher- 
okee Nation  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mr.  Richard  Riley,  and 
to  provide  a  fund  for  its  support;  and  in  pursuance  of  said 
purpose  the  appointment  was  made  and  announced  for  the 
ensuing  year  as  follows:  Cherokee  Mission,  Andrew  J.  Craw- 
ford. 

The  Rev.  Andrew  Jackson  Crawford  was  a  man  of  sterling 
worth,  a  man  of  education,  and  of  business  qualities  and  habits, 
a  minister  of  gifts  and  grace.  He  was,  according  to  the  action 
of  the  Conference,  as  a  Missionary,  to  reside  in  Richard  Riley's 
neighborhood,  to  preach  to  the  Indians,  and  instruct  their 
children.  It  was  more  than  a  month  after  the  adjournment  of 
the  Annual  Conference  before  Brother  Crawford  reached  his 
assigned  post  of  duty.     On  December  7, 1822,  he  reached  Rich- 


386 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


ai-cl  Riley's,  and  was,  by  Mr.  Riley,  welcomed  to  the  Nation  as 
a  bearer  of  Christian  tidings.  A  council  was  immediately  con- 
vened, composed  of  the  leading  natives  in  that  part  of  the  Na- 
tion, to  consider  the  question  of  establishing  a  School  under  the 
direction  of  the  newly  arrived  Missionary.  The  council  recom- 
mended the  establishment  of  the  School,  and  on  December  30, 
1822,  the  School  was  opened  by  Brother  Crawford  with  twelve 
children,  the  number  soon  increasing  to  twenty-five.  Some  of 
the  children  made  considerable  progress  in  the  elements  of  an 
education.  During  the  year  there  was  on  the  j3art  of  some  of 
the  natives  considerable  indifference  to  the  School,  but  at  the 
time  the  Conference  met  in  November,  1823,  there  were  fifteen 
children  in  the  School,  and  the  patrons  made  a  tender  of  aid  in 
the  erection  of  a  boarding  house,  provided  the  Conferenc43  could 
furnish  teachers  to  carry  on  such  establishment.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Crawford  reported  more  success  in  preaching  to  the  natives 
than  in  teaching  the  children.  Upon  his  first  attempts  to 
preach  to  the  natives  there  was  manifested  decided  opposition, 
but  through  Mr.  Riley's  influence,  the  opposition  was  soon  sup- 
pressed, and  at  once  a  comfortable  house  to  be  used  for  preach- 
ing was  erected  by  the  natives,  and  regular  religious  services 
were  held  in  it  every  Sunday. 

On  Saturday  and  Sunday,  January  18,  19,  1823,  a  Quarterly 
Meeting  was  held  at  Mr.  Riley's,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Stringfield 
attending  in  the  place  of  the  Rev.  William  McMahon,  presid- 
ing elder,  and  several  other  preachers  also  being  present.  It 
was  a  time  of  peace  and  power,  of  unction  and  happiness.  At 
a  love-feast,  on  Sabbath  morning,  the  natives  were  present,  par- 
ticipating in  the  services  to  their  own  profit  and  to  the  delight 
of  the  preachers.  The  Indians  spoke  in  their  own  language 
the  w^onderful  works  of  God.  After  the  love-feast  Stringfield 
and  Crawford  preached,  and  during  the  services  of  the  day 
three  Indians  obtained  peace  in  believing. 

At  the  request  of  Brother  Riley,  the  preachers  on  Paint  Rock 
Circuit  for  that  year,  1823,  the  Rev.  Greenberry  Garrett,  and 
the  Rev.  Ambrose  F.  Driskell,  preached  at  the  appointment  on 
the  Mission  once  a  month,  and  Mr.  Riley  provided  for  paying 
their  ferriage  over  the  Tennessee  River.  Upon  consultation,  of 
preachers,  Richard  Riley,  and  other  leading  Indians  in  the 
neighborhood,  a  resolution  was  reached  to  hold  a  Camp-meeting 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama. 


387 


at  Riley's,  and  in  pursuance  thereof  preparation  was  made  and 
completed,  and  on  Thursday,  July  31, 1823,  the  force  of  preach- 
ers for  the  occasion  met  at  the  place,  and  found  Richard  Riley, 
and  his  brother,  and  several  other  Indians  in  tents  on  the 
ground,  with  due  preparation  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
preachers  and  others.  All  who  attended  the  meeting,  and  many 
natives  were  there,  some  from  sixty  miles  away,  were  comfort- 
ably lodged  and  generously  fed.  When  this  is  said  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  meeting  was  in  the  forest  and  among  sav- 
ages. The  preachers  lodged  in  a  tent  erected  for  their  use,  and 
supplied  with  clean  beds.  The  crowds  of  natives  in  attendance 
were  attentive  to  the  word  preached,  it  was  a  time  of  gracious 
visitation,  and,  for  a  work  among  savages,  grand  results  fol- 
lowed. Thirty-one  professed  to  find  peace  with  God  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  tw^enty-five  adults  and  twenty  chil- 
dren were  baptized.  It  was  difficult  to  close  the  meeting,  so  in- 
tense was  the  interest.  When,  on  Monday  morning,  the  time 
for  the  final  adjournment  of  the  meeting  had  come,  and  the 
congregation  was  dismissed  for  what  was  intended  the  last 
time,  twenty  or  thirty  of  the  Indians  gathered  in  the  altar,  and 
requested  the  preachers  to  tell  them  how  to  obtain  the  favor  of 
the  Great  Spirit,  and  be  happy  like  those  of  their  tribe  who 
were  praising  God.  They  listened  with  the  profoundest  atten- 
tion while  one  of  the  preachers,  through  an  interpreter,  point- 
ed out  to  them  Jesus,  as  one  with  the  Great  Spirit,  and  the  way 
to  heaven.  The  concourse  of  natives  dispersed  and  returned  to 
their  homes  with  the  greatest  reluctance,  and  one  Indian,  a  man 
of  wealth  and  piety,  proposed  to  his  people  to  return  to  the 
Camp-ground,  devote  their  entire  property  to  the  cause,  and  con- 
tinue the  meeting  so  long  as  the  property  would  furnish  ade- 
quate supplies.  The  revival  power  continued,  a  new  Society 
was  organized  at  another  place  within  the  range  of  the  Camp- 
ground, and  the  Society,  the  only  one,  except  the  one  at  the 
Camp-ground,  was  greatly  strengthened  by  the  work  of  the 
Camp-meeting.  At  the  close  of  the  Conference  year  of  1823, 
there  were  in  the  Mission  at  Rih^y's  over  one  hundred  mem- 
bers, and  among  them  were  two  native  exhorters,  of  fine  ability, 
Gunter  and  Brown.  Brown  was  a  young  man  of  good  English 
education,  and  a  fluent  interpreter.  He  possessed  unction,  and 
was  full  of  missionary  fire.     This  was  a  grand  change  which 


i 


388 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama, 


389 


liad  come  to  a  people  who  awhile  ago  were  in  a  state  of  savage 
darkness,  starless,  rayless,  and  hopeless. 

At  the  close  of  the  first  year  of  the  Cherokee  Mission  thjere 
were  a  number  of  children  who  had  been  to  the  School  who 
could  write  a  fair  hand,  and  who  could  read  the  word  of  God. 
Certainly  that  was  a  wonderful  attainment  for  one  year.  The 
entire  expenditure  of  money  for  the  Mission  the  first  year  of 
its  existence  did  not  exceed  two  hundred  dollars. 

The  work  was  enlarged  for  1824,  and  the  Eev.  Thomas  L. 
Douglass  was  appointed  Conference  Missionary  and  Superin- 
tendent of  Indian  Missions,  and  the  Kev.  Eichard  Neely  was 
appointed  to  Lower  Cherokee  Mission,  and  the  Kev.  Nicholas 
D.   Scales  was   appointed   to   Upper  Cherokee  Mission.     The 
work  of  the  Kev.  Thomas  L.  Douglass,  under  the  appointment 
which  he  had,  was  to  travel  through  the  bounds  of  the  Tennes- 
see Conference,  form  Missionary  Societies,  as  branches  of  the 
Auxiliary  Society  of  the  Conference,  collect  funds,  superintend 
the  Missions,  and  visit  such  parts  of  the  field  as  were  most  con- 
venient and  as  he  judged  most  important.     The  Upper  Chero- 
kee Mission  did  not  touch  Alabama.     The  point  at  which  the 
Rev.  Nicholas  D.  Scales  was  stationed  was  at  Koss's  Post  Of- 
fice, or  near  it,  at  Mr.  Coody's,  and  about  one  hundred  miles 
from  Kichard  Kiley's.     Mr.  Coody  had  been  changed  by  grace, 
and  had  the  gospel  preached  in  his  house,  was  a  good  exhorter, 
and  a  leader  among  his  people,  and  had  voluntarily  offered  to 
contribute  one  hundred  dollars  annually  for  the  support  of  the 
Mission.     The  Lower  Cherokee  Mission   to  which    the   Kev. 
Kichard  Neely  was  assigned  was  the  Mission  in  Kichard  Kiley's 
neighborhood.     There  Brother  Neely  preached  and  taught,  but 
he  also  made  preaching  tours  to  adjoining  neighborhoods.     At 
the  close  of  the  year  there  were  in  the  Lower  Cherokee  Mission 
a  membership  of  one  hundred  and  eight  Indians  and  forty-three 
Negroes,  and  in  the  Upper  Cherokee  Mission  eighty-one  In- 
dians and  twenty  Negroes.     At  the  session  of  the  Conference  in 
the  latter  part  of  1824,  the  amounts  necessary  for  the  Mission- 
aries for  the  ensuing  year  were  estimated  and  fixed  at  three 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  Missionaries  with  families,  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  Missionaries  without  families. 
A  contingent  fund  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  the  Missions  was 
also  allowed. 


The  religious  interest  among  the  Cherokees  having  deepened 
and  widened,  the  work,  for  1825,  though  no  Superintendent  was 
appointed  to  it  for  that  year,  was  still  further  enlarged,  and 
three  men  were  assigned  to  the  field.  The  Kev.  Nicholas  D. 
Scales  was  assigned  to  Upper  Cherokee  Mission,  which  was  the 
School  at  Coody's  near  Koss's  Post  Office,  and  the  same  work  he 
had  the  year  just  closed.  The  Kev.  Isaac  W.  Sullivan  was  ap- 
pointed to  Middle  Cherokee  Mission,  which  was  the  School  at 
Kichard  Kiley's.  These  two  Missionaries,  Scales  and  Sullivan, 
were  to  devote  themselves  to  the  work  of  teaching  the  children 
the  ordinary  literary  branches.  They  could  preach  as  oppor- 
tunity offered  and  occasion  required. 

The  Kev.  Kichard  Neely  was  appointed  to  Lower  Cherokee 
Mission.  He  was  not  to  take  charge  of  a  School,  but  he  was  to 
preach.  He  was  to  organize  in  the  Nation  and  supervise  a  reg- 
ular Circuit,  a  work  which  hitherto  had  not  been  attempted  in 
a  heathen  land,  and  among  wild  men  of  the  woods.  Ever  zeal- 
ous, active,  and  aggressive,  he  had  resolved  to  devote  his  life  to 
the  religious  awakening  and  salvation  of  the  Cherokee  Indians. 
He  went  regular  rounds  on  a  Circuit  in  the  Nation,  employing 
all  his  time  in  preaching,  just  as  did  Methodist  preachers 
among  the  white  people  in  Tennessee,  Alabama,  and  other 
States,  leaving  the  work  of  teaching  the  children  to  cipher, 
read,  and  write  to  others.  The  most  of  his  Circuit  was  in  Ala- 
bama, though  the  entire  Nation  was  before  him,  and  there  was 
not  a  rival  in  all  the  field.  There  was  nothing  to  arrest  his 
march  or  to  circumscribe  his  operations  from  Wills  Creek  to 
within  the  chartered  limits  of  North  Carolina.  He  had  as  es- 
tablished points  from  which  to  operate  the  Society  at  Kiley's 
and  two  others  in  the  regions  thereabout,  and  the  Society  at 
Coody's.  The  following  lines  encompassed  his  Circuit:  A  line 
from  Chickasaw  Island  in  the  Tennessee  Kiver  to  the  junction 
of  Wills  Creek  and  the  Coosa  Kiver,  the  Coosa  Kiver  to  the 
junction  of  Etowah  and  the  Oostanaula,  from  the  junction  of 
these  rivers  to  the  point  of  Lookout  Mountain,  where  Chatta- 
nooga now  is,  from  there  the  Tennessee  Kiver  to  Chickasaw 
Island.  He  preached  anywhere  he  could  gather  a  congregation 
in  the  bounds  of  that  territory,  and  he  would  have  gone  further 
but  it  was  physically  impossible,  and  anywhere  he  was  was 
home,  and  the  spot  of  ground  where  night  overtook  him  in  the 


390 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


journey  was  liis  bed.  He  was,  for  Christ's  sake,  a  rover  amoDg 
savages,  and,  for  Christ's  sake,  he  adopted  the  style  of  life  pe- 
culiar to  that  wuld  tribe,  and,  for  Christ's  sake,  he  accepted  the 
people  as  his  people.  He  married  one  of  the  natives,  a  Miss 
McNair;  a  woman  of  education. 

For  1826  the  appointments  in  the  Cherokee  Mission  were: 
Kewtown,  Francis  A.  Owen;  Gunter's,  Ambrose  F.  Driskill; 
Wills  Yalley,  Eichard  Neely.  That  management  was  about  the 
same  as  the  year  before,  except  a  change  in  the  name  of  the  ap- 
pointments and  a  change  in  two  of  the  preachers.  The  Rev. 
Eichard  Neely  was  continued  in  the  same  work  and  on  the 
Circuit,  and  he  reached  his  appointment  on  his  return  from 
Conference  on  Sunday,  December  4,  1825,  and  was- received  by 
the  native  Christians  with  demonstrations  of  intense  pleasure, 
and  earnest  declarations  of  their  confidence  in  him  and  love  for 
him.  The  Indians  w^ere  much  attached  to  those  in  whom  they 
confided.  They  were  as  good  as  the  sinners  of  other  branches 
of  the  human  family,  the}'  did  good  to  those  who  did  good  to 
them,  xls  late  as  March  10,  1826,  which  was  a  very  rainy  and 
disagreeable  Friday,  Brother  Neely  had  not  obtained  any  one 
to  travel  with  him  and  interpret  for  him,  and  at  that  date  was 
without  prospect  of  such  assistance,  but  nevertheless  he  had 
filled  all  his  appointments.  Notwithstanding  that  winter  was 
very  cold,  and  the  preparation  for  comfort  was  very  meager  on 
the  part  of  most  of  those  denizens  of  the  forest,  the  Missionary 
had  considerable  congregations  of  worshipers,  and  while  not 
many  new  adherents  were  added  to  the  Societies,  the  Christians 
had  seasons  of  rejoicing,  and  grew  in  the  knowledge  of  divine 
things,  and  developed  a  true  concern  for  the  salvation  and  hap- 
piness of  others.  The  outlook  for  the  work  was  encouraging, 
the  prospect  for  good  promising.  One  of  the  stopping-places 
for  Brother  Neely  on  the  Wills  Valley  Circuit  in  the  Cherokee 
Nation  was  Brother  Coody's.  There  have  been  some  variations 
in  the  orthography  in  waiting  the  name  of  the  Eev.  Eichard 
Neely.  The  orthography  found  in  his  own  communications  has 
been  followed  in  these  pages. 

The  year  1826  closed  the  effective  work  of  the  Eev.  Eichard 
Neely.  At  the  session  of  the  Conference  which  commenced 
November  28,  1826,  being  broken  down  in  health,  and  unable 
longer  to  perform  the  full  amount  of  labor  which  a  pastoral 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama. 


391 


charge  required,  and  unable  to  endure  longer  the  exposure  inci- 
dent to  the  field  in  which  his  lot  was  cast,  he  was  granted  the 
relation  of  a  supernumerary  preacher,  and  in  that  relation  his 
name  was  attached  to  the  Jackson  Circuit,  which  was  in  prox- 
imity to  the  Cherokee  Nation  and  the  Missions  therein,  and  he 
continued  to  live  in  the  Indian  country,  and  he  expended  the 
fragment  of  strength  which  was  left  to  him  in  preaching  to  the 
natives  among  whom  he  had  introduced  the  glorious  gospel  of 
the  blessed  God.  At  the  Conference  at  Tuscumbia,  Alabama, 
in  November,  1827,  he  was  placed  in  the  list  of  superannuated 
preachers,  just  before  which  he  preached  his  last  sermon,  a 
farewell  sermon  to  the  Cherokees,  whom  he  loved  as  his  own 
soul,  and  for  whom  he  expended  his  strength,  exhausted  his 
health,  and  had  sacrificed  his  life.  His  last  sermon  was 
preached  in  great  weakness,  in  much  suffering,  and  in  many 
tears.  In  January,  1828,  he  was  carried  a  journey  of  four  days, 
to  Dr.  Wright's,  near  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  in  search  of  med- 
ical aid,  where  in  February  ensuing,  he  died  of  consumption. 
His  intense  interest  in  and  his  zeal  for  the  elevation  and  salva- 
tion of  the  Cherokees  was  shown  to  the  last  day  of  his  earthly 
sojourn.  His  estimate  of  the  states  on  the  different  sides  of 
the  line  which  separates  the  visible  and  the  invisible  w^as  given 
in  his  last  audible  words  on  this  side  of  the  line:  "Heaven  is  a 
better  place  than  this."  Though  he  lived  among  and  preached 
to  the  savages  of  the  Cherokee  tribe,  he  lived,  and  preached, 
and  died  amidst  grand  scenes  and  inspiring  surroundings.  Be- 
side the  majestic  and  gracefully  bending  Tennessee  Eiver  and 
in  sight  of  the  lofty  Lookout  Mountain  he  lifted  up  an  ensign 
to  the  heathen  and  proclaimed  to  listening  mortals  him  who 
"by  his  strength  setteth  fast  the  mountains;  being  girded  with 
power;"  and  who  "cutteth  out  rivers  among  the  rocks,"  and 
whose  "eye  seeth  every  precious  thing."  The  name  of  the  Eev. 
Eichard  Neely  shall  live  so  long  as  self-denial  is  practiced,  phi- 
lanthropy is  appreciated,  and  the  history  of  the  gospel  among 
the  aborigines  of  Alabama  is  known. 

The  work  was  still  further  enlarged  for  1827.  The  only  man 
retained  in  the  work  for  that  year  who  had  been  previously  en- 
gaged in  it  was  the  Eev.  Francis  A.  Owen.  He  was  returned  to 
Newtown.  The  Eev.  George  W.  Morris  was  sent  to  Gunter's. 
The  Eev.  William  P.  Nichols  was  appointed  to  Coosewattee. 


392 


History  of  Method  ism  in  Alabama, 


These  three  appointmeuts  were  Schools.  The  Key.  James  J. 
Trott  was  appointed  to  Wills  Valley  Circuit,  and  the  Rev. 
Turtle  Fields,  a  native  Cherokee,  was  appointed  to  travel  and 
preach  in  the  Nation,  under  the  direction  of  the  Superintend- 
ent, or  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Huntsville  District,  the  Eev. 
William  McMahon. 

Coosewattee  was  in  Georgia. 

In  the  latter  part  of  May,  1827,  Owen  and  Trott  were  report- 
ed in  good  health  and  fine  spirits,  and  Fields,  the  native  Cher- 
okee, was  at  that  time  reported  as  having  great  success,  God 
being  with  him  in  truth  and  power.  During  the  preceding 
months  of  the  Conference  year  more  than  one  hundred  natives 
had  been  received  into  the  Church  on  trial,  and  the  old  mem- 
bers  were  steadfast  in  the  faith,  and  were  walking  steadily  in 
the  way  of  life.  Three  Camp-meetings  were  held  in  the  Nation 
during  that  year,  and  there  were  added  at  least  two  hundred 
and  seventy-five  members.  There  was  perceptible  improve- 
ment in  the  condition  of  the  people  throughout  the  Nation; 
they  were  adopting  the  habits  of  civilized  life.  As  the  Indians 
learned  the  gospel,  believed  in  Christ,  and  were  allied  to  God 
they  abandoned,  so  far  as  they  could,  their  wild  state  in  the 
woods,  left  off  praying  to  water-falls,  snakes,  and  clouds,  en- 
larged their  cabins,  improved  their  habitations,  and  made  pro- 
vision  against  nakedness,  hunger,  and  cold. 

The  appointments  for  1828  for  Cherokee  Mission:  Wills  Val- 
ley, Greenberry  Garrett;  Oostaknahla,  Turtle  Fields  (a  native 
Cherokee);  Echota,  James  J.  Trott;  Ooithkellogee,  G.  T.  Hen- 
derson; Creek  Path,  John  B.  McFerrin;  Chatooga,  Allen  F. 
Scruggs;  Salakowa,  Dickson  C.  McLeod. 

During  the  year  1828  Bishop  William  McKendree  made  a 
tour  through  the  Cherokee  Nation  and  profoundly  impressed 
the  men  of  the  Nation  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  It  was 
estimated  at  that  time  that  there  were  in  the  Cherokee  Nation 
about  fifteen  thousand  souls,  and  the  three  Circuits  then  exist- 
ing and  to  which  preachers  were  assigned  extended  over  about 
half  of  the  territory  then  belonging  to  the  Cherokees  in  their 
ancient  domain,  and  there  were  about  seven  hundred  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  three  Circuits;  about 
three  hundred  and  forty-five  of  these  members  were  in  Alabama. 
There  were  four  Schools,  two  of  them  organized  that  year,  and 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama. 


393 


there  were  about  one  hundred  pupils  in  the  four  Schools,  and 
some  of  these  pupils  had  attained  proficiency  in  English  Gram- 
mar. At  one  of  the  Schools  there  was  a  Tract  and  Sunday 
School  Society.  In  the  month  of  September,  1828,  there  were 
three  Camp-meetings  held  in  the  Nation,  at  which  good  order 
prevailed,  and  many  natives  received  the  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  Christians  rejoiced  and  were  intensely  happy.  The 
Cherokee  Christians  at  that  time  were  orderly,  and  were 
perfectly  joined  together  in  the  same  mind  and  in  the  same 
judgment,  and  were  not  behind  in  any  of  the  ordinary  gifts  of 
the  Spirit,  and  they  were  enriched  in  utterance  and  knowledge. 
They  were  pious  in  heart  and  blameless  in  life.  There  were, 
however,  a  few  cases  of  apostasy,  and  some  had  to  be  expelled. 
There  were,  in  that  year  of  grace,  two  licensed  preachers  and 
nine  licensed  exhorters  among  the  native  Cherokees,  all  men  of 
marked  piety,  and  men  who  labored  zealously  for  the  salvation 
of  their  people,  and  who  exerted  a  good  influence  wherever  they 

went. 

The  amount  collected  for  Missions  in  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence during  1828  was  three  hundred  and  fifty-six  dollars,  of 
which  sum  the  two  Missionary  Societies  in  Alabama,  Huntsville 
and  Courtland,  paid  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  dollars,  Hunts- 
ville  sixty-one  and  Courtland  sixty.     At  Murphreesborough, 
Tennessee,  December,  1828,  the  Tennessee  Conference  being  in 
session,  there  was  held  a  Missionary  Anniversary,  the  great 
theme  of  discussion  and  the  sole  subject  of  interest  being  the 
Cherokee  Mission.     Three  native  Cherokees  took  an  active  part 
in  the  exercises  of  the  Anniversary.     These  three  natives  were 
John  Fletcher  Boot,  Turtle  Fields,  and  Edward  Gunter.     Boot 
was  a  full  blood  Cherokee,  and  when  baptized  was  given  the 
name  of  John  Fletcher,  was  a  man  of  considerable  talents,  and 
a  licensed  preacher,  and  made  an  efiicient  itinerant  preacher. 
At  that  Anniversary  Boot  delivered  a  speech  in  his  native 
tongue  on  the  subject  of  Missions  and  religion  among  his  peo- 
ple.    The  speech  was  interpreted  by  Edward  Gunter,  who  was 
a  half  blood  Indian,  and  a  man  of  deep  piety,  and  a  licensed  ex- 
horter;  and  who  was  a  soldier  with  General  Andrew  Jackson, 
and  was  at  the  famous  battle  of  the  Horse  Shoe,  on  the  Talla- 
poosa River.     Gunter  also  made  a  speech  at  the  Anniversary  on 
the  subject  of  religion  among  the  Cherokees.     Turtle  Fields 


39^ 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


made  a  good  speech  on  the  same  subject.  He  was  an  eminent 
Chief,  a  man  of  deep  piety  and  of  holy  power.  He  was  a  long 
while  a  preacher,  and  quite  useful  and  successful  in  the  itiner- 
ant ministry.  These  three  men  made  a  deep  impression  on  the 
white  persons  who  attended  that  Missionary  Meeting. 

The  appointments  for  1829  were  as  follows:  Wills  Valley  and 
Oostanaula,  John  B.  McFerrin;  Coosewattee,  Turtle  Fields; 
Mount  Wesley  and  Asbury,  D.  C.  McLeod;  Chatooga,  Green- 
berry  Garrett;  Salakowa,  Nicholas  D.  Scales;  Neely's  Grove, 
Allen  F.  Scruggs;  Conesauga,  Thomas  J.  Elliott;  James  J. 
Trott,  General  Missionary  to  travel  through  the  Nation. 

The  work  for  the  year  commenced  with  encouraging  prospects 
alike  for  the  increase  of  intelligence  and  stability  among  the 
members,  and  additions  to  their  numbers,  and  the  increase  of 
the  Schools  in  numbers  and  efficiency,  and  an  increase  of  the 
funds  to  carry  on  the  work.  All  the  good  which  was  anticipa- 
ted in  the  beginning  of  the  year  was  realized  by  the  close.  The 
work  in  the  Schools  flourished.  The  members  of  the  Church 
prospered  and  there  were  additions  to  their  numbers.  Eleven 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  and  eighty  cents  was  the  sum  collect- 
ed in  the  bounds  of  the  Conference  during  the  year  for  Missions; 
and  at  the  Anniversary  held  in  the  Methodist  Church  at  Hunts- 
ville,  Alabama,  November  23,  1829,  the  above  sum  was  added 
to  by  a  contribution  from  the  congregation  for  Missions  of  one 
hundred  dollars.  There  were  a  number  of  Cherokee  Christians 
present  at  that  meeting,  giving  interest  to  the  occasion  and  new 
life  to  the  cause. 

The  Eev.  William  McMahon  was  connected  with  the  work 
among  the  Cherokees,  being  presiding  elder,  from  the  beginning 
of  that  work  in  1822  to  the  close  of  1829;  and  he  held  Quarter- 
ly Meetings  and  from  one  to  three  Camp-meetings  every  year 
in  the  Nation  from  the  time  of  the  first  appointment  of  a  preach- 
er to  that  work  until  the  close  of  his  presiding  eldership  there. 

The  field  was  filled  for  1830  by  the  following  appointments: 
Superintendent  of  the  Cherokee  Mission,  Francis  A.  Owen; 
Wills  Valley,  Dickson  C.  McLeod,  Spear,  interpreter.  Boot; 
Conesauga,  G.  M.  Rogers,  Young  Wolfe,  E.  Graves,  interpreter; 
Valley  Town,  Robert  Rogers,  W.  Mcintosh,  interpreter.  Turtle 
Fields;  Chatooga,  Joseph  Miller;  Mount  Wesley  and  Asbury, 
J.  J.  Trott;  Coosewattee,  Jacob  Ellinger,  Joseph  B.  Bird,  in- 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama. 


395 


terpreter;   Selacoa,   Greenberry  Garrett;  Agency,  William  M. 
McFerrin;  Lookout,  Nicholas  D.  Scales. 

The  men  w^ho  entered  upon  the  Mission  work  among  the 
Cherokee  Indians  in  the  beginning  of  1830  found  the  condition 
of  that  people  much  improved  in  many  respects.  It  is  true 
that  they  had  not  as  a  people,  abandoned  altogether  their  sav- 
age habits  and  barbarous  customs,  nor  had  they  formally  re- 
nounced their  peculiar  superstitions,  but  many  of  them  had 
built  for  themselves  comfortable  houses,  and  had  productive 
fields  about  them,  and  had  attained  some  tolerable  knowledge 
of  handicraft  and  useful  implements,  and  had  donned  habili- 
ments which  gave  comfort,  inspired  cleanliness,  and  protected 
virtue.  Many  of  the  young  Indians  had  a  thirst  for  knowledge 
and  learning,  and  many  children  were  seeking  places  in.  the 
Schools  taught  by  the  Missionaries.  The  then  principal  Chief 
of  the  Nation,  Mr.  John  Ross,  had,  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
beautiful  Coosa  River  between  the  mouth  of  Wills  Creek  and 
the  junction  of  the  Etowah  and  the  Oostanaula  Rivers,  a  dwell- 
ing house  equal  in  style  to  the  houses  owned  and  occupied  by 
men  of  enlightened  habits  and  ample  fortunes,  and  his  dwell- 
ing was  surrounded  by  well  cultivated  fields.  Mr.  Ross  was  a 
man  of  splendid  talents  and  brilliant  attainments,  and  owned 
and  used  to  profit  a  well  selected  library.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  was  a  zealous  worker 
and  an  influential  leader  in  the  divine  cause.  At  the  home  of 
Mr.  Ross,  on  the  Coosa  River,  there  was  a  house  of  worship, 
and  a  Society  of  native  Christians.  An  officer  of  the  United 
States  Government,  who,  with  a  small  party  of  United  States 
soldiers,  visited  the  Cherokee  country  in  1830- to  quell  some  dis- 
turbances which  had  arisen  through  the  intrusions  of  some 
white  men  in  the  Nation,  and  who  in  the  discharge  of  the  com- 
mission with  which  he  was  invested  visited  Mr.  Ross,  the  prin- 
cipal Chief,  has  given  an  account  of  a  religious  service  which 
he  witnessed  on  the  Sunday  of  his  arrival  at  the  home  of  the 
Chief.  The  officer  attended  the  services  upon  the  invitation  of 
Mr.  Ross.  There  were  present  about  fifty  Indians,  who  were 
dressed  much  after  the  manner  of  white  people,  and  in  gar- 
ments of  their  own  manufacture.  There  were  at  and  partici- 
pating in  that  service  two  regularly  ordained  preachers  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  one  a  full  blood  Indian,  and  the 


398 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


other  one-fourth  white.  The  service  was  conducted  in  the 
Cherokee  language  according  to  the  order  of  service  used  by 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  hymns  sang  by  the  con- 
gregation were  in  the  Cherokee  language,  having  been  trans- 
lated from  the  English,  and  the  tunes  were  English.  Hymn 
Books  printed  in  Cherokee  were  used  on  that  occasion,  so  says 
the  reporter,  and  nearly  all  the  congregation  participated  in  the 
singing.  The  Scriptures  were  read,  a  sermon  was  preached, 
and  exhortations  were  delivered  after  the  style  of  the  Metho- 
dists of  the  time.  The  congregation  was  orderly,  attentive,  and 
devout.  Christ  was  owned  in  the  wilds  of  the  Cherokee  Na- 
tion, and  worshiped  in  the  tongue  of  the  savage  tribe,  and  the 
wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  were  made  gla'd. 

One  School,  if  no  more,  was  organized  in  the  Nation  in  the 
beginning  of  1830,  and  one  new  Circuit  was  made  at  the  same 
time.  The  Coosewattee  School  had  twenty-seven  children  be- 
ginning in  the  alphabet,  not  one  of  whom  could  speak  English. 
The  Superintendent,  the  Rev.  Francis  A.  Owen,  changed  the 
work  of  Joseph  B.  Bird,  and  appointed  him  to  teach  the  School 
at  Coosewattee,  as  he  could  speak  and  interpret  both  the  Eng- 
lish and  Cherokee  languages.  The  Yalleytown  Circuit,  which 
lay  among  the  lofty  mountains  and  romantic  and  sublime 
scenes  within  the  chartered  limits  of  North  Carolina,  was  or- 
ganized that  year  and  traveled  by  the  Rev.  Greenberry  Garrett, 
William  Mcintosh  being  his  interpreter,  and  the  Rev.  Turtle 
Fields,  one  of  the  Chiefs  of  the  Nation.  During  that  year  there 
were  five  Schools  and  five  Circuits  in  the  Nation,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  children  were  connected  with  the  Schools, 
some  learning  the  letters  and  syllables,  some  spelling,  some 
reading,  some  studying  geography,  some  arithmetic,  and  some 
English  Grammar.  There  were  Schools  at  Mount  Wesley  and 
Asbury  Stations,  and  at  Asbury,  a  brother  Crutchfield,  a  resident 
of  the  Nation,  and  a  volunteer  teacher,  working  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, and  without  compensation,  was  teaching,  with  fifteen 
children  under  his  instruction.  The  most  advanced  pupils  in 
all  the  Nation  were  at  Lookout.  Including  a  few  interpreters, 
there  were  employed  in  1830  in  the  work  in  the  land  of  the 
Cherokees,  seventeen  Missionaries.  William  M.  McFerrin  was 
at  the  Agency,  and  had  sixty  additions  to  the  Society  there. 
The  Second  Quarterly  Meeting  on  Wills  Yalley  Circuit  was 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama, 


397 


held  for  three  days,  beginning  Friday,  April  30,  and  was  an 
occasion  of  profound  interest.  Favorable  reports  were  made 
from  the  different  Societies  of  the  Circuit,  and  Boot,  the  na- 
tive preacher  on  the  work,  was  doing  acceptable  work  among 
his  kindred  and  for  his  tribe.  At  that  Quarterly  Meeting  the 
natives  camped  on  the  ground,  and  the  work  was  marvelous, 
not  so  much  for  its  extent  as  its  thoroughness  and  profound- 
ness. There  was  a  noted  case,  a  young  Indian  from  the  wilds 
of  Arkansas,  who  previously  knew  nothing  of  salvation,  even  as 
a  theory,  was  wrought  upon  in  a  marvelous  manner  and  con- 
verted, and  he  and  six  others  joined  the  Church.  At  a  Quar- 
terly Meeting,  just  after  the  one  for  Wills  Valley  Circuit,  held 
at  Chattooga,  a  marvelous  work  was  witnessed.  Two  women, 
one  seventy  and  the  other  nearly  ninety  years  old,  joined  the 
Church,  and  a  man  eighty  years  old,  named  Bonecracker,  was 
changed  in  heart,  and  united  with  the  Church,  producing  a 
sensation  wide  sweeping.  The  work  throughout  the  Cherokee 
Nation  that  year  was  thorough  and  profound.  The  Nation  was 
stirred  with  a  religious  awakening.  There  have  been  more  ex- 
tensive ingatherings  in  other  years  among  other  peoples  than 
was  had  that  year  among  the  Cherokees,  but  there  was  never  a 
more  profound  work  and  thorough  renovation  anywhere  than 
was  witnessed  among  that  people  of  the  woods.  In  many  in- 
stances the  aborigines  packed  their  victuals  to  the  places  of 
meetings,  and  remained  on  the  ground  throughout  the  entire- 
services  of  from  three  to  four  and  more  days.  A  part  of  the 
work  done  in  the  midst  of  heathen  superstitions  was  the  Sun- 
day-school work.  There  were  in  the  Cherokee  Nation  duriug- 
1830,  three  flourishing  Sunday-schools,  in  which  sixty  children 
were  instructed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Twenty-three  hundred 
and  eighty-seven  dollars  and  twelve  and  a  half  cents  were  ex- 
pended in  the  support  of  the  Missions  in  the  Cherokee  Nation 
for  the  year  1830.  The  Cherokees,  when  inducted  into  the  di- 
vine mysteries  were  loving,  generous,  and  benevolent.  They 
desired  a  dissemination  of  divine  truth.  At  Mount  Wesley,  in 
the  Nation,  a  Missionary  Society  was  established  called  the 
Branch  Missionary  Society  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  auxiliary 
to  the  Tennessee  Conference  Missionary  Society,  and  from  that 
Society  of  the  Cherokee  Nation  was  forwarded  to  the  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  at  its  Anniversary  held  on 
26 


398 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


the  evening  of  November  9,  1830,  twenty-three  dollars,  accom- 
panied by  an  interesting  address  from  Mr.  W.  S.  Adair,  a  na- 
tive of  the  Cherokee  Nation.  The  little  children  of  that  be- 
nighted land  cast  in  their  mites  to  swell  that  sum  sent  as  a  gift 
to  the  treasury  of  the  Church.  That  benevolence  of  the  con- 
verts from  heathenism  to  Christianity  was  of  the  spirit  of  the 
gospel,  was  in  accord  with  the  commission  of  Christ,  and  was  a 
rebuke  to  many  who  boasted  of  superior  advantages  and  intel- 
ligence. 

The  Cherokee  Mission  was  kept  up  continuously  by  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference  until  the  close  of  1834,  when  it  was  discon- 
tinued by  that  Conference,  the  great  body  of  the  Indian  mem- 
bers outside  of  the  bounds  of  the  Holston  Conference  emigrated 
west,  and  those  remaining  in  the  Holston  Conference  were 
turned  over  to  that  Conference.  By  the  close  of  1838  the  pro- 
vision for  the  emigration  of  the  last  of  the  Cherokees  was  com- 
plete, and  the  last  Indian  preacher  was  transferred  from  Hol- 
ston to  Arkansas.  From  the  close  of  1830  the  membership 
steadily  decreased,  and  the  field  contracted,  not  because  the  In- 
dians were  less  interested  in  the  gospel  than  formerly,  not  be- 
cause the  membership  apostatized,  not  because  the  Missionaries 
engaged  in  the  work  were  not  efficient  and  faithful,  but  be- 
cause many  emigrated  to  the  Cherokee  possessions  west  of  the 
Mississippi  River.  At  the  close  of  1830  there  were  one  thou- 
sand and  twenty-eight  Indian  members  in  that  Mission,  which 
was  the  largest  number  ever  reported  in  the  Cherokee  Nation 
under  the  supervision  of  the  Tennessee  Conference.  The  work 
was  all  the  while  most  successful  in  that  part  of  the  Nation 
v^ithiu  the  chartered  limits  of  Alabama,  and  the  smallest  results 
v^ere  attained  in  that  part  of  the  Nation  within  the  chartered 
limits  of  North  Carolina.  The  Wills  Yalley  Circuit  was  the 
first  and  the  strongest  in  the  Nation.  When  the  Cherokee 
Mission  was  discontinued  by  the  Tennessee  Conference  at  the 
close  of  1834,  there  were  five  hundred  and  eight  Indian  and 
seventeen  Negro  members  then  in  the  bounds  of  their  ancient 

domain. 

Some  of  the  preachers  engaged  in  the  work  among  the  Chero- 
kees were  there  a  number  of  years,  others  were  there  only  one 
or  two  years.  Ambrose  F.  Driskill,  John  Wesley  Hanna,  Uriah 
Williams,  Frederick  G.  Ferguson,  and  Hiram  M.  Glass  were 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama, 


399 


each  there  only  one  year.  Driskill  and  Ferguson  were  as  teach- 
ers and  were  not  in  charge  of  Circuits. 

The  Rev.  James  J.  Trott,  after  being  an  itinerant  preacher  in 
the  Tennessee  Conference  eight  or  nine  years,  and  preaching  to 
the  Cherokee  Indians  for  about  five  years,  withdrew  from  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  joined  the  followers  of  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Campbell  He  married  a  woman  of  the  Cher- 
okee tribe. 

The  Rev.  Turtle  Fields  was  the  first  Cherokee  Indian  ever 
employed  as  an  itinerant  preacher  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  December,  1826,  he  was 
named  in  the  Minutes  of  the  Conference  as  employed  to  travel 
and  preach  in  the  Nation  under  the  direction  of  the  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Cherokee  Mission.  At  Tuscumbia,  Alabama,  in 
November,  1827,  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee 
Conference,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  he  was  admitted  into 
full  connection  and  was  ordained  a  deacon,  and  in  the  on-going 
of  matters  he  was  ordained  an  elder.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Tennessee  Conference,  serving  his  own  tribe  as  an  itinerant 
preacher,  until  the  close  of  1834,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Holston  Conference.  At  the  Holston  Conference  in  October, 
1835,  he  was  put  down  on  the  Minutes  as  transferred  to  the 
Alabama  Conference;  it  is,  however,  probable  that  he  never  had 
any  official  relation  to  the  Alabama  Conference,  as  at  the  close 
of  1836  he  appeared  again  as  a  member  of  the  Holston  Confer- 
ence. In  the  fall  of  1837  he  was  transferred  to  the  Arkansas 
Conference,  and  at  the  close  of  1839  he  located.  He  was  phys- 
ically well  made:  tall  and  strong,  and  in  the  days  before  his 
adherence  to  the  Christian  religion,  he  was  a  warrior  and  he 
proved  himself  a  hero.  He  was  a  solr'.i^r  under  General  Andrew 
Jackson  in  the  war  with  the  Creek  Indians.  He  was  an  earnest 
man,  a  good  and  successful  preacher.  He  did  much  hard  work 
in  his  day. 

The  Rev.  Dixon  C.  McLeod,  born  in  Anson  County,  North 
Carolina,  March  13,  1802;  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee 
Conference  November,  1823;  and  died  April  10,  1840  ;  spent 
five  years  of  his  ministry,  beginning  with  1828  and  ending  with 
1832,  among  the  red  men  of  the  forest.  His  only  work  in  Ala- 
bama was  among  the  Cherokee  Indians.  He  was  one  year  on 
the  Wills  Valley  Circuit,  and  two  years  he  was  Superintendent 


p%^ 


\ 


400 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama. 


401 


of  the  Cherokee  Mission,  in  which  position  he  swept  the  whole 
field,  which  extended  from  Wills  Creek,  in  Alabama,  to  the 
lofty  mountains  and  majestic  scenes  in  North  Carolina.  In  the 
discharge  of  his  duties  to  the  sons  of  the  forest  he  endured 
manacles,  indignities,  and  maltreatment.  "  Upon  one  occasion, 
because  of  his  attachment  to  his  work  and  his  devotion  to  the 
interests  of  the  people  whom  he  served,  he  was  arrested  by  the 
pretended  officers  of  justice,  and  deprived  of  his  own  horse,  and 
dragged  on  foot  a  distance  of  seventy  or  eighty  miles  as  a  prison- 
er." He  was  thus  treated,  not  by  the  reputed  savages,  not  by 
the  Indians,  but  by  the  white  people  of  a  State  which  boasted 
of  civilization. 

The  Cherokees  were  recognized  as  a  Nation,  and  were  by  Treaty 
stipulations  under  the  protection  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
and  were  to  be  secured  in  the  possession  of  the  country  occupied 
by  them,  they  were  to  be  secured  against  the  intrusions  of  all 
white  persons  whatsoever.  The  Treaty  stipulations  provided 
that  if  any  citizen  of  the  United  States,  or  other  person  not  an 
Indian,  should  settle  on  any  of  the  Cherokees'  lands,  such  per- 
son thereby  forfeited  the  protection  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  Cherokees  might  punish  him  or  not,  as  they  pleased. 
Georgia  became  impatient  of  the  presence  of  the  Indians  within 
her  chartered  limits,  and  undertook  to  extend  her  jurisdiction 
over  the  lands  owned  and  occupied  by  the  Cherokees.  Colli- 
sions between  Governments  ensued.  The  Cherokee  Nation  re- 
sisted the  encroachments  of  Georgia.  The  United  States,  true 
to  Treaty  obligations  with  the  Indians,  undertook  to  restrain 
the  State  of  Georgia  from  intrenching  upon  the  Cherokees,  and 
the  State  of  Georgia  resisted  the  authority  of  the  United  States. 
The  conflict  was  sharp,  the  contest  strong,  the  excitement  in- 
tense. The  people  of  Georgia  determined  by  any  means,  dis- 
honorable or  otherwise,  to  get  rid  of  the  Indians,  and  they  be- 
came embittered  against  the  preachers  of  the  gospel,  the  Mission- 
aries to  the  Cherokees,  and  accused  them  of  giving  the  Indians 
such  advice  and  exerting  over  them  such  an  influence  as  ob- 
structed the  furtherance  of  the  plans  of  Georgia  in  the  politi- 
cal purposes  involved,  and  the  Legislature  of  the  State  passed 
laws  the  purpose  of  which  was  to  expel  the  Missionaries  from 
the  Cherokee  Nation.  The  Missionaries  could  not  desist  from 
preaching  the  gospel  because  Georgia  had  the  audacity  to  en- 


act laws  detrimental  to  their  work.  The  Missionaries  could  not 
aftbrd  to  abandon  the  work  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  a  Nation 
because  the  State  of  Georgia  disregarded  the  national  compact, 
and  the  fidelity  of  the  United  States  to  treaty  stipulations,  and 
interposed  laws  in  conflict  with  such  compact  and  such  stipula- 
tions. It  is  history  that  the  State  of  Georgia  arrested  the  Mis- 
sionaries, the  men  who  preached  the  gospel  to  the  Cherokees, 
and  harassed  men,  whose  only  crime  was  that  of  doing  good, 
with  criminal  prosecutions.  It  is  history  that  the  State  of  Geor- 
gia confined  in  the  Penitentiary  at  hard  labor  the  Rev.  S.  A. 
Worcester,  and  the  Rev.  Elizur  Butler,  two  Missionaries  to  the 
Cherokee  Nation  in  the  employment  of  the  American  Board  of 
Commissioners  of  Foreign  Missions.  In  a  Court  convened  by 
authority  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  and  on  September  15,  1831, 
these  two  men  were  convicted  of  violating  a  law  which  de- 
manded that  all  white  men  who  were  found  residing  on  Chero- 
kee lands  within  the  chartered  limits  of  Georgia  after  a  certain 
date,  without  having  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  State 
of  Georgia,  should  be  imprisoned  in  the  Penitentiary  at  hard 
labor  for  four  years.  These  men  believed  that  as  Missionaries 
to  the  Nation,  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Indians,  they  were 
not  under  any  obligations  to  take  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
State  of  Georgia,  and  the  interpretations  of  the  United  Sta'>es 
of  her  obligations  to  the  Treaty  stipulations  with  the  Indians, 
and  the  course  of  the  United  States  Government  in  the  prem- 
ises justified  these  men  in  this  belief,  and  as  the  law  was  doubt- 
less enacted  simply  for  the  expulsion  from  the  Nation  of  the 
Missionaries,  and  to  terminate  their  ministry  to  the  Indians  they 
refused  to  obey  the  law.  They  suffered,  and  gloried  in  a  dis- 
pensation of  suffering.  It  was  under  that  sort  of  administra- 
tion that  the  Rev.  Dixon  C.  McLeod  was  arrested,  dismounted, 
and  dragged  seventy  or  eighty  miles,  and  abused  and  beaten !  He 
would  better  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  savages.  He  man- 
aged, however,  to  escape  the  Penitentiary,  and  resume  his  work 
in  preaching  the  gospel  of  peace  to  the  men  of  the  woods. 

Boot  was  a  Cherokee,  without  taint  of  blood,  born  in  the  an- 
cient land  of  his  fathers.  He  was  a  leader  among  his  people,  a 
warrior,  and  a  patriot.  He  knew  and  spoke  only  the  Cherokee 
Language.  He  was  ever  true  to  whatever  cause  he  espoused. 
About  the  year  1827,  when  he  was  about  thirty-four  years  of 


402 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Missions  to  the  Indians  in  Alabama, 


403 


age,  he  was  baptized  into  the  Christian  religion,  receiving  the 
name  of  John  Fletcher,  and  was  admitted  into  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  by  the  Kev.  William  McMahon.     Some  time 
in  1829  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  was  employed  by  the  Su- 
perintendent, on  the  Wills  Valley  Circuit,  for  the  ensuing  year; 
and  in  November,  1830,  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennes- 
see Conference.     His  name  was  printed  wrong  in  the  General 
Minutes,  when  it  was  put  down  among  those  received  on  trial. 
It  was  printed  Jolm  R  Buriium,  when  it  should  have  been  Boot. 
His  full  name  was  John  Fletcher  Boot.     For  1832  he  was  a<rain 
on  Wills  Valley  Circuit.     At  Nashville,  Tennessee,  November 
11,  1832,  having  been  received  into  full  connection  in  the  Con- 
ference, he  was  ordained  a  deacon,  by  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew, 
and  he  was  returned  to  Wills  Valley  Circuit  for  the  next  year. 
At  Lebanon,  Tennessee,  November  8,  1834,  he  was  ordained  an 
elder,  by  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew,  and  was  transferred  to  the 
Holston  Conference.     In  the  fall  of  1838  he  went  to  the  home 
of  the  Cherokees  West  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver,  and  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Arkansas  Conference.     In  his  native  land  and  in 
his  native  tongue  he  preached  the  gospel  and  administered  the 
Christian  Sacraments.     For  about  ten  years  he  ranged  over  the 
mountains  and  through  the  valleys  of  his  native  land  to  give  to 
his  benighted  people  the  everlasting  truth  and  redeem  them 
from  the  superstitions  of  heathenism.    He  was  a  grand  preacher. 
He  grasped  the  subject  in  hand  with  master  mind,  and  with  a 
sublimity  and  majesty  seldom  surpassed  he  uttered  gospel  truth 
and  poured  forth  appeals  which  were  absolutely  irresistible. 
He  died  in  the  itinerant  work,  true  and  devoted  through  all  the 
years  of  his  ministry.     He  gave  also  special  attention  to  the 
civil  interests  of  his  people.     He  was  a  member  of  the  Indian 
Mission  Conference  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  filling  a  Cir- 
cuit, and  at  the  same  time  a  member  of  the  Executive  Council 
of  the  Nation.     He  was  on  his  way  to  an  appointment  to  preach 
when  the  summons  of  death  met  him.     He  died  at  his  post,  Au- 
gust 8,  1853. 

AtHuntsville,  Alabama,  in  November,  1829,  William  Mcintosh, 
a  native  Cherokee,  then  about  thirty-three  years  of  age,  and 
fluent  in  the  use  of  the  English  language,  as  well  as  in  his  na- 
tive Cherokee,  was  appointed  as  interpreter  for  the  Missionaries 
in  the  field.     About  a  year  previous  to  that  time  he  had  been 


renewed  in  nature  and  inducted  into  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  continued  to  interpret  for  the  Missionaries  in  his 
native  land  until  1834,  when  he  emigrated  to  the  home  of  the 
Cherokees  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  He  continued  to  in- 
terpret for  the  Missionaries  in  the  land  whence  he  went.  He 
was  devout  and  pious,  warm  and  enthusiastic.  He  was  one  of 
the  best  interpreters  that  ever  translated  for  a  speaker.  He 
was  a  fine  specimen  of  a  Christian,  and  he  was  finally  licensed 
to  preach,  and,  in  1841,  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Arkan- 
sas Conference,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Indian  Mission  Con- 
ference from  the  time  of  its  organization  till  his  death.  His 
Christian  life  extended  over  about  thirty  years,  during  which 
time  he  wrought  much  for  God  and  his  Nation.  He  died  near 
Tahlequah,  Indian  Territory,  December,  1858. 

Edward  Graves,  Joseph  B.  Bird,  and  John  Spear  were  inter- 
preters in  the  Mission  Field  of  the  Tennessee  Conference,  and 
did  good  work  in  giving  the  gospel  to  the  Cherokees. 

The  gospel  did  more  than  all  things  else  to  deliver  the  Chero- 
kee Indians  from  errors,  delusions,  and  degradations  which  so 
long  held  dominion  over  them.  The  work  of  giving  the  gospel 
to  that  savage  tribe,  in  view  of  the  complications  surrounding' 
them,  involved  most  delicate  tasks,  and  required  great  wisdom, 
prudence,  and  endurance,  but  the  Cherokee  Christians  never 
gave  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  special  trouble.  The 
work  with  the  redeemed  Indians  was  promotive  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Christ.  The  Christians  in  the  Cherokee  Nation  never  an- 
noyed the  Church  with  heresies,  schisms,  or  ecclesiastical  tu- 
mults. There  were  many  hindrances  encountered  in  the  work, 
but  they  were  not  from  ecclesiastical  sources.  The  Cherokee 
Christians  maintained  a  commendable  type  of  piety.  Inspired 
with  humble  fear,  and  filled  with  the  principles  imparted  by  di- 
vine grace,  they  shouted  with  a  mirth  born  of  devotion,  and 
served  God,  spreading  his  praise  through  earth  and  sky.  The 
work  begun  in  the  land  of  their  fathers  was  transferred  to  their 
Western  home,  and  still  goes  on.  Many  happy  souls  have  been 
translated  to  the  heavenly  courts  and  the  upper  choirs,  where 
they  "  ascribe  their  conquest  to  the  Lamb,  their  triumph  to  his 
death,"  and  still  many  more,  of  that  once  benighted  tribe,  are 
on  their  way  to  the  city  of  golden  streets  and  splendid  man- 
sions. The  redeemed  of  the  Lord  shall  come  from  every  land, 
and  so  they  come  from  the  land  of  the  Cherokees. 


I' 
\ 

\ 


■  HI 


p% 


Agitation  and  Secession, 


405 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Agitation  in  and  Secession  from  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Chukch  in  Alabama. 

THE  Methodist  preachers  of  America,  iu  Conference  assem- 
bled, in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  December  24,  or 
Christmas  eve,  1784,  unanimously  agreed  to  become  a  separate 
body,  and  following  the  counsel  of  John  Wesley,  who  recommend- 
ed to  them  the  Episcopal  mode  of  Church  government,  formed 
themselves,  without  a  dissenting  voice,  into  a  separate  and  inde- 
pendent organization,  under  the  denomination  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church.  In  the  on-going  of  affairs,  the  vast 
extent  of  country  occupied  by  that  Church  made  presiding 
elders  indispensable  to  the  exercise  of  the  Episcopal  preroga- 
tive, and  the  environments  of  some  preachers  have  made  it  nec- 
essary for  them  to  desist  from  the  itinerant  work,  and  so  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  by  her  peculiar  organization  and 
by  her  unique  administrations,  has  had  the  orders  of  deacons 
and  elders,  the  offices  of  bishops  and  presiding  elders,  and 
the  classes  of  itinerant  preachers,  local  preachers,  and  mem- 
bers. 

In  the  ranks  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  there  have 
arisen  every  now  and  then  agitators  and  innovators.  Agitators 
and  innovators  have  ever  assumed  that  it  is  a  popular  thing 
in  America  to  denounce  ecclesiastical  authority,  and  it  has 
ever  been  a  chief  occupation  of  such  persons  to  denounce  the 
exercise  of  ecclesiastical  power.  In  the  estimation  of  such  per- 
sons the  firm  administration  of  law  and  the  vigorous  enforce- 
ment of  Discipline  are  the  same  as  usurpation  and  despotism. 
The  Eev.  James  O'Kelley,  one  of  the  men  who  participated  in 
the  organization  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  who 
gave  a  hearty  approval  to  the  Episcopal  form  of  government, 
and  who  was  ordained  an  elder  at  the  same  time,  in  a  little 
more  than  seven  years  from  that  date,  became  a  vehement  ag- 
itator, and  led,  a  fiery  and  restless  Irishman  that  he  was,  a 
furious  assault  on  Episcopal  prerogative,  and  then  seceded 
(404) 


from  the  Church.  That  was  the  beginning  of  attempts  at 
abridging  Episcopal  prerogative,  obliterating  ecclesiastical  dis- 
tinctions, and  paralyzing  aggressive  movements. 

An  effort  was  made  in  the  General  Conference,  in  May,  1820, 
to  transfer  from  the  Bishops  to  the  Annual  Conferences  the 
prerogative  of  choosing  the  presiding  elders,  and  fixing  their 
stations.  The  measure  was  prosecuted  and  contested  with 
great  vigor.  The  discussion  of  the  subject  was  more  than 
ardent,  it  was  bitter  and  stormy.  The  measure  was  carried, 
but  the  storm  was  not  allayed.  The  Kev.  Joshua  Soule  had 
been  elected  Bishop,  but  before  the  day  had  arrived  for  his 
consecration  to  the  office,  that  measure,  which  he  considered 
an  innovation,  and  unconstitutional,  had  been  adopted,  where- 
upon he  declined  to  be  inducted  into  the  office.  That  presented 
a  protest  and  a  dilemma!  The  General  Conference  finally 
receded  from  the  position  assumed,  and  suspended  the  new 
rule  for  four  years,  a  most  singular  proceeding,  but  Joshua 
Soule  was  not  inducted  into  the  Episcopal  office  until  the  rule 
was  abolished  four  years  later,  and  he  was  re-elected. 

At  the  same  General  Conference  of  1820,  the  Kev.  William 
Capers,  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  introduced  a  meas- 
ure which  was  adopted,  providing  by  law  a  District  Conference 
for  local  preachers,  and  clothed  with  the  functions  of  granting 
license  to  preach  to  suitable  persons,  and  of  recommending 
suitable  persons  to  the  Annual  Conferences  for  admission  into 
the  traveling  connection,  and  for  ordination. 

The  debates  on  the  prerogatives  of  the  Bishops  in  choosing 
the  presiding  elders,  and  fixing  their  stations,  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  District  Conference  of  local  preachers  encour- 
aged the  agitators  and  the  disaffected.  The  close  contests  in 
the  General  Conference,  and  the  approach  to  success  of  the 
measure  of  transferring  the  prerogative  of  the  Bishops  to  the 
Annual  Conferences  greatly  emboldened  the  innovators,  and  the 
local  preacher's  District  Conference  gave  them  organization, 
which  was  a  most  suitable  preparation  for  their  agitations,  and 
added  temptation  to  debate  the  issues  inaugurated.  So  soon  as 
they  found  themselves  organized  they  finished  the  equipments 
for  carrying  forward  their  work  by  the  institution  of  a  suitable 
organ  of  communication.  About  1821,  the  '*  Western  Keposi- 
tory  "  was  brought  into  existence  for  the  purpose  of  discussing 


i^i 


If 


»l 


406 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


and  advocating  the  ecclesiastical  rights  of  the  local  preachers 
and  the  laity.  In  many  places  the  District  Conferences  for 
local  preachers  were  used  to  set  forward  the  schemes  of  the  in- 
novators. The  District  Conference  of  local  preachers  for  the 
Eoanoke  District  of  tlie  Virginia  Conference,  prepared  and 
sent  to  the  Virginia  Conference  an  elaborate  address,  bearing 
date  December  7,  1821,  in  which  it  was  asserted  that  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  w^as  without  authority  to  pass  laws  or  make 
rules  to  govern  local  preachers,  and  in  which  was  entered  a  sol- 
emn protest  against  the  exercise  of  such  power,  such  usurpation. 
At  the  Eoanoke  District  Conference  held  in  the  latter  part  of 

1822,  the  address  prepared  the  year  before,  \\ith  a  circular  letter 
to  accompany  it,  was  ordered  sent  to  all  the  District  Confer- 
ences of  local  preachers  throughout  the  United  States.  The  cir- 
cular letter  bears  date,  ^Vashington,  North  Carolina,  January  1, 

1823.  It  is  said  that  these  documents  were  forwarded  to  the 
local  preachers  of  the  connection,  in  District  Conferences  as- 
sembled, for  the  purpose  of  calling  their  attention  to  the  con- 
sideration of  their  common  rights  as  preachers,  and  also  to  call 
attention  to  the  enormous  prerogatives  with  which  the  itinerant 
preachers  invested  themselves,  and,  moreover,  to  rebuke  the  as- 
sumptions of  the  traveling  preachers  which  would  not  allow-  the 
local  preachers  to  be  more  than  mere  ciphers  in  point  of  au- 
thority, nor  to  maintain  any  better  than  a  kind  of  proscribed 
standing.  The  spirit  of  agitation  was  fully  aroused,  and  the 
work  of  innovation  was  fully  inaugurated. 

Notwithstanding  Methodism  in  Alabama,  at  the  time  of  which 
note  is  now  being  made,  was  not  more  than  six  years  old,  except  in 
the  sections  originally  occupied  by  the  Tombecbee  and  the  Flint 
Circuits,  the  spirit  of  innovation  had  reached  the  State.  In  1823, 
in  Dutch  Bend,  Autauga  County,  Alabama,  a  meeting  was  held 
composed  of  some  of  the  local  preachers  of  the  Alabama  Cir- 
cuit, of  the  Alabama  District,  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  through  the  transactions  of 
which  was  prepared  a  memorial  on  rights  and  grievances,  and 
which  was  addressed  to  the  General  Conference  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  to  meet  May,  1824.  There  is  no  official 
record  of  that  meeting  of  local  preachers  now  known  to  be  ex- 
tant, but  there  are  some  accounts  of  it,  and  it  is  certain  the  meet- 
ing was  held,  and  that  its  business  was  transacted  with  enthu- 


Agitation  and  Secession. 


407 


siasm;  It  is  stated  upon  reliable  authority  that  the  following 
men,  all  at  that  time  being  local  preachers  residing  in  the  bounds 
of  the  Alabama  Circuit,  were  present  in  that  meeting  and  par- 
ticipated in  its  proceedings:  Eli  Terry,  Peyton  Bibb,  Britton 
Capel,  Elijah  Myers,  Arnold  Campbell,  Mark  Howard,  Alex- 
ander Talley,  Joseph  Walker,  Henry  Whetstone,  Jacob  Whet- 
stone. There  may  have  been  others.  It  is  said,  and  it  is  no 
doubt  true,  that  the  Eev.  Alexander  Talley,  M.D.,  wrote  the 
memorial  for  that  body  of  local  preachers.  In  the  memorial 
was  set  forth  in  strong  terms  the  grievances  of  the  local  preach- 
ers, and  therein  a  vigorous  petition  was  made  for  the  redress  of 
said  grievances.  The  memorial  charged  that  in  the  economy 
and  administration  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  the 
merits  of  local  preachers  were  discounted,  their  rights  dis- 
carded, and  that  as  men;  and  preachers,  they  were  graded  below 
their  brethren  of  the  itinerancy.  The  petition  in  the  memorial 
asked  the  removal  of  all  restrictions,  oblivion  of  all  distinctions, 
the  obliteration  of  all  grades,  and  that  they  should  have  granted 
to  them  as  local  preachers  representation  in  the  Annual  Confer- 
ences and  in  the  General  Conferences.  As  though  they  were  ap- 
pealing from  the  tyranny  which  denies  the  right  of  conscience, 
incarcerates  the  innocent,  and  terrifies  the  helpless,  that  body 
of  local  preachers,  in  common  with  their  fellow  innovators, 
demanded  the  abolition  of  all  restrictions,  classifications,  dis- 
tinctions, and  grades  in  the  Church;  and,  yet,  they  demanded 
the  recognition  and  perpetuation  of  the  distinction  and  grade  of 
local  preachers,  and  that  by  the  enactment  of  a  constitional  pro- 
vision that  they  should  be  represented  in  Annual  and  General 
Conferences  as  local  preachers,  and  by  local  preachers.  Con- 
sistency is  a  jewel,  but  partisan  bias  which  will  destroy  estab- 
lished order  will  not  be  likely  to  preserve  consistency,  and  hence 
it  is  not  surprising  that  there  was  discord  in  the  demands  of 
these  innovators.  In  the  meeting  of  these  local  preachers,  in 
Dutch  Bend,  in  1823,  commenced  the  agitation  in  Alabama 
which  ended  in  strife  and  secession. 

To  the  General  Conference  which  met  in  May,  1824,  was  pre- 
sented a  number  of  memorials  on  the  much  stressed  subject  of 
rights  and  privileges.  The  memorials  conveying  to  the  General 
Conference  the  petitions  of  the  innovators  were  in  different 
forms  and  contained  slightly  different  details,  but  were  all  uni- 


408 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


form  in  charging  itinerant  preachers  with  usurpation  of  ecclesi- 
astical authority,  and  with  tyranny  in  the  exendse  of  absolute 
power;  and  all  these  memorials  agreed  in  demanding  a  surren- 
der of  legislative  rights,  and  a  division  of  ecclesiastical  power. 
Said  memorials  were  filled  with  complaints,  criticisms,  and 
claims.  Whether  the  authors  of  the  numerous  petitions  were 
impelled  by  convictions  of  duty  or  by  inordinate  thirst  for  power 
they  were  bold  and  defiant,  threatening  persistence  in  their  de- 
mauds  for  redress  of  grievances  and  a  lease  of  rights  even  to 
secession. 

The  General  Conference  a^ppointed  a  Committee  of  twelve,  con- 
sisting of  one  delegate  from  each  Annual  Conference,  and  to 
that  Committee  referred  all  the  memorials  on  the  subject  of  in- 
novations.    The  Committee  had  two  men  on  it  who  at  that  time 
lived  and  preached  in  Alabama,  the  Rev.  William  McMahon,  then 
presiding  elder  of  the  Huntsville  District,  Tennessee  Conference, 
and  the  Rev.  Alexander  Sale,  then  presiding  elder  of  the  Ca- 
hawba  District,  Mississippi  Conference.    In  the  course  of  events 
the  Committee  reported  the  result  of  their  deliberations  on  the 
affairs  committed  to  them,  and  the  General  Conference  acting 
upon  the  Report  of  the  Committee  adbpted  a  document  which 
embodied  the  views  of  the  Conference  on  the  matters  involved. 
By  order  of   the  General  Conference,  a  document,  with  the 
Bishops'  names  attached,  was  published  as  a  response  to  the  pe- 
titions which  had  been  addressed  to  the  Conference  for  deter- 
mination and  action.     The  document  was  dispassionate,  and  in- 
cisive.    In  it  the  General  Conference  said  to  the  innovators: 
"We  believe  the  proposed  change  to  be  inexpedient,"  and  as- 
signed the  reasons  for  the  belief. 

That  action  of  the  General  Conference  of  1824,  demonstrated 
the  fact  that  the  great  body  of  the  Church,  both  of  the  clergy 
and  the  laity,  were  opposed  to  the  innovations  petitioned  for,  and 
that  it  was  as  impossible  to  effect  the  asked  for  changes  as  it  was 
to  disorganize  the  Church.  The  few  among  the  innovators  who 
simply  desired  a  change  in  the  form  of  Government,  accepted 
the  action  of  the  General  Conference,  and  refrained  from  further 
agitation  on  the  subject.  Among  the  few  who  were  of  that  mind 
and  pursued  that  course  was  the  Rev.  Alexander  Talley,  M.D. 
at  that  time  a  local  preacher  in  the  Alabama  Circuit,  and  resid- 
ing in  Autauga  County,  Alabama.     He  desired  the  Conferences 


Agitation  and  Secession. 


409^ 


represented  in  part  by  laymen,  but  he  did  not  desire  disintegra- 
tion, he  was  not  a  disruptionist,  and  he  accepted  the  action  of 
the  Church  in  1824,  and  was  true  to  her  interests  till  the  day  of 
his  death.  He,  at  the  close  of  1825,  re-entered  the  itinerancy, 
and  ended  his  days  a  member  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

But  the  action  of  the  General  Conference  of  1824  did  not 
satisfy  the  larger  number  of  the  innovators,  and,  as  if  the  forces 
had  been  organized  in  advance,  and  results  had  been  anticipated 
and  provided  for,  a  meeting  of  a  party  of  those  who  were  deter- 
mined to  continue  the  work  of  disintegration  at  all  hazards  was 
convened  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  immediately  on 
the  final  adjournment  of  the  General  Conference,  even  before 
the  Bishops  had  finished  the  Circular  ordered  in  response  to  the 
petitions;  and  in  that  meeting  such  measures  were  instituted 
and  perfected  as  were  deemed  best  calculated  to  sustain  the  pur- 
poses and  accomplish  the  work  in  view.  Provision  was  made 
for  the  publication  of  a  periodical  entitled  "The  Mutual  Rights 
of  the  Ministers  and  Members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church; "  and  also  for  the  organization  of  Societies  in  all  parts 
of  the  United  States,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  advocate  the 
principles  and  inculcate  the  doctrines  of  the  innovators.  At 
that  meeting  the  "Union  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  City  of  Baltimore  "  was  organized  under  a  con- 
stitution with  eleven  distinct  Articles.  The  periodical  thus  pro- 
vided for  was  issued  without  delay.  These  agitators  persevered, 
and  became  vehement  in  their  policy  of  disorganization.  The 
work  proceeded,  and  the  Union  Societies  multiplied  as  the 
months  and  years  went  by.  The  whirlwind  passing  through 
a  field  raises  a  dust  and  rattles  in  a  small  way,  in  like  manner 
the  disruptionists  raised  a  dust  and  noise  in  the  ecclesiastical 
field.  Of  course,  as,  through  the  Mutual  Rights  paper  and  the 
Union  Societies,  war  was  made  without  ceasing  on  the  action 
of  the  General  Conference,  and  on  the  Government,  admin- 
istration, and  administrators  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  there  was  collision  and  there  was  resistance,  sharp  and 
steady. 

As  Union  Societies  multiplied  and  the  Mutual  Rights  period- 
ical extended  its  circulation,  the  Discipline  of  the  Church,  and 
the  administration  of  those  in  authority  were  inveighed  against 


,i 


410 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


with  iDcreased  boldness  and  mischief.     In  social  discourse,  in 
speech  and  oration  in  the  assembled  Union  Society,  and  by 
written   and  printed   communication  the  Government  of   the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  denounced;  and,  in  the  fur- 
therance of  their  designs,  the  innovators  made  provision  for 
Conventions,  both  State  and  General.     As  a  matter  of  course 
the  Discipline  of  the  Church  had  to  be  maintained,  and  the 
Church  herself  had  to  be  protected  and  defended.     Those  to 
whom  was  committed  the  oversight  of  the  flock  were  not  so  pu- 
sillanimous and  supine  as  to  offer  no  resistance  to  a  party  of 
Schismatics  who  covered  their  designs  with  the  pretext  of  re- 
forming the  Government  they  would  abolish,  and  continued  to 
work  under  the  aegis  of  the  very  Church  they  would  disintegrate 
and  destroy.     As  a  natural  consequence  and  in  the  interest  of 
self-preservation,  those  who  engaged  in  inveighing  against  the 
Discipline  of  the  Church,  whether  preachers  or  laymen,  were 
arrested  in  their  nefarious  designs,  whenever  detected,  and  when 
they  persisted  they  were  expelled.     Those  very  innovators  who 
with  such  flippancy  imputed  to  the  Bishops  of  the  Church  evil 
purposes  and    charged    them   with   usurpations  of   ecclesias- 
tical power,  and  with  the  inauguration  of  oppressive  and  cruel 
measures  persisted  in  maintaining  that  inveighing  against  the 
Discipline,  and  pertinacious  resistance  to  authority  were  com- 
mendable acts  performed  in  the  exercise  of  a  divinely  given 
liberty;  and  that  such  acts  were  not  in  any  sense,  under  divine 
economy,  censurable.     They  constantly  insisted  that  an  active 
campaign  against  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  which  she 
was  constantly  denounced  as  despotic,  and  cruel,  was  virtuous 
and  commendable.     In  the  estimation  of  those  in  authority, 
traducing  the  Church  and  her  ministers,  sowing  dissensions,  in- 
stituting and  perpetuating  disputes,  strifes,  and  divisions  were 
offenses  of  sufficient  turpitude  to  forfeit  communion  and  fellow- 
ship in  the  Church,  and  in  the  on-going  of  affairs  a  number  of 
innovators  in  different  places  were  expelled  from  the  commu- 
nion of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

In  November,  1827,  a  General  Convention  of  innovators,  con- 
sisting of  delegates  appointed  by  the  State  Conventions  and 
Union  Societies,  met  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  prepared  a 
memorial  to  the  General  Conference  to  meet  in  May,  1828,  re- 
newing the  demand  presented  to  the  General  Conference  of 


Agitation  and  Secession, 


411 


1824,  for  a  change  of  the  form  of  Government  so  as  to  transfer 
the  executive  and  legislative  prei-ogatives  from  the  Bishops  and 
itinerant  preachers  to  the  local  jDreachers  and  laymen.  That 
memorial  was  presented,  and  others  on  the  same  subject  were 
also  presented,  and  the  General  Conference  took  action  upon 
and  made  response  to  all  memorials  presented,  but,  adhering  to 
the  purposes  of  the  great  body  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  they  made  no  fundamental  changes  in  the  government 
of  the  Church  and  made  no  unreasonable  concessions  to  the 
agitators.  The  contest  became  more  intense,  expulsions  and 
withdrawals  were  multiplied,  and,  by  those  expelled  and  with- 
drawn from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Societies  were 
organized  from  time  to  time  as  matters  culminated  at  different 
places.  The  first  of  the  independent  Societies  was  organized, 
in  advance  of  the  General  Conference  of  1828,  in  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  December  23,  1827.  November  12,  1828,  a  General 
Convention  of  the  Seceders  met  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and 
prepared  seventeen  "Articles  of  Association  "  under  which  was 
organized  the  "Associated  Methodist  Churches."  By  these 
"Articles  of  Association  "  the  newly  formed  Societies  were  gov- 
erned until  a  subsequent  Convention,  which  met  November 
2-23,  1830,  in  Baltimore,  formally  organized  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church,  under  a  Constitution  and  Discipline  by  that 
Convention  made  and  adopted. 

The  form  of  Government  and  the  Constitution  adopted  by  the 
Seceders  in  the  organization  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church  indicate  the  purposes  by  which  they  were  actuated  and 
the  views  which  they  entertained  in  the  war  which  they  waged 
against  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church  bishops  and  presiding  elders  were  discard- 
ed, and  so  far  as  authority  inhered  it  reposed  in  the  hands  of 
the  laity.  These  Seceders  denounced  bishops  and  presiding 
elders  as  privileged  classes,  as  distinct  grades  invested  with 
special  rights,  clothed  with  monopoly  of  power,  and  vain  of  dis- 
tinctions, and  having  dominion  over  conscience,  and  being  in- 
tolerable, and  oppressive  tyrants,  and  lords  over  the  divine 
heritage.  In  connection  with  the  grave  charges  against  the 
Episcopacy,  these  patriotic  Seceders,  in  the  Constitution  which 
they  adopted,  enacted  that  *'No  higher  order  of  ministers  shall 
be  authorized  than  that  of  Elders,"  and  declared  that  "  all  Eld- 


412 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


ers  in  the  Church  of  God  are  equal"  and  that  "ministers  are 
forbidden  to  be  lords  over  God's  heritage,  or  to  have  dominion 
over  the  faith  of  the  saints."  Truth  is  sometimes  mixed  with 
false  assumptions,  and  attached  to  false  accusations,  and  mar- 
shaled in  the  service  of  slander  rather  than  the  cause  of  justice; 
but  truth  is  truth,  and  slander  is  slander  still. 

A  displeased  and  disconcerted  party,  violent,  intemperate, 
and  insubordinate,  dealing  in  defamation,  fostering  divisions 
and  schisms,  is  an  element  of  death  from  which  any  Church 
may  desire  to  be  delivered.     When  that  body  of  innovators  se- 
ceded, the  Methodist  Episcopal   Church  experienced  positive 
relief— relief  from  internal  strife,  a  strife  which  none  can  af- 
ford to  carry  very  long.     The  great  body  of  the  Methodists  of 
America  were  satisfied  with  the  Church  as  it  was  organized  at 
the  first,  and  they  remained  steadfast.     The  party  wliich  with- 
drew was  so  few  in  numbers  that  no  vital  part  was  affected  and 
no  material  interest  was  hurt.     With  that  little  party  of  se- 
ceders  went  the  clamor,  din,  and  fuss,  and  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  was  left  intact,  with   her  grand  forces  and  ag- 
gressive agencies,  to  prosecute  her  legitimate  work.     However, 
it  must  not  be  imagined  that  no  damage  accrued  to  the  com- 
mon  cause  of  Methodism  by  the  secession  and  through  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church,  of  which  more  will  be  said  fur- 
ther on.     The  Schismatics  contested  for  division  of  power,  and 
quarreled    about  who  should  govern   the  Church;    aud  then, 
when  they  instituted  a  Church  for  themselves,  they  made  all 
alike  governors  and  interpreters.     Every  one  was  to  govern  and 
no  one  was  to  be  governed.     They  instituted  a  headless  Church 
— a  Church  founded  on  rights  and  prerogatives,  and  responsi- 
ble to   the   irresponsible   masses,    au    associated   anarchy.     A 
rope  with  the  twist  out  of  it  is  worthless,  for  it  is  soon  fretted 
and  gone.     About  that  Methodist  Protestant  Church  there  was, 
strange  as  the  phrase  may  sound,  a  positive  slackness,  and  the 
most  apparent  thing  connected  with  it  was  its  inanity,  a  consti- 
tutional   provision    of    ineflSciency.     That    which    antagonizes 
governmental  power  tends  to  anarchy  and  disintegration.     The 
elements  and  principles  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  are 
the  elements  and  principles  of  anarchy.     The  men  who  consti- 
tuted the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  could  distract  and  de- 
stroy, but  could  not  control,  unify,  and  build.     There  has  never 


Agitation  and  Secession. 


413 


yet  been  a  Government  that  was  too  strong,  nor  an  administra- 
tion that  was  too  powerful  and  too  aggressive. 

The  Methodist  Protestant  Church  received  its  orsranic  form 
of  government  in  the  false  assumption  that  ecclesiastical  and 
civil  authority  are  identical  in  their  principles,  and  the  "Con- 
stitution" and  *' Declaration  of  Ptights"  set  forth  by  that 
Church  abound  with  senseless  verbiage  which  originate  in  that 
assumption,  and  the  bungling  Articles  of  said  official  documents 
have  more  of  the  texture  of  a  political  paper  than  of  the  ele- 
ments of  the  Bible.  Ecclesiastical  and  civil  authority  are  not 
of  the  same  nature,  though  it  is  not  necessary  to  state  here  the 
difference.  There  is  necessarily  such  a  thing  as  government  in 
the  Church  of  God,  and  that  government  has  been  committed 
to  officers— officers  designated  bishops,  elders,  deacons,  pastors, 
teachers,  and  overseers.  The  man  who  would  abolish  these  of- 
fices or  deprive  their  incumbents  of  power  and  authority  in  the 
administration  of  ecclesiastical  affairs  is  too  much  prejudiced  in 
mind  and  perverted  in  judgment  to  give  a  correct  exegesis  of 
the  Scriptures  or  a  proper  analysis  of  ecclesiastical  polity. 
Would  as  well  deny  the  utility  of  tire  and  abandon  its  use,  be- 
cause in  its  use  there  is  liability  of  burning  the  house  which 
shelters  the  inmates,  and  of  burning  the  chattels  which  serve 
their  purposes,  as  depose  the  officers  of  the  Church  and  abolish 
ecclesiastical  government,  because,  forsooth,  some  one  may,  in 
his  administration,  be  guilty  of  injustice  and  oppression. 

The  authority  to  ordain  ministers  and  install  pastors  never 
vested  in  the  people,  but  in  the  ministers  themselves.  The 
ministers,  the  rulers  of  the  Church,  are  to  execute  the  laws, 
and  the  people  are  to  obey.  Eights,  prerogatives,  and  duties 
are  distributed  in  that  order.  The  exercise  of  authority  in 
the  Church  is  ordained  for  the  inculcation  and  perpetuation  of 
sound  doctrine,  and  to  secure  to  the  flock  union,  peace,  and  edi- 
fication. The  minister  is  to  govern  the  Church,  admonish  and 
reprove  the  wayward,  and  expel,  under  due  forms,  the  incorrigi- 
ble, and  all  this  is  to  be  done  without  infringing  private  judg- 
ment or  personal  conscience,  and  without  infringing  personal 
liberty;  and  the  people  are  to  concur  in  the  authority  of  the 
pastor,  co-operate  in  his  administration,  and  obey  his  godly  ad- 
monitions. They  are  to  aid  and  not  hinder  his  work  The 
27 


414 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


people  are  to  obey  those  who  have  rule  over  them,  and  not  in- 
terpose objections  to  their  authority. 

God  has  ordained  the  Church  and  the  State,  the  minister  and 
the  magistrate,  but  has  not  prescribed  any  particular  form  of 
government,  either  ecclesiastical  or  civil.     The  form  of  govern- 
ment is  subject  to  modifications,  and  it  is  perfectly  legitimate  to 
organize  under  such  forms  as  may  suit  the  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  men  in  different  places  and  countries,  provided  nothing 
be  enjoined  or  allowed  contrary  to  the  Holy  Scriptures.     Any 
form  of  government  having  under  it  righteous  laws  righteously 
administered  has  the  divine  approval.'    God  appointed  over  the 
people  of  Israel  Judges,  and  for  about  the  space  of  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  the  Judges  ruled  with  the  divine  approval 
and  blessing.     Then  the  form  of  government  was  changed,  and 
Kings  were  in  authority,  and  whenever  the   Kings  ruled  in 
righteousness  God  approved  and  the  nation  prospered.     The 
men  who  organized  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  organized 
under  the  principle  that  there  are  no  prescribed  forms  of  gov- 
ernment, and  that  the  most  efficient  form  of  government  should 
be  adopted.     They  judged  the  Episcopal  form  of  government 
to  be  the  best,  and  organized  accordingly.     They  were  as  free 
from  the  lust  of  power  and  the  spirit  of  tyranny  as  were  those 
who  organized  under  other  forms.     Time,  experience,  and  re- 
sults have  demonstrated  that  they  organized  well  and  wisely, 
and  that  other  forms  of  government  among  Methodists  of  these 
United  States  have  not  been  needed.     The  Methodist  Protes- 
tant Church  was  organized  upon  such  principles  and  for  such 
purposes  and  embodied  such  elements  as  made  failure  inevi- 
table.    As  there  is  no  form  of  government  prescribed  in  the 
Scriptures  so  there  is  no  absolute  standard  and  no  uniform  ra- 
tio of  representation  provided  in  the  management  of  ecclesias- 
tical affairs.     The  ministers  of  the  gospel  are  officers  clothed 
with  authority  to  guide  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  and  do  what- 
ever is  necessary  for  the  administration  of  the  Sacraments  and 
the  edification  of  the  body  of  Christ.     There  is  no  such  thino- 
in  the  Church  as  constituency  and  delegated  power.     There  is 
a  divinely  authorized  ministry,  and  in  the  hands  of  that  minis- 
try are  the  oracles  of  God.     Delegated  power  to  enact  laws  for 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  is  an  absurdity  and  a  farce.     Any 
system  of  representation  which  undermines  any  divinely  estab- 


Agitation  and  Secession. 


415 


lished  order  of  society  should  be  rejected.  The  theory  that 
callings,  classes,  colors,  grades,  and  sexes  must  have  chosen  rep- 
resentatives in  the  departments  which  adopt  and  execute  the 
laws  and  regulations  of  a  Church  or  State  in  persons  belonging 
to  said  callings,  classes,  colors,  grades,  and  sexes  is  unscriptaral 
and  absurd,  is  a  theory  born  of  ignorance  and  arrogance,  and  fos- 
tered by  demagogism  and  fanaticism,  and  in  its  turn  fosters  in- 
fidelity, communism,  and  anarchy.  The  qualifications  of  rep- 
resentatives are  not  found  in  complexion,  gender,  or  occupation, 
but  in  the  ability  to  enact  judicious  and  effective  law^s,  and  to 
wisely  administer  public  affairs'. 

The  agitation  and  the  commotion  created  by  the  schismatics 
was  not  more  intense  in  any  part  of  the  connection  than  in  that 
part  of  Alabama  then  included  in  the  Counties  of  Autauga, 
Butler,  Dallas,  Lowndes,  Montgomery,  and  Wilcox.  All  those 
local  preachers,  excej^t  the  Rev.  Alexander  Talley,  M.D.,  who 
have  been  mentioned,  on  another  page,  in  connection  with  a 
meeting  in  Dutch  Bend,  in  Autauga  County,  Alabama,  in  1823, 
and  in  connection  with  a  memorial  then  prepared  and  presented 
to  the  General  Conference  at  its  session  in  1824,  were  discon- 
tented agitators,  and  were  active  agents,  through  all  the  various 
stages  of  the  issue,  in  organizing  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church.  Other  local  preachers  and  some  itinerant  preachers 
in  that  part  of  the  State  were  equally  active  in  the  strife. 
There  were  Union  Societies  organized  in  various  localities, 
though  it  is  difficult  to  fix  the  dates  of  the  organizing  of  many 
of  them  at  this  distance  of  time.  At  the  village  of  Greenville, 
Butler  County,  at  that  time  one  of  the  appointments  of  the  Ce- 
dar Creek  Circuit,  a  Union  Society  was  organized  in  November, 
1827.  There  was  a  Union  Society  of  considerable  strength  at 
Rocky  Mount,  Autauga  County.  At  that  place  the  Seceders 
gathered  on  Friday,  May  1,  1829,  to  organize  an  Annual  Con- 
ference for  South  Alabama.  The  first  thing  they  did  when  they 
assembled  on  that  day  was  to  call  the  Union  Society  of  that 
place  together  and  read  to  it  the  Articles  of  Association  agreed 
upon  by  the  Convention  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  the  preceding 
November,  when  the  Society  dissolved  itself  by  adopting  the 
Articles  of  Association  and  organizing  itself  into  an  Associated 
Methodist  Church.  That  work  finished,  there  and  then,  at  that 
place  and  that  day,  those  present,  and  there  were  preachers 


m 


I'.- 


416 


Hisfonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Agitation  and  Secession, 


417 


present  from  different  parts  of  the  State,  organized  the  Annual 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Associated  Churches  of  the  Ala- 
bama District,  and  transacted  such  business  as  was  esteemed 
proper  for  the  occasion.     There  were  sixteen  preachers  present 
who  became  then  members  of  the  Conference  and  participated 
in  its  business,  and  there  were  six  others  who  sent  up  their 
names,  not  to  be  members,  at  that  time,  of  the  Conference,  but 
as  sympathizers  with  the  cause.     The  work  was,  in  initiation, 
formed  into  appointments  and  preachers  were  assigned  thereto. 
The  Eev.  Britton  Capel  was  chosen  President  of  the  Confer- 
ence, and  so  to  him  belongs  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
President    of    the    Conference    of    the    Methodist    Protestant 
Church  in  Alabama.     He  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  General 
Convention  which  met  November  2,  1830.     At  that  session,  at 
Eocky  Mount,  May  1,  1829,  at  which  it  was  said  peace  and  love 
prevailed,  it  was  ordered  that  another  Conference  should  be 
held  in  the  latter  part  of  that  same  year,  but  at  this  distance  of 
time  and  in  the  absence  of  Journals,  official  documents,  and  pe- 
riodicals of  that  date  it  is  impossible  to  state  whether  the  Con- 
ference ordered  for  the  latter  part  of  that  year  was  held.     One 
historian  says,  "  a  second  Conference  was  held  in  September  of 
that  same  year,"  and  another  historian,  and  one  of  an  earlier 
date,  says,  the   "second   session"  was    "held   September   16, 
1830."     This  statement  of  the  earlier  historian  is  corroborated 
by  the  published  Minutes  of  more  recent  date  in  which  the 
sessions  are  numbered.     Only  one  session  for  1829  is  counted. 
It  is  not  certainly  known  who  were  the  preachers  at  Rocky 
Mount  at  the  organization  of  that  Conference.     It  is  certain 
that  the  Rev.  Peyton  Bibb,  the  Rev.  Britton  Capel,  the  Rev. 
Arnold  Campbell,  the  Rev.  Peyton  S.  Graves,  the  Rev.  Samuel 
M.  Meek,  the  Rev.  Elijah  Myers,  and  the  Rev.  Eli  Terry  were 
there,  and  active  in  the  work  of  organization.     It  is  very  prob- 
able that  the  Rev.  Joseph  Walker  was  there,  fiery,  and  fanatic- 
al.    He  was  one  of  the  first  and  leading  agitators.     He  was 
among  the  first  contributors  to  the  "  Mutual  Rights"  paper,  and 
in  his  published  communications  he   denounced   the  govern- 
ment and  administration  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
undisguised,  and  bitter  terms.     He  was  one  of  the  local  preach- 
ers found  near  Montevallo,  Alabama,  in  1818,  by  the  Rev.  Ebe- 
nezer  Hearn.     He  was  the  father-in-law  of  Hearn,  and  the 


father  of  the  Rev.  Robert  L.  Walker,  who  for  a  number  of 
years  was  an  eflicient  member  of  the  Mississippi  and  Alabama 
Conferences  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  son-in- 
law,  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hearn,  and  the  son,  the  Rev.  Robert  L. 
Walker,  were  uncompromising  defenders  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  through  all  the  strife,  and  to  the  last.  The 
great  majority  of  the  preachers  present  that  May  day,  in  1829, 
were  local  preachers  belonging  to  the  Alabama  Circuit  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  lived  in  the  section  where 
Autauga,  Dallas,  and  Montgomery  Counties  joined,  principally 
in  Autauga,  and  Montgomery  Counties.  The  Rev.  Peyton 
Smith  Graves  had  been  for  a  number  of  years  a  member  of  the 
Mississippi  Conference,  and  for  1828  was  on  the  Alabama  Cir- 
cait,  and  left  the  Mississippi  Conference  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  as  related  in  another  place. 

During  the  year  1830  the  agitation  carried  on  by  the  innova- 
tors ran  high  throughout  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit,  which  Circuit 
embraced  a  part  of  Butler,  Dallas,  and  Wilcox  Counties,  and 
during  that  year  a  number  of  the  disaffected  seceded  from  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  openly  espoused  the  cause  of 
the  Associated  Methodists.  Benjamin  Dulany,  John  Jenkins, 
James  Jenkins,  and  Robert  Durham,  all  local  preachers,  at  that 
time,  residing  in  Wilcox  County,  and  members  of  the  Quarterly 
Conference  of  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit,  withdrew,  that  year, 
from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  joined  the  new  or- 
ganization. Samuel  Oliver,  a  local  preacher,  residing  at  or  near 
Greenville,  Butler  County,  and  a  member  of  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference of  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit,  withdrew  and  joined  the  new 
Church  in  that  same  year,  and  the  great  majority  of  the  Soci- 
ety at  Greenville  withdrew  in  a  body  with  him,  and  it  was  one 
of  the  strongest  Societies  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church 
in  Alabama  for  many  long  years. 

Benjamin  Dulany  was  recommended  by  a  Quarterly  Meeting 
Conference  held  at  Harper's  Meeting  House,  Edisto  Circuit, 
December  19,  1807,  and  was  admitted  on  trial  by  the  South  Car- 
alina  Conference,  December  30,  1807,  and  he  located  December 
22,  1814.  He  was  re-admitted  into  the  traveling  connection  by 
the  Mississippi  Conference,  December,  1825,  and  for  1826,  1827 
he  was  in  charge  of  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit,  and  he  located 
again  in  December,  1827.     It  was  currently  reported  and  gen- 


418 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Agitation  and  Secession, 


419 


erally  accredited  that  he,  while  an  itinerant  preacher  in  charge 
of  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
secretly  circulated  the   "Mutual  Eights"  paper,  and  secretly 
inveighed  against  the  Government  and  administration  of  the 
Church  of  which  he  was  then  a  member  and  preacher,  and  from 
which  he  was,  for  the  time,  drawing  a  stipend,  by  advocating 
the  innovations  proposed  by  the  "Mutual  Eights"  periodical 
He  was  the  secret  leader  of  the  Schismatics,  and  sowed  the  seeds 
of  dissension.     He  was  the  man  who  inaugurated  and  fostered 
th9  damaging  secession  at  Greenville,  Alabama.     The  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  who  knew  him  personally 
and  were  acquainted  with  the  part  he  took  in  the  premises  con- 
sidered  him  a  bad  man  at  heart,  a  wolf  in  sheep's  clothing,  a 
traitor  to  his  vows,  and  utterly  devoid  of  principle.     Under- 
standing his  attitude,  and  his  treasonable  couise,  the  Eev.  James 
H.  Mellard,  the  presiding  elder,  and  the  Eev.  Le  Eoy  Massen- 
gale,  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Circuit,  passed  him,  and  others 
above  mentioned  with  him,  by  in  the  administration  of   the 
Lord's  Supper  on  the  occasion  of  a  Quarterly  Conference  at 
Shady  Grove,  near  Camden,  Wilcox  County,  Alabama,  in  1830. 
AYhen  he  discovered,  as  he  did  by  that  act  of  withholding  from 
him   the    elements   of   the    Sacrament,   that  his   treason   was 
known,  and  that  further  disguise  was  impossible  he  went  out  to 
his  own  and  made  a  virtue  of  going,  pleading  that  he  had  been 
driven  out  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  by  unwarranted 
insult.     The  Methodist  Protestant  Church  honored  him,  and 
though  he  was  a  poor  preacher,  they  gave  him  position.     Once, 
if  not  oftener,  they  elected  him  President  of  their  Annual  Con- 
ference.    He  died  in  Wilcox  County,  Alabama,  about  1852. 

The  Eev  John  Jenkins  was  a  man  of  ordinary  capacity  and 
of  limited  influence.  He  died  about  1854.  The  Eev.  James 
Jenkins  was  born  in  South  Carolina,  February  9, 1785,  and  emi- 
grated to  Alabama  some  time  previous  to  1813.  He  was  at  the 
famous  battle  of  Burnt  Corn,  July  27,  1813,  and  in  that  battle 
was  wounded.  He  was  for  more  than  twenty  years  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  severed  his  connection 
with  that  Church,  in  1830,  having  inveighed  against  her  polity 
until  she  refused  to  give  him  the  Sacrament,  and  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  Church  with  a  bill  of  civil  rights.  He  was  a  man  of 
ordinary  capacity  and  of  moderate  influence.     He  was  esteemed 


a  man  of  integrity  by  his  associates  in  the  bill  of  rights.     He 
died  at  his  residence,  in  Wilcox  County,  Alabama,  May  8,  1849. 

The  Eev.  Samuel  Oliver  was  an  Irishman,  and  a  fair  preacher. 

In  that  secession  at  Greenville,  Alabama,  as  at  some  other 
places,  there  were  transactions  which  involved  questions  of  equi- 
ty, and  in  which  equity  was  violated.  A  majority  of  the  Soci- 
ety at  Greenville  seceded  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  allied  themselves  to  the  new  organization.  A  minority, 
consisting  of  Judge  James  Lane,  James  Holmes,  Mr.  Bonner, 
and  a  few  others,  maintained  allegiance  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  The  house  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  God,  and 
in  which  the  Methodists  had  been  accustomed  to  meet  for  di- 
vine service  at  the  town  of  Greenville  was  the  property  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  by  every  law,  human  and  di- 
vine, it  was  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  those  true  to  the  Church 
to  which  it  belonged,  but  the  party  which  seceded  possessed 
themselves  of  it  by  seizure  and  continued  to  occupy  it  as  their 
own.  They  claimed  it  on  the  plea  that  it  belonged  to  the  ma- 
jority. The  preachers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
preached  in  that  house  only  by  the  grace  and  permission  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church  members.  That  was  strange  pro- 
cedure for  a  people  who  claimed  specifically  to  be  "  trusting  in 
the  protection  of  Almighty  God."  It  was  a  strange  spectacle  to 
see  a  faithful  band,  because  they  were  in  the  minority,  dispos- 
sessed of  their  house  of  worship  by  those  who  claimed  to  be 
moving  in  the  securement  of  the  best  forms  of  Church  govern- 
ment, and  who  asserted  that  "nothing  is  expedient  that  is  un- 
just," but  so  it  was.  The  loss  of  their  house  of  worship,  and 
the  domination  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  put  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  a  great  disadvantage  at  Green- 
ville, and  for  many  years  the  cause  languished  and  the  faithful 
were  greatly  depressed. 

The  Eev.  Le  Eoy  Massengale  was  a  prominent  actor  in  the 
great  issues  and  stirring  events  of  the  year  1830  on  the  Cedar 
Creek  Circuit.  He  was  the  preacher  in  charge  of  that  Circuit 
that  year,  and  he  defined  the  issues  and  aligned  the  parties. 
He  unmasked  the  innovators  and  exposed  their  intrigues,  and 
forced  them  to  an  open  assumption  of  their  work  and  to  an 
open  avowal  of  their  purposes,  and  into  the  organization  of  the 
disintegrators.  * 


420 


Histonj  of  Metlmlism  in  Alabama. 


countL  „Z  ^'^^Z'^'^"^'  Conference,  which  in  the  official 

count  IS  numbered  as  the  second  in  order,  which  was  held  be- 
ginning September  IG,  1830,  in  connection  with  a  Camp  meel 

ty  Alabama  there  were  appointed  to  pastoral  charges:  the  Rev. 

the  Kev.  Benjamm  Dulany,  the  Eev.  Peyton  S.  Graves,  the  Eev 

if:        \  p '^  "'!  ^''■-  J-  ^^«Cormick;  and  as  "  unstationed  xAIin- 
isters  and  Preachers,"  there  were  present:  the  Kev.  A.  J.  Camp- 
bell, the  Eev.  G.  A.  Campbell,  the  Eev.  J.  Holly,  the  Eev  Eli 
MM  the  Eev.  John  Meek,  the  Eev.  Samuel  M.  Meek,  t^ 

Eev.  James  xMeek,  the  Eev.  Samuel  Oliver,  the  Kev.  AVil  iam 
Eice,  and  the  Eev.  Eli  Terry.  There  were  a  few  other  preacl" 
ers  connected  with  the  Circuits.  They  had,  few  as  they  were, 
more  ministers  and  preachers  than  pastoral  charges.  Dulany 
Graves,  and  Eice  were,  by  their  associates  in  the  new  orgauizal 
tion  considered  "great  revivalists."  At  that  Conference  in 
September,  1830,    here  were  reported  in  the  new  organization, 

members.""  '"''  ""^''  ^"'^'^'^'^  ^'^'^  ^'s'^'y-- 

The  innovators  constantly  asserted  that  defeat  and  ruin  were 
inwrought  m  the  Episcopal  form  of  government.  They  con- 
stantly boasted  of  the  vast  numbers  who  advocated  their  views 

from  1820  to  1831,  when  the  work  culminated,  and  the  work  was 
completed  m  a  new  organization,  they  indulged  the  delusion 
that  the  great  majority  of  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  were  in  sympathy  with  the  principles  they  cher- 
ished and  the  movements  they  anticipated.     They,  in  profound 
blindness,  fostered  the  belief  that,  in  the  final  separation,  they 
would  carry  with  them  the  great  body  of  the  laity  and  the  local 
preachers  beloiiging  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
that  they  would  leave   the  itinerant   preachers   and   bishops 
in  terrible  iso  ation,  without  congregations  and  without  access 
to  the  mass  of  the  American  citizens.     The  results  never  con- 
tirmed  the  assertions  of  the  innovators,  and  their  expectations 
were  never  realized.     At  the  close  of  1833  and  the  beginning  of 
1834  the  organization  of  the  new  Church  being  complete,  and 
the  first  General  Conference  thereof  in  session,  they  claimed  a 
total  membership  of  "  twenty-six  thousand  five  hundred  and 


Agitation  and  Secession. 


421 


k 


i 


eighty-seven,"  and  ministers  and  preachers  of  something  "  over 
five  hundred,"  about  "one  third"  of  whom  were  itinerant; 
wdiereas,  at  the  same  time  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  had 
"six  hundred  and  thirty-eight  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
eighty-four  members,  and  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  traveling  preachers,'  and,  at  the  close  of  1836,  when  the 
first  census  of  the  local  preachers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  given,  there  were  "  four  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
fifty-four."  The  difference  in  Alabama  was  as  great  as  in  the 
other  portions  of  the  country.  At  the  beginning  of  ISStt  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church  had  in  Alabama  one  thousand 
members,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  had  in  Alabama 
sixteen  thousand  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  members,  and 
about  eighty  traveling  preachers  in  the  bounds  of  the  State  of 
Alabama,  in  the  members  and  preachers  in  the  State  connected 
with  the  Alabama  and  Tennessee  Conferences,  and  the  local 
preachers  in  Alabama,  at  the  close  of  1836,  when  first  given,  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  were  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty.  That  did  not  look  much  like  absorbing  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  nor  like  her  chosen  ministry  and  ordained 
bishops  w^ere  left  alone. 

The  aggregation  at  the  beginning  was  not  so  great  as  had 
been  anticipated  by  the  friends  of  the  measure,  and  the  success 
in  the  following  years  was  not  equal  to  what  had  been  boasting- 
ly  promised.     The  facts  in  the  case  and  the  truth  in  the  prem- 
ises  demand    the    statements    that   the   Methodist  Protestant 
Church  had  its  genesis  in  petty  jealousies  and  sordid  ambitions, 
and  that  the  secessionists  who  inaugurated  it  "  raised  impious 
war"  against  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  in  default 
of  reason,  and  without  even  the  semblance  of  scriptural  emula- 
tion, prosecuted  the  war  with   imprecations.     They  were  the 
dupes  of  their  own  illusions,  and  the  resistance  to  which  they 
had  recourse  consumed  what  little  force  they  possessed,  and 
their  work  not  only  failed  of  good  results  to  themselves,  but  was 
detrimental  to  the  common  cause  of  Christianity.     Assuming  to 
be  the  advocates  of  representative  government,  and  assuming  to 
provide  elective  assemblies,  they  made,  demagogues  that  they 
were,  appeals  to  popular  sentiment,  but  failed  of  success,  or  at 
least  of  any  large  measure  of  success. 

That  new  departure  and  adventure  in  ecclesiastical  affairs  was 


422 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


A  c)  Hat  ion  and  Secession, 


423 


attended  with  great  strife,  especially  was  that  the  case  in  the 
bounds  of  the  Alabama  and  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuits,  which 
then  covered  a  large  territory  in  the  State.     Fierce  debates  and 
angry  disputes  were  frequent  in  family  circles  and  in  social  and 
religious   meetings.     At   meetings   for  divine  worship,  in  the 
Meeting  Houses,  unseemly  wrangles  often  occurred,  and  were 
as  polluting  to  the  house  of  God  as  would  have  been  the  abom- 
inations of  the  heathen.     The  participants  in  these  strifes,  who 
claimed  to   be   contending  for  divine  principles  rather  than 
groundless  and  absurd  speculations,  were  often  on  the  verge  of 
pugilism,  and  showed  decided  disposition  to  resort  to  physical 
blows   rather   than  to   the  use   of    logical    arguments.     They 
seemed  to  have  more  confidence  in  physical  force  and  in  carnal 
weapons   than   in  Scriptural  analysis   and   spiritual  weapons. 
They  seemed  to  think  the  obtuse  and  the  perverse  could  be 
reached  more  effectively  by  the  fist  of  the  champion  than  by 
the  argument  of  the  orator.     An  analysis  of  their  conduct  would 
indicate  rather  a  preponderance  of  temper  and  a  deficiency  of 
grace,  and  that  the  parties  were  in  the  terrestrial  rather  than 
the  celestial  sphere.     Families  were  divided  and  Churches  were 
disrupted.     The  administration  of  Discipline  and  the  enforce- 
ment of  law  was  then,  as  ever,  offensive  to  the  formal,  listless, 
and   lawless,  and  under  a  rigid  administration  to  which  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  committed  many  of  the  mem- 
bers belonging  to  the  classes  here  noted  were  filled  with  discon- 
tent and  unfriendliness,  and  while  one  in  his  right  mind  can  but 
know  that  the  Church  which  courts  the  alliance  of  the  incorri- 
gible and  the  unruly  courts  ruin  and  death,  yet,  the  Methodist 
Protestant   Church  encouraged  the  disaffection  found  in   the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  offered  in  their  fold  to  the 
disaffected  protection  against  all  disabilities  incurred  by  of- 
fenses and  guaranteed  unwarranted  leniency,  and  many  with- 
drew from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  accepted  the 
proffered  alliance  and  protection.     This,  of  course,  widened  the 
breach,  and  intensified  the  w^ar  between  the  two  organizations. 
In  the  contest  houses  of  worship  built  for  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  were  seized  and  retained  by  the  seceding  part}^, 
and  the  Church  for  which  they  w^ere  built  was   dispossessed. 
In  addition  to  the  case  at  Greenville,  already  mentioned,  may 
be  named  the  Mills  and  Wescott  Meeting  House,  built  under 


the  leadership  and  by  the  efforts  of  Thomas  Hatchett,  on  the 
land  of  Hance  Baker,  Sen.,  about  two  miles  from  Montgomery, 
which  was  seized,  just  after  it  was  finished,  in  1829,  by  the  As- 
sociated Methodists,  and  Mr.  Hatchett  and  the  few  others  who 
remained  true  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  had  to  find 
quarters  and  immunities  at  another  place.  It  must,  however, 
be  said  to  the  credit  of  the  parties  who  seized  the  Mills  and 
Wescott  Meeting  House  that  they  refunded  the  money  expend- 
ed by  Mr.  Hatchett  in  its  erection.  Hope  Hull,  about  ten 
miles  from  Montgomery,  went,  both  House  and  Society,  into 
the  new^  organization.  Strife  reigned  in  all  that  section.  Some 
of  those  who  had  been  prominent  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  who  led  off  in  the  secession  may  be  named 
here. 

At  Asbury,  the  Church  named  for  Bishop  Asbury,  in  Dutch 
Bend,  Autauga  County,  were  Lewis  Houser,  Mark  Howard,  al- 
ready mentioned,  William  Keener,  James  Mitchell,  James  Stou- 
denmire,  John  Stoudenmire,  and  Benjamin  Taylor;  at  Washing- 
ton, in  the  same  County,  were  James  Goodson,  Buckner  Harris, 
and  Thomas  Smith ;  at  Lebanon,  in  Dallas  County,  four  or  five 
miles  south-east  of  Cahawba,  were  William  Olds,  L.  C.  Graham, 
and  James  Alexander;  in  Lowndes  County,  were  E.  H.  Cook,  a 
member  of  the  Convention  which  formulated  the  Discipline  of 
the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  J.  P.  Cook,  Hudson  Powell, 
Seymore  Powell,  Kobert  Kussell,  and  Benjamin  F.  Tower;  in 
Montgomery  County,  were  B.  S.  Bibb  and  Abner  McGehee,  a 
man  of  wealth  and  worth,  who  in  after  years  made  considerable 
contributions  to  benevolent  objects;  in  Butler  County  was 
James  K.  Benson;  and  in  Wilcox  County,  was  Mr.  Steadman. 
Many  of  these  men  here  named,  if  not  all,  were  persons  of  ster- 
ling worth,  and  possessed  of  a  measure  of  piety,  and  this,  not- 
withstanding they  were  leaders  in  tumult,  disruption,  and  se- 
cession; and  were  at  the  head  of  the  most  belligerent  column 
ever  marshaled  on  the  field  of  the  militant  hosts;  and  notwith- 
standing they  were  the  champions  of  incoherent  principles,  and 
the  adherents  of  a  form  of  Church  government  essentially  weak, 
inherently  defective,  a  form  of  government  which  guaranteed 
folly  and  failure. 

Space  w^ould  fail  should  the  attempt  be  made  to  tell  of  the 
Eev.  Moses  Andrew,  M.D.,  and  the  Rev.  William  Terry,  local 


s 


424 


Historij  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


preachers,  and  Charles  G.  Eush,'  James  E.  Nicholson,  James 
Howard,  Thomas  Hatchett,  and  others  of  the  Alabama  Circuit; 
Judge  James  Lane,  Barr,  Luckie,  Harrington,  Grimes,  Barns, 
Warren,  Yeldell,  Godbold,  McArthur,  Eoss,  Davis,  Muldrow, 
aud  others  of  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit  who,  through  all  the 
agitation,  secession,  and  desertion,  stood  firm  against  every  in- 
novation on  the  Episcopal  form  of  government. 

The  men  who,  where  prevailed  in  deepest  rage  the  unre- 
strained contention,  defended  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
against  innovations,  and  against  the  assaults  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church  were  the  Eev.  Eobert  L.  Kennon,  the  Eev. 
James  H.  Mellard,  and  the  Eev.  Ebenezer  Hearn.  There  were 
many  others  who  were  in  the  active  campaign,  and  who  did  val- 
iant, aud  efficient  service  in  the  cause  of  Episcopal  Methodism, 
but  these  throe  men  here  named  were  in  the  lead,  and  w^ere  face 
to  face,  and  hand  to  hand  w4th  the  foe.  These  three  men  were 
presiding  elders  much  of  the  time  when  the  controversy  was  at 
its  highest. 

The  Eev.  Eobert  L.  Kennon  was  conspicuous  in  the  battle. 
He  was  rigid  in  his  construction  and  administration  of  law,  he 
was  calm,  collected,  and  considerate  in  his  manner,  and  his  ser- 
mons were  logical,  convincing,  and  popular.  He  was  a  tower  of 
strength,  and  the  cause  he  espoused  engaged  his  resources. 

The  Eev.  James  H.  Mellard  w^as  an  untiring  defender  of  the 
faith,  polity,  and  works  of  the  fathers.  He  clung  with  tenacity 
to  the  old  landmarks  of  Methodism,  and  fought  with  persist- 
ence the  party  engaged  in  disruption.  He  was  presiding  elder 
in  Alabama  much  of  the  time  during  the  period  in  w^hich  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church  was  inaugurating  and  perfecting 
its  organization.  He  had  a  special  gift  for  and  took  a  peculiar 
delight  in  polemics.  He  never  tired  of  controversy.  He  had 
vast  stores  of  information,  which  was  ever  at  his  command,  and 
which  he  used  to  good  effect.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for 
him  to  preach  three  hours  at  a  time,  and  apparently  without  ef- 
fort on  his  part  and  without  fatigue  to  himself.  The  length  of 
his  sermons  sometimes  exhausted  the  patience  of  some  of  his 
auditors.  The  Journal  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference, 
where  it  records  the  proceedings  of  the  Conference  on  the  aft- 
ernoon of  January  1,  1801,  contains  this  item:  "James  H. 
Mellard  proposed  as  a  traveling  preacher.     Accepted."     The 


Agitation  and  Secession. 


425 


same  Journal,  where  it  records  the  proceedings  of  the  Confer- 
ence  on  Thursday,  January  2, 1806,  contains  the  following  item: 
«  The  Conference  voted  that  Brother  James  Mellard  shall  have 
a  letter  wrote  by  the  Committee  of  Address  as  a  mild  reproof 
for  his  too  long  preaching,  praying,  &c.,  and  speaking  too  fast." 
The  Journal,  recording  the  proceedings  of  the  Conference  two 
days  later,  January  4,  1806,  says:  "An  address  was  written  to 
Eev.  James  H.  Mellard  and  approved."     From  these  items  it 
appears  that  the  South  Carolina  Conference  in  the  early  part  of 
the  ministry  of  the  Eev.  James  H.  Mellard,  and  in  the  first  dec- 
ade  of  this  century,  tried  by  a  letter  of  reproof  to  cure  him  ot 
the  fault,  as  they  esteemed  it,  of  delivering  unduly  long  ser- 
mons and  of  making  long  prayers,  but  it  appears  that  the  effort 
made  was  not  successful,  for,  in  Alabama,  during  the  third  and 
fourth  decades  of  this  century,  he  was  still  noted  for  his  exceed- 
ingly  long  sermons.     His  sermons  were  not  long  because  he  was 
slow  of  speech,  for  he  was  reproved  for  ''speaking  too  fast." 
The  only  consolation  that  can  be  entertained  concerning  the 
failure  to  cure  him  of  the  evil  of  preaching  long  sermons  is 
that  his  resources  were  used  in  his  sermons  of  undue  length,  as 
occasion  required,  in  the  defense  of  the  doctrines  and  polity  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  against  one  of  the  most 
virulent  attacks  ever  made  upon  a  body  of  Christians. 

The  Eev.  Ebenezer  Hearn,  though  neither  learned  nor  bril- 
liant was  a  man  of  great  will  power,  courage,  and  personal  force. 
He  had  no  sympathy  with  those  who  rebelled  against  the  adopt- 
ed polity  and  made  war  upon  the  authorized  administration  of 
the  Church.     He  was  steadfast  in  the  faith  of  the  fathers,  and 
he  entered  the  lists,  when  the  issue  was  presented,  in  defense  of 
the  polity  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  against  the  at- 
tacks of  the  turbulent  party  of  innovators  who  had  undertaken 
to  reo-ulate  the  ecclesiastical  affairs  of  the  Methodists  of  the 
United  States.     He  resisted  the  adversary  with  the  might  which 
was  in  him,  and  made  a  vigorous  and  successful  defense  of  the 
cause  which  he  espoused     He  was  a  man  of  strict  construction, 
vigorous  administration,  and  of  imperious  bearing,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  but  that  in  some  instances  he  failed  m,  at  least,  the 
appearance  of  proper  leniency,  and  thereby  subjected  himself  to 
the  charge  of  being  haughty  and  overbearing,  and  consequently 
dama-ed  the  cause  he  would  serve.     In  the  untoward  movement 


426 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Agitation  and  Secession. 


427 


f 


Le  was  peculiarly  environed,  and  was  peculiarly  related  to  some 
of  the  antagonistic  agents,  and  he  suffered  more  persecution  and 
annoyance   than  any  other  man,  perhaps,  in   Alabama.     His 
father-in-law,  the   Kev.  Joseph  Walker,  long  a    local  elder  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  who  at  the  time  of  the 
secret  workings  of  the  innovators  lived  in  the  same  Circuit  with 
him,  was  one  of  the  most  inveterate  agitators  and  fiery  Schis- 
matics in  the   United   States,  and  was  prominently  arrayed 
against  him.     The  whole  body  of  Protestant  Methodists  were 
exasperated  against  the  Eev.  Ebenezer  Hearn,  and  persecuted 
him  with  a  desperation  which  indicated  a  determination  to  ef- 
fect his  ruin.     This  was  kept  up  for  fifteen  or  more  years.     He 
finally  convicted  the  Kev.  Peyton  S.  Graves  of  Libel  in  the 
courts  of  the  State,  after  which  the  Protestant  Methodists  sus- 
pended their  efforts  against  him.     He  stood  like  a  wall  to  the 
end.     They  beat  him  with  successive  blows,  but  never  demol- 
ished him  or  his  principles. 

In  Alabama  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  was  complete 
in  its  organization  and  in  good  working  order  by  1832,  but  hav- 
ing little,  if  any,  existence  in  any  of  the  prominent  places  it 
was  without  any  controlling  influence  in  the  State.     Cahawba, 
Demopolis,  Florence,  Huntsville,  Mobile,  Selma,  Tuskaloosa,' 
and  Tuscumbia,  which  were  at  that  time  most  of  the  prominent 
places  in  Alabama,  were  without  any  Society  or  house  of  wor- 
ship of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.     There  were  a  few 
members  of  that  Church  living  at  Montgomery  as  early  as  1830, 
and  a  house  of  worship  was  built  by  them  facing  Coosa  Street 
about  the  close  of  1832,  though  it  "  was  destroyed  by  fire  on 
Monday  morning,  April  28,  1834,"  and  not  until  1842  did  they 
build  again.     In  October,  1842,  a  house  was  dedicated  by  them 
in  the  town  of  Montgomery,  and  the  Society  at  that  time  con- 
sisted of  about  nine  members,  two  of  whom  were  males. 

In  1832  the  disruption  had  been  effected,  a  new  Church  or- 
ganization had  been  made,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  had 
been  relieved  of  a  troublesome  faction  and  internal  strife,  and 
the  handful  of  would  be  Keformers  found  themselves  by  them- 
selves, in  all  respects  feeble  enough,  and  needing  relief  and 
Eeformation  more  than  any  other  body  of  Christians  around 
them.  There  were  enough  of  them  to  hinder  the  work  of  Meth- 
odism, to  impede  the  cause  of  Christianity,  without  the  possi- 


bility of  accomplishing  sufficient  good  to  counterbalance  tho 
evil.  There  were  some  able  men  and  women  among  them,  but 
the  folly  of  the  movement  was  apparent  in  its  incipiency,  and 
the  folly  of  it  was  demonstrated  at  every  step,  and  the  folly  of 
it  has  long  since  been  confirmed,  though  there  are  still  a  few  to 
defend  the  movement,  and  the  folly. 


CHAPTEE  XVIII. 

The  Beginning  of  the  Work  of  Education  in  Alabama  Un- 
der THE  Auspices  of  Methodism. 

AT  the  time  of  the  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  May  1-24, 
1828,  there  were,  in  successful  operation  under  the  control  of 
the  several  Annual  Conferences  where  they  were  located,  six  or 
seven  institutions  of  learning,  two  of  them  having  college  char- 
ters. The  following  were  these  institutions:  Augusta  College, 
in  Kentucky,  Madison  College,  in  Pennsylvania,  Elizabeth  Fe- 
male Academy,  in  Mississippi,  Tabernacle  Academy,  in  South 
Carolina,  Maine  Wesleyan  Seminary,  in  Maine,  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy, at  Wilbraham,  Massachusetts,  and  two  Seminaries,  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  the  names  of  which  were  not  given.  To 
that  General  Conference  there  was  reported  an  Academy,  at 
that  time  in  course  of  erection,  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  which 
was  finished  in  September  following,  and  called  The  Sims  Fe- 
male Academy. 

At  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  at  Nashville,  be- 
ginning November  28, 1826,  a  Standing  Committee,  a  Committee 
to  work  in  the  intervals  of  Conference,  was  appointed  to  inquire 
into  the  propriety  of  founding  a  College  under  the  patronage  of 
that  Conference.  The  Committee  was  composed  of  five  traveling 
preachers  and  five  laymen,  some  of  whom  were  local  preachers, 
as  follows:  William  McMahon,  Kobert  Paine,  Thomas  L.  Doug- 
lass, Alexander  Sale,  Lewis  Garrett,  William  McNeil,  James  L. 
Armstrong,  Turner  Saunders,  James  Frazier,  and  Joseph  T.  El- 
liston.  It  was  declared  in  advance  of  the  appointment  of  the 
Committee  that  it  was  not  the  object  of  the  Conference  to  estab- 
lish a  religious  or  theological  institution;  such  the  members  of 
that  Conference  believed  might  not  be  serviceable,  but  it  was 
simply  their  wish  to  give  their  friends  an  opportunity  of  edu- 
cating their  youths  where  their  morals  and  principles  would  not 
be  ruined  by  bad  examples  and  erroneous  sentiments.  At  the 
session  of  the  Conference  at  Tuscumbia,  Alabama,  beginning 
(428) 


Beginning  of  the  Work  of  Education. 


429 


November  22,  1827,  in  which  unusual  peace,  love,  and  harmony 
prevailed,  the  Committee  appointed  at  the  previous  annual  ses- 
sion reported  that  nothing  had  been  matured  on  the  subject. 
Upon  further  consideration  of  the  matter,  the  Standing  Commit- 
tee was  continued,  this  time  composed  of  William  McMahon, 
Eobert  Paine,  Thomas  L.  Douglass,  Lewis  Garrett,  Alexander 
Sale,  John  Lytle,  Turner  Saunders,  John  M.  Taylor,  Joseph  T. 
Elliston,  and  H.  R.  W.  Hill.     The   Committee  was  instructed 
and  authorized  to  keep  the  subject  open  for  the  reception  of 
proposals  of  sites  and  contributions,  and  report  the  progress 
made  to  the  next  annual  session  of  the  Conference.     At  the  ses- 
sion of  the  Tennessee  Conference  held  at  Murfreesborough,  Ten- 
nessee, beginning  December  4,  1828,  the  Standing  Committee, 
appointed  at  the  preceding  session  of  the  Conference  on  the  sub- 
ject  of  founding  a  College  under  the  patronage  of  that  Confer- 
ence, reported  that  a  communication  on  that  subject  had  been 
received  from  a  number  of  gentlemen  acting  as  a  Committee  on 
behalf  of  a  number  of  subscribers  at  La  Grange,  Alabama,  and 
its  vicinity.     The  communication  was  presented  and  read  to  the^ 
Annual  Conference,  and  after  diligent  inquiry,  in  which  satis- 
factory  information  was  elicited  relative  to  the  eligibility  of  the 
place  and  the  various  advantages  of  the  situation,  and  the  fact 
was  made  to  appear  that  about  ten  thousand  dollar??  had  been 
subscribed  for  establishing  the  institution  at  that  place,  it  was 
unanimously  "  Resolved,  That  the  Tennessee  Conferenc(?  College 
be  located  at  La  Grange,  in  North  Alabama;  and  on  motion  it- 
was  Resolved,  That  William  McMahon,  Robert  Paine,  Lewis- 
Garrett,  James  McFerrin,  John  M.  Holland,  Francis  A.  Owen,. 
Turner  Saunders,  John  Southerland,  John  M.  Taylor,  Thomas- 
Preston,  Weston  T.  Rucker,  Henry  S.  Foote,  Hartwell  King, 
John  J.  Winston,  Alexander  Sale,  and  Moses  Hall  be,  and  they 
are  hereby  appointed  Commissioners  for  the  purpose  of  secur- 
ing the  site,  raising  funds,  and  carrying  the  institution  into  op- 
eration.    Also  Resolved,  That  William  McMahon  be  appointed 
an  Agent  to  visit  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  propose  a 
union  with  them  in  the  establishment  and  advantages  of  the 
College  contemplated  at  La  Grange.     And  believing,  as  we  do, 
that  the  best  interests  of  the  Church  and  the  community  are 
identified  with  the  success  of  our  Conference  College,  we  do  sol- 
emnly pledge  ourselves  to  each  other  to  use  our  best  exertions 
28 


430 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


on  our  respective  Districts,  Circuits,  and  Stations,  during  the 
ensuing  year,  to  collect  funds  for  the  benefit  of  the  insti- 
tution." 

The  Kev.  William  McMahon  appeared  before  the  Mississippi 
Conference,  convened  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  December  25, 
1828,  and  presented  the  propositions  of  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence relative  to  the  College  to  be  established  at  La  Grange,  Al- 
abama. The  Mississippi  Conference,  by  formal  action,  acceded 
to  the  propositions  tendered,  and  appointed  Commissioners  to 
participate  in  the  proposed  work  of  establishing  an  institution 
of  learning. 

The  Commissioners,  instructed  and  empowered  by  the  two 
Conferences  to  erect,  equip,  and  set  in  operation  a  College  of 
the  style  and  title  prescribed,  met  at  La  Grange,  Alabama,  Jan- 
uary 10,  1829,  and  disposed  of  the  initial  affairs  committed  to 
their  hands  with  promptness  and  facility.  They  selected  a  site 
on  which  to  erect  the  edifice  to  be  appropriated  to  the  use  of 
students,  formed  a  constitution  for  the  government  of  the  Col- 
lege, and  prepared  an  address  to  the  public  setting  forth  the  de- 
sign and  character  of  the  institution  so  auspiciously  inaugurat- 
ed. From  the  many  choice  plots  of  land  offered  the  Commis- 
sioners at  La  Grange  for  the  College  site  "  that  beautiful  and 
commanding  eminence  called  Lawrence's  Hill "  was  selected  by 
unanimous  agreement. 

La  Grange,  Alabama,  is  situated  on  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain which  overlooks  the  lower  part  of  the  Tennessee  valley. 
Its  origin  can  be  easily  told,  and  its  composition  in  the  first 
years  of  its  existence  can  be  readily  described.  At  that  point  of 
the  mountain  there  are  numerous  springs  of  water,  some  of 
which  are  mineral,  and  the  atmosphere  is  suprjosed  to  be  pure 
and  salubrious.  Immediately  on  the  discovery  of  the  supposed 
natural  facilities  for  health  and  comfort,  a  few  of  the  thrifty 
families  owning  farms  in  the  adjoining  valley  took  up  residence 
at  that  point  on  the  mountain.  These  few  families  constituted 
a  community,  it  was  scarcely  a  village,  and  its  center,  where  clus- 
tered a  number  of  its  springs,  was  called  La  Grange.  During 
the  years  1828  and  1829,  there  was  at  La  Grange  an  Academy, 
and  Edward  Dramgoole  Sims  was  the  Principal. 

Why  was  that  place.  La  Grange,  Alabama,  selected  as  the 
place  for  the  College?     Several  causes  operated,  and  a  number 


Beginning  of  the  Work  of  Education, 


431 


of  influences  were  potent.  The  persons  living  in  the  communi- 
ty of  La  Grange  and  in  the  adjoining  valley  were  intelligent 
and  prosperous,  and  had  an  instinct  for  and  an  interest  in  such 
an  institution  of  learning  as  a  College,  and  were  able  financial- 
ly  to  contribute  to  its  establishment  and  support.  A  larger 
number  of  persons  in  that  section  took  an  active  part  m  the  en- 
terprise and  made  more  liberal  offers  for  it  than  m  any  other 
section  within  the  bounds  of  the  Tennessee  Conference.  That 
had  a  controlling  influence. 

As  stated  above.  La  Grange  was  scarcely  a  village,  and,  it  may 
be  added,  was  remote  from  cities  and  thoroughfares,  and  that 
commended  it  to  the  people  of  that  day  as  a  choice  location  for 
a  seat  of  learning.  In  that  day  it  was  agreed,  and  by  common 
consent  maintained,  that  a  large  commercial  town,  or  even  the 
neighborhood  of  a  large  town  of  any  kind,  was  not  a  proper 
place  for  the  location  of  a  large  school,  and  that  if  such  a  school 
were  located  even  in  a  village  the  village  should  be  so  inconsid- 
erable and  moral  as  to  derive  its  whole  importance  from  the 
school  The  absence  of  population  at  a  seat  of  learning  was  held 
to  be  an  absolute  guarantee  against  the  introduction  of  expensive 
habits  and  destructive  vices.  In  commending  the  place  to  the 
public  the  Commissioners,  who  selected  the  site  at  La  Grange 
said-  "The  secluded  position  of  the  College  seems  m  no  small 
degree  to  sanction  the  hope  that  the  enticements  to  dissipation 
and  idleness,  which  are  too  frequently  observed  to  assemble 
themselves  in  the  vicinity  of  institutions  of  this  kind,  will  not 
dare  to  exhibit  themselves  here." 

La  Grange  as  a  natural  situation  was  unsurpassed.  I  he 
prophets  have  spoken  of  "  the  glory  of  Lebanon,"  and  "  the  ex- 
cellency of  Carmel;"  and  much  has  been  said,  m  prose  and 
poetry,  of  Pisgah's  summit,  from  whence  the  whole  land  of 
Canaan  may  be  seen;  and  Mount  Sinai,  in  the  Arabian  desert, 
with  bare  and  rugged  sides,  towering  peaks,  and  divme  asso- 
ciations, possesses  lofty  grandeur  and  awe-inspiring  memories; 
but  that  site,  in  Franklin  County,  Alabama,  whereon  was 
erected  La  Grange  College,  with  its  unique  surroundings  of 
forests,  hills,  mountains,  springs,  streams,  valleys,  and  expanse 
of  view,  is  not  a  whit  inferior  to  any  of  the  mountains  of  Bible 
history,  and  is  "beautiful  for  situation."  From  the  site  of  La 
Grange  College  was  seen  the  ideal  landscape.     The  Commis- 


432 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


sioners  were  enticed  by  the  scene,  and  inspired  by  the  view,  and 
they  said:  "The  view  from  this  point  is  almost  as  extensive  as 
at  sea.  To  the  north  may  be  distinctly  traced  the  majestic  cur- 
vatures of  the  Tennessee  Kiver,  rolling  its  plenteous  tide  through 
the  bosom  of  the  fertile  valley  to  which  it  has  imparted  its  own 
name,  and  gliding  peacefully  onward  in  the  direction  of  the 
Ohio.  At  the  distance  of  ten  and  twelve  miles,  and  on  oppo- 
site banks  of  the  Tennessee- Kiver,  stand  the  flourishing  villages 
of  Tuscumbia  and  Florence.  The  interjacent  country  is  one 
of  uncommon  beauty  and  productiveness,  divided  into  farms  of 
convenient  extent,  and  graced  with  the  rural  dwellings  of  the 
cultivators  of  the  soil.  At  a  distance  may  be  descried  the  blue 
summits  of  the  Black  Warrior  Mountains,  streaking  their  vary- 
ing outline  along  the  southern  horizon.  Nearer  at  hand  on 
hills  of  milder  elevation,  whose  tops  are  crowned  with  romantic 
forests  of  pine  and  oak,  and  which  serve  to  complete  a  scene  of 
as  much  blended  sublimity  and  beauty  as  any  in  the  Western 
country — perhaps  in  the  United  States." 

Towering  mountains,  rising  hills,  outlying  valleys,  meander- 
ing rivers,  and  skirting  forests  do  not  guarantee  the  permanent 
success  of  a  college.  To  reject  the  populous  and  enterprising 
place,  where  thoroughfares  converge,  and  select  the  inaccess- 
ible and  insignificant  place  is  to  throw  away  possibilities 
and  advantages  without  any  compensation.  The  school  to  be 
large,  self-supporting,  and  permanent  must  be  in  the  midst  of 
thrifty  enterprises,  and  accessible  to  a  numerous  population. 
The  larger  the  field  the  brighter  the  prospect,  the  grander  the 
opportunity.  Temptations  to  vice  will  ever  be  found  by  the 
vicious,  whether  in  the  city  full  or  the  country  waste.  The  se- 
questered spot  is  not  the  place  for  a  large  school.  In  monastic 
institutions  licentiousness  in  its  worst  forms  has  held  sway,  and 
vice  in  its  worst  features  has  prevailed. 

At  the  sessions  of  the  Tennessee  and  Mississippi  Conferences, 
the  first  in  November  and  the  latter  in  December,  1829,  the 
Constitution  drafted  for  the  government  of  the  College  by  the 
Commissioners  was  amended  and  approved,  and  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam McMahon  was  appointed  Agent  for  the  College,  and  the 
preachers  of  the  Conferences  subscribed  about  three  thousand 
dollars  for  the  enterprise.  It  is  not  known  what  amount  the 
laymen  of  the  country  had  contributed  for  the  cause,  neither  is 


Beginning  of  the  Work  of  Education, 


433 


it  known  what  amount  was  expended  in  the  purchase  of  the 
grounds,  the  erection  of  the  buildings,  and  other  improvements 

and  outfit. 

Just  one  year  and  one  day  from  the  time  the  Commissioners 
met  to  select  the  site  for  the  College,  the  necessary  improve- 
ments had  been  made  and  the  College  opened.     It  opened  and 
went  into  operation  January  11,  1830.     It  went  into  operation 
without  ostentation,  but  vigorously,  and  with  encouraging  pros- 
pects.    While  it  had  a  Preparatory  Department,  the  curriculum 
adopted  was  extensive  and  thorough,  and  the  men  engaged  in 
the  different  Departments  were  men  of  superior  worth  and  at- 
tainments.    In  two  months  from  the  time  it  opened  there  were 
within  its  halls  seventy  pupils,  with  assurances  that  in  less  than 
four  months  the  number  would  exceed  one  hundred.     In  plan- 
ning the  College  the  Trustees  appended  a  Deaf  and  Dumb  Asy- 
lum, but  the  want  of  funds  prevented  the  erection  of  buildings 
for  that  appendage  at  the  first,  and  the  Trustees  proposed  to 
petition  Congress  to  donate  unappropriated  lands  within  the 
State  for  that  part  of  the  institution.     It  seems  that  that  part 
of  the  enterprise  never  formulated.     In  addition  to  the  College 
building  there  were  a  Steward's  hall  and  dormitories. 

There  were  two  sessions  in  the  year  of  five  months  each. 
The  first  session  of  the  first  year  closed  June  11.  The  second 
session  commenced  July  12,  and  closed  November  12.  At  that 
time  the  tuition  was  twenty  dollars  for  the  year  of  ten  months, 
and  the  board  for  the  ten  months  was  eighty  dollars,  and  the 
incidental  expenses  did  not  exceed  for  the  ten  months  four  dol- 
lars.    During  the  first  year  the  College  had  neither  apparatus 

nor  library. 

The  College  opened  on  the  day  above  named  w^ith  the  follow- 
lowing  Faculty:  The  Rev.  Robert  Paine,  Superintendent;  Mr. 
William  W.  Hudson,  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Modern 
Languages;  Mr.  Edward  D.  Sims,  Professor  of  Ancient  Lan- 
guages. .    . 

The  Committee  appointed  by  the  Tennessee  and  Mississippi 
Conferences  to  visit  La  Grange  College  to  inspect  and  report  its 
condition,  which  Committee  consisted  of  Lewis  Garrett,  Gilbert 
D.  Taylor,  Fountain  E.  Pitts,  AVilliam  P.  Kendrick,  and  Ebene- 
zer  Hearn,  were  present  at  the  examination  of  the  students  on 
June  9,  10,  11,  which  closed  the  first  session.     The  Committee 


434 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


reported  seventy-nine  pupils  present,  and  the  examinations  ex- 
ceedingly  gratifying  and  highly  satisfactory.  The  Faculty  was 
at  that  time  appointed  on  Committees  to  collect  a  Library,  and 
Chemical  and  Philosophical  Apparatus,  Minerals,  etc.,  for  the 
College.  The  Committee  reported  with  emphasis:  "  This  insti- 
tution is  purely  literary  and  scientific;  no  theological  professor- 
ship shall  ever  belong  to  this  College,  and  the  inculcation  of  the 
peculiar  tenets  of  any  religious  denomination  is  expressly  for- 
bidden by  the  Constitution." 

It  was  "  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Eepresentatives 
of  the  State  of  Alabama  in  General  Assembly  convened.  That 
a  seminary  of  learning,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  established 
at  La  Grange,  in  Franklin  County,  to  be  denominated  the  La 
Grange  College."  This  act  with  its  several  sections  was  ap- 
proved January  19,  1830,  eight  days  after  the  College  opened  its 
doors  for  the  reception  of  students.  Section  third  of  the  act 
is  as  follows: 

*'And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  following  persons  have 
been  duly  chosen  Trustees  of  the  College,  and  are  recognized  as 
residing  in  La  Grange  and  its  vicinity,  to  wit:  Turner  Saunders, 
Alexander  Sale,  Alexander  Sledge,  John  Davis,  Moses  Hall, 
John  Southerland,  Jr.,  Benjamin  B.  Jones,  Claiborne  Saunders, 
Epps  Moody,  Henry  S.  Foote,  Sion  L.  Perry,  James  B.  Lock- 
hart,  William  H.  Winter,  Dudley  Dunn,  Thomas  Woldridge, 
Hartwell  King,  Bernard  McKernan,  John  W.  Hodges,  John  W. 
Scott,  Freeman  Fitzgerald,  Kichard  Ellis;  and  the  following 
persons  have  also  been  chosen  Trustees  and  are  considered  as 
residing  at  a  distance  from  the  institution,  to  wit:  William 
Winans,  Edmund  McGehee,  Alexander  Covington,  Greenwood 
LaFlow,  John  Boss,  William  McMahon,  Alexander  Talley,  Jo- 
seph McDowell,  James  McFerrin,  John  M.  Taylor,  Henry  W. 
Khodes,  Jack  Shackleford,  Samuel  W.  Mardis,  Eobert  Paine, 
Weston  T.  Kucker,  Henry  E.  W.  Hill,  Thomas  Brandon,  John 
D.  Bibb,  Gilbert  D.  Taylor,  Jesse  Coe,  Kichard  Jones,  James 
Saunders,  John  M.  Holland,  James  H.  Mellard,  Eobert  L.  Ken- 
non,   David  Moore,  Eobert  H.  Watkins,  John  B.  Eowe,  and 
John  Coffee." 

The  fifteenth  section  enacted,  "That  the  institution  hereby 
incorporated  shall  be  purely  literary  and  scientific;  and  that  the 
Trustees  are  hereby  prohibited  from  the  adoption  of  any  system 


Beginning  of  the  Work  of  Education, 


435 


of  education  which  shall  provide  for  the  inculcation  of  the  pe- 
culiar tenets  or  doctrines  of  any  religious  denomination  what- 
soever." ,,,-,.  i  •  J 
In  founding  a  College  in  Alabama  the  Methodists  were  m  ad- 
vance of  the  State,  and  of  all  Churches,  and  of  all  denomina- 
tions of  Christians.  The  first  College  opened  and  chartered  m 
the  State  of  Alabama  was  the  La  Grange  College.  At  the  time 
it  opened  its  halls  and  went  to  teaching  as  a  College,  and  at  the 
time  it  was  chartered  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Eepresenta- 
tives of  the  State  of  Alabama  as  a  College,  there  was  no  other 
School  opened  in  the  State  having  the  grade  of  a  College. 

One  would  naturally  suppose  that  a  College  founded  by  a  de- 
nomination of  Christians,  and  which  College  was  to  continue 
under  the  auspices  of  such  denomination,  had  been  founded  for 
criving  instruction  in  Christian  doctrines,  for  inculcating  reli- 
gious tenets,  but  the  founders  of  La  Grange  College,  extraordi- 
nary as  it  may  seem,  by  constitutional  provision,  as  has  already 
been  seen,  prohibited  the  inculcation  of  religious  doctrines  at 
that  institution,  and  they  commended  the  inhibition  as  a  meri- 
torous  provision,  giving  to  the  School  a  supreme  excellence. 
Nothing  was  to  be  taught  but  literature  and  science.     The 
founders  of  that  College  did  not  wish  to  establish  a  theological 
institution;  they  were  uncompromisingly  opposed  to  theological 
schools,  theological  departments,  and  theological  chairs.     How- 
ever  it  must  not  be  inferred  that  these  noble  men  and  women 
were  opposed  to  a  school  of  a  religious  character  and  whose  in- 
fluence would  advance  the  cause  of  Christianity.     La  Grange 
College  was  founded  to  furnish  an  institution  where  the  youths 
of  the  Church  and  the  country  could  be  educated  without  haz- 
ard to  their  morals  and  principles  from  evil  associations  and 

false  sentiments.  . .     ^    i.  xv    t     r. 

The  Eev.  Eobert  Paine,  the  first  President  of  the  La  Grange 
Colleo-e  and  who  was  President  for  more  than  fifteen  years,  and 
did  more  than  any  one  else  by  his  work  and  influence  to  give  the 
College  character  and  to  sustain  it  in  its  mission,  was  born  m 
North  Carolina,  November  12,  1799,  and  when  about  fifteen 
years  old  he  removed  with  his  father  and  family  to  Giles  County, 
Tennessee,  where  before  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  was 
admitted  to  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
The   Eev.    Eobert   Paine   was    a   personable   man.    He  was 


436 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


descended  from  neither  Titan  nor  Pigmy.  He  was  neither 
emaciated  nor  corpulent.  He  was  without  undue  length  of  limb 
or  body.  In  form,  stature,  and  weight  there  was  consonance 
and  congruity.  He  was  elegant,  genteel,  graceful,  and  mod- 
est. His  features  were  symmetrical,  his  complexion  lustrous, 
and  his  eyes  mild  and  brilliant.  His  face  was  expressive  of 
blended  strength,  grace,  and  sweetness.  There  was  nothing 
about  him  of  the  somber  or  the  silly,  he  was  neither  austere  nor 
obsequious.  He  was  alike  free  from  the  imperial  bearing  of 
the  autocrat  and  the  cringing  of  the  mendicant  and  the  menial. 
^\  hile  he  was  not  endowed  with  any  extraordinary  genius,  he 
had  a  clear  judgment,  a  steady  will,  and  was  capable  of  lofty 
conceptions.  B.e  was  refined,  elegant,  brilliant,  and  witty.  His 
qualities  of  heart  were  not  inferior  to  his  intellectual  endow- 
ments. He  had  a  love  for  beauty,  truth,  and  justice.  There 
was  nothing  in  his  person,  dress,  or  manner  which  would  pro- 
voke criticism.  He  was  exactly  fitted,  well  endowed,  and  duly 
qualified  for  President  of  a  College.  For  that  office  none  sur- 
passed him.  When  he  took  charge  of  La  Grange  College  he 
was  in  the  full  bloom  of  young  manhood,  and  was  about  the 
meridian  of  life  when  he  resigned  the  charge  to  other  hands. 

He  was  endowed  with  rare  talents  for  teaching,  in  which  work 
he  was  seldom  surpassed.  His  lectures  on  Moral  Science 
were  sublime  productions,  terse,  logical,  pure,  finished,  and 
unctious  withal.  He  was  an  able  preacher,  though  not  uniform. 
He  sometimes  failed,  utterly  failed  in  his  attempts  at  preaching. 
His  audiences  always  regretted  his  failures,  for  his  failures 
were  attended  with  a  promise  of  something  sublime  and  edify- 
ing. Even  when  he  made  mortifying  failures  there  were  given 
such  marked  indications  of  ability,  there  were  such  flashes  of 
intellect,  there  were  such  scintillations  of  heavenly  inspiration, 
there  were  such  outlines  of  divine  truth  set  forth  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  sermon,  it  gave  to  the  audience  intimations  of  ap- 
proach to  a  sublime  effort,  and  left  with  the  audience  the  feel- 
ing that  had  he  succeeded  according  to  the  conception  he  had 
of  the  subject  in  hand  they  would  have  received  a  message  of 
superior  excellence,  and  no  little  edification.  In  diction, 
thought,  and  sentiment  he  was  pure,  elevated,  and  refined. 

He  served  the  College  as  President,  though  at  the  first,  out 
of  pure  modesty,  he  would  not  be  called  President,  but  Super- 


Beginning  of  the  Work  of  Education. 


437 


intendent,  until  he  was  ordained  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  South,  in  May,  1846.     His  first  work  as  a  Meth- 
odist preacher  was  in  Alabama.     His  first  pastoral  charge,  to 
which  he  was  appointed  before  he  was  nineteen,  was  the  Flint 
Eiver   Circuit,  which  was  partly  in   Alabama,    and  included 
Huntsville.     His  second  Circuit  was  Tuskaloosa,  and  extended 
from  forty  to  fifty  miles  in  width  along  the  whole  length  of  the 
Tuskaloosa  or  Black  Warrior  Eiver,  or  at  least  from  Hardwick's 
Shelter,   where    Carthage    is,   to    Bristow's   Cove,   near   Wills 
Creek.     The  Eev.  Kobert  Paine  tilled  every  position  assigned 
him  with  fidelity  to  the  cause  and  with  credit  to  the  Church. 
He  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  nine  of  the  General  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  1844,  which  drew 
the  plan  and  presented  the  paper  for  the  division  of  the  Church. 
His  name  will  live  as  long  as  the  History  of  Methodism  in 
America  is  known.     He  was  President  of  La  Grange  College  at 
the  time  he  wrote  that  memorable  paper,  called  the  Plan  of  Sep- 
aration.    He  died  at  his  residence,  at  Aberdeen,  Mississippi, 

October  19,  1882.  ,    .      •     t     r.  n  ^ 

The  two  Professors  first  elected  to  chairs  m  La  Grange  Col- 
lege filled  them  only  two  or  three  years.  William  W.  Hudson, 
who  filled  the  chair  of  Mathematics  and  Modern  Languages, 
and  who  was  graduated  at  Yale  College,  left  La  Grange  upon 
being  elected  to  the  chair  of  Mathematics  and  Mental  Philos- 
ophy in  the  University  of  Alabama,  in  1833. 

Edward  D.  Sims,  who  filled  the  chair  of  Ancient  Languages, 
who  received  his  A.M.  at  Chapel  Hill,  North  Carolina,  and  who 
was  under  twenty-five  years  of  age  when  he  entered  upon  his 
duties  in  La  Grange  College,  filled  his  chair  through  the  ses- 
sions of  1830,  and  then  left  the  College  to  enter  the  Christian 
ministry.  At  the  Fourth  Quarterly  Conference  for  Franklin 
Circuit,  held  at  the  Camp  Ground  near  Kussellville,  Alabama, 
October  2,  1830,  Edward  D.  Sims  was  licensed  to  preach,  and 
recommended  as  a  suitable  person  to  join  the  traveling  connec- 
tion. Just  one  month  from  that  day  the  Tennessee  Conference 
met  and  he  was  received  into  the  Conference  on  trial  and  ap- 
pointed for  the  next  year  to  the  Nashville  Circuit.  At  the 
next  session  of  the  Conference  he  was  appointed,  as  the  Min- 
utes for  1S32  show,  "Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural 
Philosophy  in  La  Grange  College."     At  the  close  of  1832  he 


438 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


was  transferred  to  the  Virginia  Conference,  and  he  never  re- 
turned to  La  Grange.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Virginia  Conference  and  Professor  in  Randolph- 
Macon  College.  In  December,  1841,  he  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  English  Literature  in  the  University  of  Alabama,  and 
in  November,  1842,  he  was  transferred  from  the  Virginia  to  the 
Alabama  Conference.  He  died  suddenly  at  Tuskaloosa.  Ala- 
bama, in  April,  1845,  and  was  buried  at  that  place.  He  was 
honored  at  his  burial.  Being  a  man  of  accurate  learning  and 
of  classical  attainments,  he  was  eminently  fitted  for  University 
work,  and  he  gave  reputation  to  the  Colleges  with  which  he  was 
associated,  and  he  filled  his  chairs  in  the  same  with  benefit  to 
the  students  under  his  care.  He  was  a  devout  Christian,  and 
was  strongly  attached  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He  was 
simple,  modest,  sincere  and  amiable.  In  the  social  circle  he 
was  pre-eminent.  He  was  equal  to  the  companionship  of  kings 
and  courts.     He  was  the  peer  of  princes. 

The  Charter  of  the  College  provided  for  and  named  fifty 
Trustees  in  the  Board.  The  purpose  was  doubtless  to  attach  as 
many  as  possible  to  the  College,  bat  the  wisdom  of  appointing 
^^  large  a  Board  might  be  questioned.  There  are  many  objec- 
tions to  so  large  a  Board. 

The  second  man  named  on  the  Board  of  Trustees  to  take 
charge  of  La  Grange  College  was  Alexander  Sale,  than  whom  a 
wiser  counselor  and  a  truer  friend  the  College  never  had.  He 
was  a  native  of  Amherst  County,  Virginia,  and  was  born  near 
the  close  of  the  war  for  Independence.  The  Bev.  Alexander 
Sale  joined  the  Virginia  Conference  on  trial  in  February,  1808, 
and  located  in  February,  1814.  He  moved  to  Alabama,  and 
settled  in  the  Tennessee  Valley,  south  of  the  Tennessee  Eiver, 
about  1820.  He  was  re-admitted  to  the  traveling  connection  in 
the  Mississippi  Conference  in  December,  1822,  and  was  presid- 
ing elder  on  the  Cahawba  District  for  the  two  succeeding  years, 
which  District  at  that  time  extended  from  the  Tennessee  River 
to  the  Alabama  River.  At  the  close  of  1824  Mr.  Sale  trans- 
ferred to  the  Tennessee  Conference,  which  then  took  in  that 
part  of  the  Tennessee  Valley  in  which  his  home  was  situated, 
and  which  up  to  that  time  had  belonged  to  the  Mississippi  Con- 
ference. At  the  close  of  1827  he  again  located,  and  remained  a 
local  preacher  until  his  death.     He  died  in  Louisiana  some  time 


Beginning  of  the  Work  of  Education, 


439 


in  the  sixties  of  this  century.  For  a  considerable  period  of  his 
life  he  was  a  man  of  wealth,  but  in  the  last  years  of  his  pilgrim- 
age  he  lost  his  worldly  possessions.  Like  Saul,  the  king,  he 
was  from  his  shoulders  and  upward  higher  than  any  of  the 
people,  and  he  was  proverbially  straight.  His  eyes  were  as 
keen,  and  searching  as  an  eagle's,  his  features  indicated  strength 
of  character,  and  he  had  a  will  as  firm  as  the  everlasting  hills. 
Bold  and  brave,  he  was  as  lordly  as  a  nobleman.  He  was  noted 
for  his  imperial  bearing,  lofty  dignity,  and  rigid  piety.  He  was 
a  man  of  faith,  and  an  intelligent,  and  powerful  preacher.  He 
was  a  leader  and  a  commander.  He  brought  up  children  who 
were  an  honor  to  him,  and  a  joy  as  well.  Hon.  John  B.  Sale, 
his  son,  was  educated  at  La  Grange.  He  had  a  brother,  the 
Rev.  John  Sale,  who  was  for  more  than  thirty  years,  or  from 
November,  1795,  till  January,  1827,  an  itinerant  preacher.  He 
preached  mostly  in  Ohio  and  Kentucky.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Ohio  Conference  when  he  died,  January  15,  1827. 

The  Rev.  Alexander  Sale  engaged  himself  as  a  systematic 
peace-maker.  He  devoted  Monday  of  the  week  to  that  work. 
Every  Monday  he  went  through  the  community,  removing  mis- 
understandings, adjusting  disputes,  allaying  strifes,  reconciling 
enemies,  and  putting  a  truce  to  neighborhood  broils  and  private 
hostilities.  Who  attempts  to  adjust  the  disputes  of  enemies, 
and  to  allay  the  strifes  of  contentious  spirits  undertakes  a  work 
which  is  always  difficult,  and  which  is  seldom  successful.  No 
doubt  the  Rev.  Alexander  Sale  was  sincere  and  religious  in 
his  purpose  in  that  special  work  which  he  did  so  systematic- 
ally as  to  devote  Monday  of  each  week  to  it,  and  no  doubt  he 
claimed  the  blessing  which  the  Saviour  pronounced  upon  peace- 
makers,' but  a  professional  peace-maker  is  often  an  officious  and 
curious  meddler,  "a  busybody  in  other  men's  matters."  The 
work  of  peace-makers  upon  which  the  Son  of  God  pronounced 
a  blessing  is  a  broader,  deeper,  grander  work  than  listening  to 
a  confidential  recital  of  the  grievances,  supposed  or  real,  of 
angry  and  belligerent  neighbors. 

Jack  Shackleford,  M.D.,  one  of  the  Trustees  of  La  Grange 
College,  born  in  Virginia,  March  20,  1790,  though  brought  up 
under  the  shadow  of  orphanage,  made  a  bright  record  for  him- 
self. He  moved  to  Shelby  County,  Alabama,  in  the  latter  part 
of  1818  or  the  first  part  of  1819,  where  he  occupied  positions  of 


440 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


honor.  He  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  State  of  Alabama  from  Shelby  County  in  1820,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Senate  of  the  State  of  Alabama  from  Shelby 
County  for  three  sessions,  beginning  with  the  session  in  1822. 
He  moved  from  Shelby  County  to  Courtland,  Lawrence  County, 
Alabama,  probably,  in  1829,  where  he  died  January  27, 1857.  In 
1825  or  1826,  while  living  in  Shelby  County,  Alabama,  he  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  a  man  of  courage,  in- 
tegrity, faith,  piety,  and  benevolence.  He  served  the  cause  of 
liberty,  humanity,  and  Christianity.  While  he  was  a  man  of 
lively  disposition  and  of  mirthful  spirits  he  was  a  man  of  deli- 
cate feelings,  of  refined  nature,  and  of  great  reverence,  as  a 
Resolution  introduced  by  him  and  adopted  by  the  Quarterly 
Conference  held  for  Franklin  Circuit,  at  Courtland,  Alabama, 
April  4, 1835,  will  indicate:  "  The  following  by  Brother  Shackle- 
ford  was  adopted:  Resolved,  That  we  recommend  to  all  the  mem- 
bers in  our  Church,  to  abstain  from  the  use  of  Tobacco,  while 
in  attendance  at  the  House  of  God,  regarding  its  use,  while  in 
our  Houses  of  Worship,  as  extremely  offensive,  indelicate,  and 
indecent,  and  often  a  source  of  great  annoyance  to  the  members 
and  congregation  in  their  devotions."  One  of  the  most  remark- 
able incidents  in  the  life  of  Dr.  Jack  Shackleford  was  connected 
with  the  war  which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the  State 
of  Texas.  In  1835  the  people  in  that  part  of  Mexico  now  known 
as  Texas  resisted  the  arbitrary  proceeding  of  Santa  Anna  and 
his  associates  in  the  attempt  to  establish  over  the  country  a 
military  despotism.  Upon  the  manifestation  of  the  disloyalty 
of  the  people  to  the  military  reign  inaugurated,  Santa  Anna  sent 
an  army  into  the  country  to  enforce  the  requisitions  of  his  gov- 
ernment The  people  met  the  invading  forces  of  the  military 
chieftain  with  armed  resistance.  The  war  was  hot,  the  contest 
sharp  and  bitter.  There  were  numbers  of  men  in  the  United 
States  who  sympathized  with  the  people  who  offered  resistance 
to  the  usurpations  of  Santa  Anna,  and  in  considerable  numbers 
they  rushed  to  their  assistance.  In  the  generosity  of  his  nature 
Jack  Shackleford  despised  usurpation  and  despotism,  and  under 
the  promptings  of  the  love  of  liberty  he  gathered  in  North  Al- 
abama a  company  of  volunteers,  and  rushed  to  the  help  of  the 
struggling  Texans.  In  March,  1836,  Shackleford  and  his  men, 
about  one  hundred  in  number,  were  all,  except,  perhaps,  seven. 


Beginning  of  the  Work  of  Education. 


441 


captured  by  Santa  Anna's  forces  on  one  of  the  broad  plains  of 
what  is  now  the  State  of  Texas.     When  captured  Shackleford 
and  his  men  were  marching  with  all  possible  speed  to  join  Colo- 
nel  Fannin  and  his  forces,  who  had  surrendered  just  before 
Shackleford  arrived  on  the  field.     Fannin  and  his  men  and 
Shackleford  and  his  men,  in  all  about  four  hundred,  were  car- 
ried  to  Goliad,  where,  notwithstanding  Fannin  had  surrendered 
on  the  condition  that  he  and  his  men  should  be  treated  kindly 
and  should  be  transported  to  the  United  States,  they  were 
treated   with    indignity,    and    were    finally   massacred.     Jack 
Shackleford  was  the  only  one  who  escaped  with  his  life.     He 
begged  to  be  executed  with  his  men,  but  the  Mexicans  refused  to 
grant  him  his  Request,  and  held  him  a  prisoner  for  a  long  while. 
He  eventually  escaped  from  prison  in  spite  of  the  vigilance  of  the 
guards,    and  returned  to  his  home  in   Courtland,    Alabama, 
whence,  as  already  related,  he  went  to  his  final  reward. 

Hon  Henry  C.  Foote,  one  of  the  Trustees  of  La  Grange  Col- 
lege lived  awhile  at  Tuscumbia  and  also  at  Courtland,  and  final- 
ly moved  to  Mississippi.     He  was  a  lawyer  of  ability,  and  an 

r>T'ator 

Hon    Samuel  W.  Mardis,  for  whom  Mardisville,  Talladega 

County,  Alabama,  was  named,  was  a  man  of  talents  and  of  m- 

^G^orge  W  Foster,  who  filled  the  offices  of  class  leader  and 
steward  in  the  Church,  and  at  one  time  held  his  membership  at 
Ebenezer,  not  far  from  Courtland,  and  who  was  a  brother-in-law 
of  Hon  James  E.  Saunders,  was  a  most  liberal  contributor  to 
La  Grange  College.     He  died  in  Florence  during  the  war  be- 

tween  the  States. 

It  is  necessary,  in  order  to  have  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
subiect  to  state  that  the  Rev.  William  Winans,  D.D.,  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  College,  bitterly  opposed  that  provision  m  the 
charter  of  the  College  whereby  it  was  enjoined  that  the  institu- 
tion incorporated  should  be  purely  literary  and  scientific,  and 
that  the  Trustees  should  not  adopt  any  system  of  education  pro- 
viding? for  the  inculcation  of  the  peculiar  tenets  or  doctrines  of 
any  religious  denomination  whatsoever;  and  in  his  position  on 
this  point  Dr.  Winans  had  a  numerous  following,  though  he  and 
his  followers  were  in  a  fearful  minority.  The  majority  of  the 
Methodists  of  America  were  until  in  recent  years  opposed  to 


442 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Beginning  of  the  Work  of  Education. 


443 


theological  schools.  However,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  La 
Grange  College  and  its  founders  were  against  religion  or  reli- 
gious influences.  The  Kev.  Eobert  Paine,  the  President,  deliv- 
ered to  the  students  of  that  College  some  of  the  finest  Lectures 
on  the  Evidences  of  Christianity  ever  delivered  to  a  body  of 
students,  and  the  College  was  noted  through  its  entire  history 
for  its  moral  and  religious  influence. 

Agents  were  appointed  by  the  Tennessee  and  Mississippi  Con- 
ferences to  advocate  the  interests  of  La  Grange  College  and  to 
solicit  funds  for  its  support.  The  Eev.  AVilliam  McMahon  was 
the  Agent  for  the  College  appointed  by  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence for  1830,  1831,  and  1832;  and  then  he  was  the  accredited 
Agent  to  attend  the  Session  of  the  Georgia  Conference  at  La 
Grange,  Georgia,  January  2,  1833,  and  present  to  that  Confer- 
ence communications  soliciting  the  aid  and  support  of  that  Con- 
ference for  La  Grange  College  at  La  Grange,  Alabama. 

The  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hearn  was  the  Agent  of  the  College  ap- 
pointed by  the  Mississippi  Conference  for  1831;  and  the  Eev. 
Joseph  McDowell  was  the  Agent  appointed  for  it  by  the  Missis- 
sippi Conference  for  1832.  There  are  no  data  in  hand  from 
which  to  ascertain  the  amounts  the  Agents  gathered  for  the  Col- 
lege during  the  years  here  named.  The  Eev.  Ebenezer  Hearn 
states  in  his  Journal  that  for  1831  he  acted  as  Agent  for  the 
College,  and  that  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty  he  traveled 
through  Alabama,  Georgia,  Mississippi,  and  Tennessee,  and 
that  he  succeeded  in  collecting  money  and  in  securing  subscrip- 
tions for  the  College  quite  as  well  as  he  anticipated.  The  Geor- 
gia Conference  organized  and  held  its  first  session  at  Macon, 
Georgia,  beginning  January  5, 1831;  and  according  to  the  Jour- 
nal of  that  Conference,  on  Monday,  January  10,  1831,  the  Con- 
ference being  in  session  in  the  Hall  furnished  by  the  County, 
and  the  Eev.  Thomas  Samford  presiding:  "Brother  Hearn  of  the 
Mississippi  Conference  was  introduced  by  the  President  to  the 
attention  of  our  body,  after  which  he  presented  his  credentials 
which  were  read  announcing  him  as  an  accredited  Agent  to  col- 
lect funds  for  the  La  Grange  College,  whereupon  our  worthy 
brother  addressed  the  Conference  explanatory  of  the  objects  of 
his  mission."  For  the  next  day  the  Journal  records  the  follow- 
ing item:  "On  motion,  Eesolved,  That  this  Conference  highly 
approve  the  object  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  in  supporting 


I 


the  College  of  La  Grange,  and  the  appointment  of  our  respected 
brother  Hearn  as  an  Agent  for  that  purpose,  that  they  deem  him 
fully  entitled  to  the  confidence  of  the  community  generally,  and 
sincerely  hope  that  the  liberality  of  the  Methodist  public  will 
be  extended  to  the  object  of  his  agency." 

The  Georgia  Conference  met  at  La  Grange,  Georgia,  January 
2,  1833,  and  the  Journal  for  Thursday  morning,  January  3,  con- 
tains the  following  item:  "Brother  John  Early,  of  the  Virginia 
Conference,  and  Brother  McMahon,  of  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence, made  separate  and  distinct  communications  to  this  body— 
the  first  in  reference  to  the  Eandolph-Macon  College,  and  the 
second  in  reference  to  the  La  Grange  College,  which  communi- 
cations were  referred  to  a  Committee  consisting  of  Brothers 
Stephen  Olin,  Ignatius  A.  Few,  Lovick  Pierce,  A.  Howard,  and 

William  Arnold." 

The  Journal  records  as  a  fact  that  on  Friday,  January  4,  the 
Committee  on  Eandolph-Macon  College  and  La  Grange  Col- 
lege made  to  the  Conference  a  report  on  the  subject  in  hand, 
and  the  Conference  adopted  Eesolution  "  4.  That  we  have  full 
confidence  and  take  a  lively  interest  in  La  Grange  College,  will 
recommend  it  to  the  support  and  liberality  of  our  friends  and 
the  public,  and  will  do  what  we  can  to  promote  the  success  of 
any  Agent  who  may  visit  us  for  the  promotion  of  its  interests." 

On  Monday,  January  7,  the  Conference,  as  the  Journal  re- 
cords: "  On  motion,  Eesolved,  That  the  Eev.  William  McMahon 
as  Agent  of  La  Grange  College  be  invited  to  take  up  collections 
within  the  bounds  of  this  Conference,  and  that  he  be  furnished 
with  a  copy  of  the  Eesolution  reported  by  the  Committee  and 
adopted  by  this  Conference  recommending  the  said  College  of 
La  Grange  to  the  confidence  of  our  brethren." 

From  these  items  it  appears  that  the  Mississippi  and  Tennes- 
see Conferences  endeavored  to  enlist  the  Georgia  Conference  in 
behalf  of  La  Grange  College  located  in  Franklin  County,  Alaba- 
ma, and  that  they  did  so  far  succeed  as  to  get  a  recommendation 
to  the  favorable  notice  and  the  liberal  donations  of  the  Metho- 
dists of  Georgia.  The  actual  amount  of  Georgia's  pure  offer- 
ings to  that  literary  enterprise  is  not  now  known,  but  it  is  pre- 
sumed that  it  was  not  very  large. 

The  Eev.  William  McMahon  was  one  of  the  most  efficient 
Agents  ever  appointed  for  La  Grange  College.    He  was  well 


444 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


qualified  for  the  work,  and  had  a  cause  which  commanded  atten- 
tion and  deserved  benevolence,  and  no  doubt  he  would  have  suc- 
ceeded in  gathering  larger  sums  for  that  institution  of  essential 
worth  but  that  there  were  so  many  of  those  to  whom  he  ap- 
pealed "  who  with  dust  inanimate  held  wedded  intercourse." 
He  was  not  born  to  luxurious  life,  nor  to  hereditary  fame,  and 
he  was  not  of  those  who  strove  for  place,  and  eminence,  and 
swelling  titles,  and  pompous  names.  He  was  equally  free  from 
sloth  and  ambition.  He  was  sincere  and  true,  faithful  to  vows, 
stern  against  sin.  He  was  an  honest  seer.  He  had  decision  of 
character,  and  never  yielded  to  chance.  He  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  had  the  sorrow  to  lose  his  father  in  his  early  child- 
hood. His  mother  was  a  pious  woman.  He  was  received  on 
trial  in  the  Western  Conference  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  October, 
1811.  For  sixteen  years,  or  from  the  latter  part  of  1819  to  the 
latter  part  of  1835,  he  lived  near  Huntsville,  in  Madison  Coun- 
ty, Alabama,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  his  ministry  mostly 
in  North  Alabama;  preaching  to  the  civilized  and  the  savage,  to 
the  white  man,  the  Negro,  and  the  Indian.  He  attended  more 
Camp-meetings  in  North  Alabama,  and  did  more  ministerial 
work  at  them,  perhaps,  than  any  other  one  man.  He  did  the 
grandest  work  in  North  Alabama,  in  the  Tennessee  Valley,  of 
any  man  ever  in  it.  It  was  the  Rev.  William  McMahon  who 
kept  out  of  North  Alabama  the  strife  of  the  innovators,  and  pre- 
vented, in  that  section,  the  establishment,  in  any  measure  of 
strength,  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.  He  stood  a  tow- 
er and  a  strength  against  that  movement,  and  in  that  behalf  is 
entitled  to  all  praise.  He  was  a  leader  in  Israel.  He  was  a 
member  of  many  General  Conferences.  He  attained  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  His  first  wife,  Mrs.  Rachel  McMahon,  nee 
Rachel  Lewis,  ever  fearless  and  ever  faithful,  ever  pious  and 
ever  patient,  preceded  him  to  the  grave  and  to  the  better  land 
nearly  fifty  years.  She  died  about  sunrise,  Wednesday,  No- 
vember 24,  1820,  at  the  residence  gf  Mr.  Richard  Harris,  near 
Huntsville,  Alabama.  He  died  June  15,  1870,  at  the  house  of 
his  son-in-law,  the  Rev.  J.  N.  Temple,  in  Paducah,  Kentucky. 
After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  he  married  a  Miss  Saunders,  of 
Alabama.  She  also  preceded  him  to  the  grave.  He  was  a 
grand  man  everywhere.  In  the  pulpit,  and  in  the  legislative 
bodies  of  the  Church  he  had  few  equals,  and  in  the  presidency 


Beginning  of  the  Work  of  Education. 


445 


of  the  Quarterly  Conferences,  and  in  the  administration  of  af- 
fairs he  had  no  superiors.  Devotion,  energy,  judgment,  superi- 
ority, and  success  were  his.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Memphis 
Conference  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  commenced  the  world 
poor,  and  died  in  the  same  condition.  He  went  on  foot,  when  a 
youncT  man,  having  a  satchel  and  some  kind  of  walking  stick, 
from  Virginia  to  Ohio.  He  attained  to  affluence  in  the  course 
of  years,  but  was  reduced,  before  he  died,  to  extreme  poverty. 
There  was  nothing  wrong  in  the  providence,  and  there  was  noth- 
ing  wrong  in  the  poverty.  His  faith  never  failed,  and  at  death 
he  entered  upon  an  inheritance  which  shall  never  fade  away 
«Ye  shall  be  redeemed  without  money."  "The  redeemed  of 
the  Lord  shall  return,  and  come  with  singing  unto  Zion;  and 
everlasting  joy  shall  be  upon  their  head:  they  shall  obtain 
gladness  and  joy;  and  sorrow  and  mourning  shall  flee  away. 
29 


CHArXEK  XIX. 


The  Annual  Sessions  of  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the 

Methodist  Episcopal  Chuech. 

THE  formation  of  the  Alabama  Conference  was  anticipated 
and  provided  for  at  the  session  of  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence in  November,  1831.  The  Districts  were  arranged  and  the 
appointments  of  the  preachers  were  made  then  with  reference  to 
the  boundaries  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Alabama  Conferences 
which  were  to  be,  and  the  places  and  times  of  the  meeting  of  the 
two  Conferences  were  fixed.  As  anticipated  and  provided  for, 
the  General  Conference  which  met  in  May,  1832,  authorized  the 
organization  of  the  Alabama  Conference,  and  fixed  the  bounda- 
ries, which  included  all  that  part  of  the  State  of  Alabama  not 
included  in  the  Tennessee  Conference,  AVest  Florida,  and  the 
Counties  of  Jackson,  Greene,  Wayne,  Clarke,  Lauderdale,  Kemp- 
er, Noxubee,  Loundes,  and  that  part  of  Monroe  east  of  the  Tom- 
bigbee  River  in  the  State  of  Mississippi.  That  part  of  North 
Alabama  watered  by  those  streams  flowing  into  the  Tennessee 
Eiver  was  included  in  the  Tennessee  Conference. 

The  Alabama  Conference  was  organized  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alaba- 
ma, AYednesday,  December  12,  1832.  AVhatever  statements  or 
intimations  there  may  be  to  the  contrary,  this  date  is  neverthe- 
less absolutely  correct.  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew  presided  over 
the  body  at  that  its  first  annual  session,  and  if  not  the  very  first 
that  Conference  was  among  the  first  presided  over  by  him  after 
his  consecration  to  the  Episcopal  office. 

It  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  Rev.  Robert  L.  Walker  to  provide  for 
the  entertainment  of  the  members  of  that  Conference  as  he  was 
in  charge  of  the  Church  at  Tuskaloosa  at  that  time. 

At  that  session  of  the  Conference  six  preachers  were  received 
on  trial,  ten  continued  on  trial,  five  admitted  into  full  connec- 
tion, five  ordained  deacons,  three  ordained  elders,  two  located, 
two  put  on  the  supernumerary  and  two  on  the  superannuated 
roll,  reported  eight  thousand  one  -hundred  and  ninety-six  white 
and  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy  colored  members 
C446) 


Sessions  of  the  Alabama  Conference. 


447 


in  Society,  made  four  Districts,  and  assigned  to  work,  includ- 
ing two  supernumerary  men,  forty-nine  preachers.  ^  That 
was  a  splendid  array  of  men  and  a  magnificent  outline  of 
work  for  that  day.  A  multitude  of  seraphs  burning  in  inef- 
fable glory  could  not  present  to  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard  a 
more  sublime  spectacle  than  was  presented  by  that  outline  of 
sacred  work  and  that  party  of  consecrated  workmen. 

The  preachers  of  the  Conference,  to  the  number  of  twenty- 
three,  on  Tuesday  of  the  Conference  session,  December  18, 
in  a  meeting  held  for  the  purpose,  formed  themselves  into  a 
Society,  the  style  and  title  of  which  was:  "The  Preacher's 
Society  of  the  Alabama  Annual  Conference."  The  Constitu- 
tion  adopted  declared:  ''The  object  of  this  Society  shall  be  to 
create  a  fund,  the  proceeds  of  which,  after  the  capital  amounts 
to  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  may  be  appropriated  to 
the  relief  of  such  preachers  as  may  be  peculiarly  necessitous." 
The  Constitution  provided  that "  Every  traveling  preacher  of 
the  Alabama  Annual  Conference,  who  shall  pay  two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  annually,  shall  be  a  member  of  this  Society;  and  the 
payment  of  fifty  dollars  at  one  time  shall  constitute  a  member 

for  life." 

With  song  and  music,  prayer  and  sermon,  such  as  stirred  Uie 
emotions  and  inspired  the  faith  of  saints  and  alarmed  the  fears 
of  sinners,  public  worship  was  carried  on  from  day  to  day  and 
from  night  to  night  during  the  entire  session  of  the  Confer- 

ence 

The  last  night  of  the  first  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference 
came  The  moment  for  adjournment  sine  die  came.  The  ben- 
ediction was  pronounced  for  the  last  time  just  after  the  ap- 
pointments of  the  preachers  for  the  next  year  had  been  an- 
nounced Just  before  announcing  the  appointments,  the  Lord's 
Supper  was  dispensed.  Bishop  Andrew  conducting  the  admm- 
istration  The  reception  of  the  holy  communion  is  a  most  sol- 
emn service,  and  what  was  a  delightful  occasion,  the  showing 
forth  the  Lord's  death  by  a  company  of  divinely  appointed  am- 
bassadors, was  marred  by  the  untimely  performances  of  the 
Eev  Job  Foster,  the  eccentric,  who  while  the  service  of  the  holy 
communion  was  proceeding  pranced  up  and  down  the  aisle  of 
the  Meeting  House  with  such  vehemence  as  to  endanger  life  and 
limb  and  frighten  and  disgust  the  audience;  and  all  this  in  the 


448 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Sessio}is  of  the  Alabama  Conference. 


449 


name  of  religion  and  the  assumption  of  ecstacy.  But  the  holy 
men  retained  their  equilibrium  in  the  midst  of  the  provocation, 
and,  in  good  order  and  with  solemn  reverence,  proceeded  to  the 
finale. 

The  second  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  was  held  at 
Montgomery,  Alabama,  beginning  December  11,  1833,  Bishop 
John  Emory,  presiding. 

The  Constitution  of  the  Preacher's  Fund  Society  of  the  Ala- 
bama Annual  Conference  provided  that  its  Annual  Meetings 
"shall  be  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  the  session  of  the  Annual 
Conference."  In  accordance  with  that  provision  the  Society 
met  in  Montgomery,  Monday,  December  16, 1833,  and  transact- 
ed its  business. 

An  increase  for  the  year  of  twenty-four  hundred  and  eighty- 
six  white  and  three  hundred  and  ninety-three  colored  members 
was  reported  at  that  session  of  the  Conference,  and  sixty 
preachers,  including  Supernumeraries,  Professors,  and  Agents, 
were  assigned  appointments. 

One  of  the  preachers,  then  at  the  end  of  his  first  year  on 
trial,  and  who  was  present,  makes  the  following  statement  con- 
cerning that  session  of  the  Conference:  "In  due  time  we  were 
at  Montgomery,  and  homes  assigned  us.  My  sleeping  apart- 
ment was  in  an  old  vacated  Hotel,  near  the  river,  in  company 
with  a  crowd  of  young  preachers,  and  we  had  to  go  out  and  get 
our  meals  at  different  places  in  the  city.  The  weather  was  ex- 
tremely bad,  rain,  snow,  and  sleet  fell  on  us.  The  Conference 
convened  at  the  appointed  time.  Bishop  Emory  presided,  much 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  brethren.  Business  was  dispatched 
by  the  Bishop,  carefully  and  safely,  so  that  on  Sunday  the  ordi- 
nations were  attended  to,  the  Bishop  preaching  at  11  o'clock. 
I  confess  I  had  either  looked  for  too  much,  set  my  estimate  of 
the  Bishop's  preaching  abilities  too  high,  or  else  I  was  in  a  bad 
condition  to  hear;  probably  this  last;  for  I  was  really  disap- 
pointed, but  in  looking  round  I  saw  a  number  of  the  older 
preachers  in  tears,  viz.,  E.  V.  Le  Vert,  K.  L.  Walker,  E.  L.  Ken- 
non,  James  H.  Mellard,  Ebenezer  Hearn,  and  others,  so  that  I 
decided  certainly  it  is  in  me,  but  could  not  help  thinking  that  if 
I  were  up  there  saying  those  identical  words,  using  the  same 
gestures  and  intonations  of  voice,  not  a  tear  would  have  been 
shed,  their  heads  would  have  been  hung,  perfectly  ashamed  of 


me.  I  was  not  the  only  one  that  entertained  such  thoughts. 
Brother  James  Thompson,  an  excellent  local  preacher  of  the 
Cedar  Creek  Circuit,  who  was  at  the  Conference  for  ordination, 
and  who  heard  the  Bishop's  sermon,  told  me  he  had  the  same 
thoughts.  AVe  both  concluded  that  a  position  and  name  had  a 
great  deal  to  do  in  producing  effects  by  some  divines.  Bishop 
Emory  was  certainly  a  good  divine,  a  good  writer,  and  an  intel- 
lectual preacher;  but  somehow  it  did  not,  to  my  weak  capacity 
of  judging,  so  appear  that  day.  In  due  time  the  work  of  the 
Conference  was  closed,  and  every  one  ready  to  leave,  and  only 
waiting  for  the  secret  roll  to  be  unfolded,  and  receive  their  ap- 
pointed sphere  of  labor  for  the  next  year.  The  Bishop  very 
gravely  approached  the  stand  and  announced  the  appoint- 
ments." 

At  Greenesborough,  Greene  County,  Alabama,  December  10, 

1834,  the  Alabama  Conference  met  in  Annual  session.  Bishop 
James  O.  Andrew  presiding.  The  Secretary  for  that  session  of 
the  Conference  alleging  that  he  had  lost  the  paper  containing 
the  statistical  answer  to  the  question.  What  numbers  are  in  So- 
ciety? never  furnished  said  statistics  for  the  General  Minutes. 
The  answers  to  five  of  the  regular  questions  in  the  Conference 
business  were  not  furnished.  The  Secretary  seems  to  have  been 
a  man  lacking  in  carefulness  and  promptness. 

One  of  the  preachers  who  was  received  into  full  connection 
and  ordained  a  deacon  at  that  time,  gives  the  following  account: 
"  We  proceeded  to  Greenesborough.  My  lodging  was  assigned 
me,  as  at  Montgomery  the  winter  before,  with  a  crowd  of  young 
preachers,  among  whom  were  Walter  H.  McDaniel,  Theophilus 
Moody,  and  others,  in  the  upper  room  of  an  old  building,  the 
lower  part  of  which  was  used  as  a  machine  shop  for  the  putting 
up  and  sale  of  spinning-jennies  by  a  Mr.  Peter  Mclntyre.  We 
took  our  meals  at  a  Brother  Dickens',  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Church  at  that  place.  He  entertained  a  number  of  the  old- 
er preachers.  Bishop  Andrew  among  them.  My  class  consisted, 
as  the  year  before,  of  Eobert  Smith,  E.  H.  Moore,  Isaac  N.  Mul- 
lins,  Robert  Dickson,  Humphry  Williamson,  Theophilus  Moody, 
and'  myself.  All  of  whom  were  examined  and  passed,  except 
Brother  Moody,  he  was  deficient  in  his  studies,  and  left  on  trial 
by  the  first  vote  taken,  much  to  his  mortification;  but  the  vote 
was  afterward  reconsidered,  and  he  was  received,  and  with  the 


450 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Sessions  of  the  Alabama  Conference, 


451 


others  elected  to  deacon's  orders,  which  were  conferred  by  the 
imposition  of  Bishop  Andrew's  hands  the  Sunday  following. 
Brother  Paul  F.  Stearns  had  been  stationed  at  Greenesborongh 
that  year,  and  upon  him  rested  the  labors  of  conducting  the 
outside  business  at  this  session,  which  he  discharged,  I  think, 
to  the  satisfaction  of  all." 

The  Alabama  Conference  again  convened  at  Tuskaloosa,  Ala- 
bama, December  16,  1835.  When  the  hour  for  the  Conference 
to  open  arrived  Bishop  Joshua  Soule  had  not  reached  the  place, 
and  the  Kev.  E.  Y.  Le  Vert  was  chosen  by  ballot  President. 
On  Saturday  of  the  Conference  session,  December  19,  the 
Preacher's  Fund  Society  of  the  Alabama  Annual  Conference 
met,  Dr.  R.  L.  Kennon  in  the  chair.  On  Sunday,  December  20, 
Bishop  Soule  preached  one  of  his  grand  sermons,  and  ordained 
a  number  of  deacons  and  elders. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Chickasawhay  Circuit  rec- 
ommended to  the  Alabama  Annual  Conference  to  meet  at  Tuska- 
loosa, Alabama,  December  16,  1835,  the  Rev.  Stephen  Fatherly 
Pilley  as  a  suitable  person  to  be  admitted  on  trial  into  the 
traveling  connection.  Immediately  on  the  presentation  to  the 
Conference,  in  due  form  and  officially,  of  that  recommendation, 
strong  opposition  to  the  reception  of  the  applicant  into  the 
Conference  was  developed.  The  presiding  elder  who  officially 
presented  the  recommendation  and  a  number  of  the  older  mem- 
bers of  the  Conference  vigorously  resisted  the  admission  of  the 
applicant  to  Conference  prerogatives.  Objections  w^ere  urged 
against  the  Rev.  Stephen  Fatherly  Pilley  on  the  following 
grounds:  First,  he  had  been  a  member  of  a  Theatrical  Troupe, 
was  a  good  fiddler,  loved  [fun  and  frolic,  and  it  would  be  im- 
possible for  him  to  attain  the  gravity  and  the  influence  of  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  in  the  places  where  he  had  led  theatric- 
als, fun,  and  frolic,  and  had  fiddled  for  the  entertainment  of 
the  frivolous,  and  especially  in  Mobile  where  he  had  been  no- 
torious in  that  line  of  things.  Second,  he  was  a  married  man, 
with  a  wife  and  one  child. 

With  such  environments  and  with  the  influence  of  the  men 
of  age  and  position  against  him  the  prospect  for  the  Rev.  Ste- 
phen F.  Pilley  was  gloomy,  indeed.  The  Rev.  Abiezer 
Clarke  Ramsey,  a  young  man  then  at  the  end  of  one  year's 
membership  in  the  Conference,  and  who  had  never  made  a 


Bpeech  on  the  Conference  floor,  a  young  -- "/J-Ji^J^^^t 
feeble  body,  in  personal  appearance  as  contemptible  as  ever 
Saul  of  Tarsus  was.  heroically  espoused  the  cause  of  the  apph- 

"On  the  Chickasawhay  Circuit  in  the  early  Pa^  °t^im  Jh; 
Eev.  A.  C.  Eamsey  witnessed  the  mtroduction  o*  M'^j^?^'  ^^ 
into  the  kingdom  of  grace  and  into  a  -w  ^ife     Mr.  E  msey 
wp«t  to  sDeud  the  night  at  the  house  of  Jesse  Gv&^  es.     iiioiner 
Gra  es  inSld  on  having  a  sermon,  Brother  Eamsey  consent- 
S     smaUcongregation  was  summoned  and  ---^ed  xn  on 
of  the  rooms  of  the  dwelling,  Eamsey  stood  -  «'«  fl^:-^  ^^   *^^^ 
back  of  a  chair,  and  delivered  his  message,  and  at  the  close  of 
his  sermon  he  invited  persons  who  desired  salvation  to  make 
?iems"es  known.     Mr  Stephen  F.  Pilley,  with  apparent  con- 
en  td  with  signs  of  deep  P-\--' ^^^l  t^eal 
on  the  floor  with  his  head  in  the  chair  by  -l"f  J^^  Pf  ^^ 
bad  stood  in  the  delivery  of  his  sermon^    ^Sv  professed 
.bile  prayers  were  being  offered  for  him  Mr.  ^^l^y  P-  ^^f^ 
to  find  pardon  and  experience  regeneration.     The  next  clay  at 

he  Meeting  House,  where  Mr.  Eamsey  preached,  Mr.  Pilley 
presented  llmself  as  a  candidate  for  membeiship  in  the  Meth- 
od stEpLopal  Church,  and,  in  due  time  and  by  in-ocess  pro- 
vided he  was  admitted.     The  Eev.  Mr.  Eamsey  had  for  Mr.  Pil- 

ev  a  conclrn  which  others  did  not  have,  and  saw  in  him  the  ele- 

pntfof  success  which  others  did  not  see,  and  he  admitted  his 

Tm  to  reTo^:^il  and  advocated  his  reception  into  the  min- 

'^'11  tTJ^S^-  discussion  which  ensued  on  the  subiect. 
BroUier  Eamsey  resorted  to  arcfumentum  ad  Iwmnemm  his  de 

'"%c  S efeve  y  one  o'  his  opponents  might  have  been 
I^molirBy  thTtests  applied  to  Pilley  and  the  rule  en- 
Cedt  his  case  not  one  of  his  opponents  would  have  been 
T  1  ,^  to  the  ministry.  Brother  Pilley  had  once  been  a  sm- 
:trSad  t  -n  wli  opposed  his  reception.    Jossibly  t  ey 

S  done  man     t..^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

performing  on  the  Fddle.y       ^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^  ^^^ 

been  .'^  -ange^  by  divm^  op  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^^^  ^^  ^^.^  .^^ 

^::f:ZsXl!r\mey  claimed  that  his  heart  and  life 


452 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Sessions  of  the  Alabama  Conference, 


453 


had  been  changed  and  that  he  was  a  witness  of  the  divine  clem- 
ency. The  heart  of  an  Actor  and  of  a  Fiddler  could  be  changed 
by  divine  grace  applied  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  work  of 
divine  power  might  be  just  as  thorough  in  such  cases  as  in  oth- 
ers. The  power  which  changed  the  hearts  of  the  preachers  of 
the  Alabama  Conference  and  which  changed  Saul  of  Tarsus 
could  as  effectually  change  Pilley,  the  Actor  and  Fiddler.  Even 
before  Brother  Pilley  united  with  the  Church  he  was  not  given 
to  vicious  habits,  such  as  profanity  and  fraud,  drunkenness  and 
debauchery. 

In  response  to  the  objection  that  Pilley  had  a  wife  and  a 
child  Eamsey  asserted  that  there  was  no  sin  in  being  the  hus- 
band of  a  wife  and  the  father  of  a  child.  Methodist  preachers 
were  not  required  to  vow  the  estate  of  single  life,  or  to  abstain 
from  marriage.  There  was  no  reason  for  refusing  those  who 
had  a  wife  and  children  admission  to  the  ministry,  as  those  ad- 
mitted to  the  ministry  without  them  would  very  soon  have 
them.  If  they  were  not  married  they  ought  to  marry,  and  they 
w^ould.  These  are  not  the  utterances  of  mere  idealism  and 
poesy.  In  the  course  of  his  speech  Brother  Kamsey  said  to  the 
Bishop  that,  left  to  his  own  choice,  he  would  as  soon  take 
Brother  Pilley,  the  next  year,  for  colleague  on  his  Circuit  as  any 
one  untried.  The  Rev.  Stephen  F.  Pilley  was  admitted  into  the 
traveling  connection,  and  was  the  colleague  of  the  Bev.  A.  C. 
Bamsey  for  the  two  years  succeeding.  Pilley  was  a  man  of 
lofty  conceptions,  deep  piety,  great  efficiency,  and  long  useful- 
ness. 

The  Conference  appointed  a  committee  consisting  of  J.  Fos- 
ter, B.  L.  Kennon,  and  E.  Hearn  to  consider  the  propriety  of 
establishinc:  a  Periodical. 

An  offer  from  the  North-east  part  of  the  Conference  territory 
to  establish  a  Manual  Labor  School  under  the  care  of  the  Con- 
ference was  presented  by  the  Bev.  Greenberry  Garrett  and  a 
Committee  was  appointed  to  carry  the  project  into  effect  under 
certain  regulations.  The  Committee  consisted  of  G.  Garrett, 
J.  Foster,  B.  Smith,  J.  Matthews,  W.  Murrah. 

For  Delegate  to  the  General  Conference  William  Murrah  re- 
ceived thirty-two  votes,  William  Wier  twenty-nine  votes,  Eu- 
gene Y.  Le  Yert  twenty-five  votes,  and  Bobert  L.  Kennon 
twenty-three  votes,  and  were  elected. 


At  that  Conference  steps  were  taken  to  make  the  examina- 
tions of  the  undergraduates  in  the  ministry  more  thorough  and 
satisfactory.  More  than  a  half  century  has  passed  since  that 
action  of  that  Conference,  and  the  examinations  of  undergrad- 
uates are  still  superficial  and  unsatisfactoiy. 

The  next  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  opened  at  Mo-  ^ 
bile,  Alabama,  January  4,  1837,  Bishop  Thomas  A.  Morris,  a 
very  amiable  man  and  a  pleasant  officer,  presiding.  Though  the 
ordinary  business  of  the  Conference  was  dispatched  pleasantly 
and  properly,  the  session  was  attended  with  events  which 
caused  deep  sorrow  and  with  developments  which  created  pain- 
ful solicitude.  The  year  1836,  the  year  just  then  passing  in  re- 
view, had  been  a  year  of  sore  trials  with  the  Methodist  preach- 
ers and  people  of  Alabama.  Not  only  were  there  great  spiritual 
declension  and  financial  stringency  in  the  Church,  but  there 
was  mourning  on  account  of  two  fallen  comrades  who  had  fal- 
len during  the  year,  the  first  who  had  fallen  by  death  since  the 
organization  of  the  Conference,  and  one  went  down  by  the  de- 
stroyer during  the  session  of  the  Conference. 

The  Bev.  Thomas  L.  Cox,  who  started  out  in  the  ministry 
from  Florence,  Alabama,  in  the  latter  part  of  1833— his  license 
bears  date  September  21,  1833-and  who  served  Buttahatchee 
Circuit  for  1834,  and  the  Centreville  Circuit  for  1835,  and  was 
appointed  to  the  Chickasawhay  Circuit  for  1836,  was  stricken 
with  a  violent  hemorrhage  from  the  lungs  January  18,  just  aft- 
er he  reached  his  Circuit,  and  soon  passed  to  "  the  undiscovered 
country  from  whose  bourne  no  traveler  returns."  His  death 
was  triumphant.  His  body  was  laid  away  in  the  burying 
ground  in  the  city  of  Mobile. 

The  Bev.  Bobert  A.  Smith,  who  had  served  the  Oakmulgee 
Circuit  one  year,  and  the  Jones's  Yalley  Circuit  two  years,  and 
who  was  appointed  to  the  Montgomery  Station  for  1836,  and 
who  served  it  faithfully  till  he  was  stricken  with  fever  in  the 
month  of  August,  died  October  25.  After  he  was  stricken  with 
fever  the  kind  family  in  which  lived  the  lady  to  whom  he  was 
betrothed,  conveyed  him  in  a  carriage  from  Montgomery  to 
their  home  near  Elyton,  Alabama,  and  nursed  him  tenderly 
and  ministered  kindly  to  his  wants  till  he  surrendered  to  the 
king  of  terrors,  and  went  to  join  the  bloodwashed  throng  in  the 
enjoyment  of  the  sublime  realities  of  the  land  of  paradise.    He 


:■.;■ 


454 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


was  buried  in  the  graveyard  at  Elytoii.     A  small,  rough  stone 
still  stands,  1891,  at  the  head  of  his  grave  with  the  following 
inscription:  "Rev.  Robert  A.  Smith,  Died  October  25.    1836 
Aged  27  years." 

The  Conference  held  memorial  services  for  these  two  com- 
rades, and   during  the    session  of    the    Conference   the   Rev. 
George  W.  Cotton,  who  had  served  the  La  Fayette  Circuit  for 
the  year  just  then  closed,  1836,  and  who  was  then  eligible  to 
membership  in  the  Conference  and  to  deacon's  orders,  aiid  who 
during  the  session  of  the  Conference  was  being  entertained  at 
the  house  of  Brother  Gascoigne,  died  of  pneumonia,  and  died  in 
peace.     Brothers  Pilley  and  Ramsey   witnessed    his   struggle 
with  death  and  closed  his  eyes.     Bishop  Morris,  in  the  presence 
of  the  Conference  and  the  congregation,  preached  his  funeral 
from  Colossians  iii.  3,  4,  and  then  he  was  laid  away  in  a  grave 
beside  the  grave  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Cox  in  the  burying 
ground  in  the  city  of  Mobile.     The  members  of  the  Church  in 
Mobile  paid  the  expenses  of  his  burial.     He  left  a  wife  and 
daughter  behind  who  mourned  on  account  of  his  death. 

That  Conference  session  was  peculiarly  sad.  Many  of  the 
preachers  were  induced  to  locate  at  that  time,  and  the*  Confer- 
ence was  greatly  weakened  by  the  loss  of  its  greatest  and  most 
promising  men.  It  was  maintained  by  some  that  there  was  a 
neglect  of  duty,  a  decline  of  piety,  a  conformity  of  the  Church 
to  the  world,  and  a  loss  of  moral  influence  throughout  the  Ala- 
bama Conference.  There  was  such  a  lack  of  ministers  that  the 
work  was  not  properly  supplied.  Bishop  Morris  said:  "There 
are  plenty  of  able  ministers  in  the  bounds  of  the  Alabama  Con- 
ference to  supply  the  work  fully,  if  they  could  be  had;  but  they 
are  attending  to  their  farms,  their  merchandise,  etc."  The 
Church  was  worldly  and  penurious.  The  preachers,  under  the 
pretext,  possibly  under  the  necessity,  of  making  a  living,  and 
in  some  cases  under  the  influence  of  covetousness,  were  giving 
attention  to  secular  affairs,  and  every  department  of  Church 
work  sufi'ered  detriment.  Notwithstanding  the  sombre  aspect 
of  the  general  situation  presented  by  the  depletion  of  the  min- 
isterial forces  and  the  decrease  in  membership,  two  or  three 
preachers  less  receiving  appointments  for  1837  than  for  1836, 
and  there  being  a  decrease  in  the  membership  for  the  year  1836 
of  near  three  hundred,  there  was,  perhaps,  a  disposition  on  the 


Sessions  of  the  Alabama  Conference. 


455 


part  of  some  to  brood  over  the  disasters  of  the  year  and  unduly 
disparage  the  state  of  the  Church. 

The  Preacher's  Fund  Society  met  in  Mobile,  Alabama,  Mon- 
day evening,  January  9,  1837,  and  again  the  next  evening  after 
the  session  of  the  Conference,  R.  L.  Kennon  in  the  chair.  The 
fund  increased  very  slowly.  The  whole  amount  in  hand  at  that 
time  was  seven  hundred  and  ninety-nine  dollars  and  sixty-four 
cents.     Nothing  to  disburse.  ^      ^ 

The  Alabama  Conference  met  at  Columbus,  Mississippi, 
Wednesday,  January  3,  1838,  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew  presid- 
ing. The  regular  business  vested  in  the  Conference  under  the 
genius  of  Methodism  was  conducted  with  propriety  and  com- 
pleted with  facility.  In  the  examination  and  estimation  of 
ministerial  character  and  in  the  determination  of  ministerial 
relations  the  Conference  at  that  session  exercised  more  than 
ordinary  care,  and  in  the  discharge  of  the  public  function  de- 
volving in  that  behalf  enforced  the  rules  governing  in  the  prem- 
ises with  rigid  exactness.  Goaded  to  desperation  by  threatened 
calamity  to  the  Church  by  the  loss  of  ministers,  the  Conference 
absolutely  refused  to  grant  the  request  of  more  than  one  who 

asked  a  location. 

Eight  preachers  were  admitted  on  trial,  four  located,  one  was 
expelled,  one  died,  there  had  been  an  increase  of  thirty-six 
members  during  the  year,  and  six  hundred  and  forty-two  dol- 
lars and  seventy-nine  cents  had  been  contributed  to  the  Confer- 
ence  Collection.  To  the  friends  of  Christianity  not  stolidly  in- 
different  the  state  of  things  represented  by  these  facts  and  fig- 
ures must  have  been  depressing. 

The  Sunday  before  Conference  met  was  the  last  day  of  the 
year  1837.  The  rules  of  the  Conference  providing  for  the  ex- 
aminations of  the  preachers  seeking  Conference  relations  and 
orders  required  the  Committees  of  examination  and  the  men  to 
be  examined  to  be  at  the  place  of  meeting  some  days  in  advance 
of  the  opening  of  Conference,  and  in  accordance  with  this  re- 
quirement a  number  of  the  preachers  spent  Sunday,  December 
31  at  Columbus.  On  that  day  at  11  o'clock  a.m.,  Dr.  R.  L.  Ken- 
non preached  there  in  the  Methodist  Church  from  Isaiah  xxvi. 
3-5.  The  Doctor  was  in  good  health  and  buoyant  spirits,  and 
preached  with  vigor,  animation,  and  eloquence.  The  children 
of  God  were  devout  and  prayerful,  and  great  emotion  was 


4.56 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


N 


evinced  throughout  the  congregation.     A  watch-night  service 
was  held  at  the  Church  in  which  the  old  year  was  watched  out 
and  the  new  year  was  watched  in.     In  that  watch-night  service, 
which  was  closed  just  after  the  new  year  came  in,  Dr.  Kennon 
i:articipated,  and  was  quite  animated,  exhorted  and  prayed  with 
extraordinary  fervor  and  power.     On  Monday  he  helped  in  the 
examination  of  the  classes,  a  work  in  which  he  was  deeply  in- 
terested, in  the  evening  he  conplained  of  being  unwell,  and  on 
Tuesday  he  took  his  bed,  from  which  he  never  again  arose. 
The  Conference  proceeded  with  its  business,  and  on  Tuesday, 
January  9,  1838,  just  as  it  was  finishing  up  the  business  for  ad- 
journment sine  die,  the  sad  announcement  was  made  in  the  Con- 
ference room  Dr.  Kennon  is  dead!     A  solemn  pause  ensued  and 
deep  sighs  and  numerous  tears  evinced  the  profound  grief  felt 
by  the  members  of  the  Conference.     The  Conference  appointed 
the  E.ev.  S.  B.  Sawyer  and  the  Rev.  William  Wier  a  Committeo 
to  prepare  and  publish  a  proper  memoir  of  Dr.  Kennon.     Bish- 
op Andrew  preached  his  funeral  to  a  crowded  and  weeping  as- 
sembly; the  body  was  conveyed  to  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  and 
on  January  12,  1838,  was  committed  to  the  ground  in  the  cem- 
etery at  Tuskaloosa,  in  hope  of  the  general  resurrection  at  the 
last  day.     As  Dr.  Kennon's  death  took  place  just  as  the  Con- 
ference had  assembled  to  read  out  the  appointments  of  the 
year,  and  the  announcement  of  his  death  was  made  just  at  that 
juncture,  and  as  he  was  the  man  who  was  to  go  to  Tuskaloosa 
Station,  his  death  left  Tuskaloosa  to  be  supplied  for  that  year. 
A  Bev.  Mr.  Hardy  filled  the  Tuskaloosa  Station,  as  a  supply, 
till  September  21,  when  he  died. 

The  Rev.  Robert  L.  Kennon  was  born  in  Granville  County, 
North  Carolina,  in  1789,  and  was  regenerated  when  eleven  years 
old,  and  was  ever  after  a  pious,  working  Christian,  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  salvation  of  souls.  The  Rev.  Robert  L.  Ken- 
non was  recommended  by  a  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference  held 
in  Sparta  Circuit,  Pine  Woods  Meeting  House,  December  17, 
1808,  and  was  admitted  on  trial  by  the  South  Carolina  Confer- 
ence at  Liberty  Chapel,  Georgia,  on  the  afternoon  of  Decem- 
ber 27,  1808,  Bishop  Asbury  presiding.  He  was  admitted  into 
full  connection  and  elected  to  deacon's  oflBce,  Decemjier  24, 
1810.  He  was  elected  to  elder's  orders,  and  located  Decem- 
ber 22,  1812.     These  items  are  taken  from  the  Journal  of  the 


Sessions  of  the  Alabama  Conference. 


457 


South  Carolina  Conference.     He  located  on  account  of  feeble 

^After  locating  and  acquiring  medical  tuition  he  administered 
medicine  as  a  profession  and  for  a  livelihood,  and,  as  opportu- 
tunity  offered,  exercised  the  office  of  local  elder,  in  the  Church 
until  December,  1824,  when  he  was  re-admitted  to  the  traveling 
connection  in  the  Mississippi  Conference.     From  1819  to  the 
close  of  1824,  as  stated  in  another  place,  he  resided  at  luska- 
loosa,  Alabama;  and  after  that,  thirteen  years  of  his  active  life 
and  ministry  were  given  to  Methodism  in  the  State.     He  did 
grand  work  for  the  Church.     He  exerted  during  all  his  years 
in  Alabama  a  salutary  influence.     No  man  was  more  extensively 
known  felt,  and  appreciated  in  Alabama  Methodism  m  his  day 
than  Dr.  Kennon.     His  work  was  not  limited  by  the  number 
of  miles  he  traveled  and  the  number  and  character  of  sermons 
he  preached,  thougli  he  traveled  extensively  and  preached  often 
and  crrandly.     The  horizon  swept  by  his  vision  was  outlying 
and  expansive,  and  he  planned  for  filling  the  extensive  field 
with  efficient  agencies  and  holy  influences.     He  planned  wisely 
and  for  large  results.     By  the  ideas  he  inculcated,  he  expanded 
the  views  of  others,  and  by  the  plans  of  work  he  devised  and 
inaugurated  he  made  others  efficient.  ^  ,     ,  -r 

For  four  years,  beginning  with  1825,  the  Rev.  Robert  L. 
Kennon  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Cahawba  District,  which 
was  composed  of  the  Alabama,  Cahawba,  Jones's  Yalley,  Tuska- 
loosa New  River,  and  Marion  Circuits,  and  Tuskaloosa  Station. 
For  1829  and  1830  he  was  preacher  in  charge  of  Tuskaloosa 
Station      For  1831  and  1832  he  was  presiding  elder  of  Black 
Warrior  District,  which  consisted  of  Marengo,  Prairie  Creek, 
Tuskaloosa   New  River,  Marion,  Columbus,  Greene,  and  Oak- 
mul-ee  Circuits,  and   Tuskaloosa  Station.     For  1833  he  was 
prea°cher  in  charge  of  Greenesborough  and  Marion  Station. 
For  1834  he   had  a  supernumerary  relation.     For   1835.  and 
1836  he  was  preacher  in  charge  of  Mobile  Station.     For  1837 
he  was  preacher  in  charge  of  Tuskaloosa  Station.     These  ap- 
pointments  give  the  field  which  he  occupied  for  so  many  years. 
A  magnificent  field  it  was,  and  well  did  he  occupy  it  till  his 
Lord  came  and  took  him  to  himself. 

Dr   Kennon  was  about  medium  height,  of  spare  mold  and 
straight  form,  blonde,  with  featuies  indicative  of  intellectuality. 


■"^i 


458 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


His  step  was  agile  and  elastic.  He  was  gentle,  sincere,  gener- 
ous, and  benevolent.  He  was  dignified  while  he  was  free  from 
stiffness  and  affectation,  and  was  of  cheerful  disposition  and  of 
mirthful  spirit  without  being  silly  and  frivolous.  AVith  elegant 
address,  pleasing  manners,  and  social  qualities  richly  endowed 
he  was  an  agreeable  companion,  ever  inspiring  affection  and 
awe.  His  conversation  was  often  brilliant,  sometimes  pro- 
found, and  always  pious  and  profitable.  As  a  preacher  he  was 
earnest,  emotional,  and  eloquent.  Salvation  with  him  was  a 
reality,  and  he  loved  the  souls  of  men,  and  in  his  estimation  it 
ought  to  be  the  chief  concern  of  mortals  here  below  to  attain 
salvation.  He  labored  to  secure  the  interests  and  advance  the 
happiness  of  all  classes.  He  worked  for  the  elevation  and  sal- 
vation of  the  Negroes  no  less  than  the  Caucasians. 

He  married  Miss  Martha  Bush,  in  Warren  County,  Georgia. 
He  made  his  home  honorable  and  his  household  happy.  He 
was  a  loving  husband  and  a  kind  father.  His  children  cherish 
his  memory,  and  bless  his  name,  and  praise  his  deeds. 

Before  his  death  he  was  considered  the  father  of  the  Alabama 
Conference.  His  wise  counsels,  pious  example,  loving  spirit, 
and  ardent  interest  in  his  fellows  gave  him  a  warm  place  in  the 
affections  and  the  confidence  of  his  brethren.  They  were 
strongly  attached  to  him.  AVhen  he  died  one  of  his  comrades 
said:  "He  left  not  his  like  among  us." 

The  Alabama  Conference  convened  in  annual  session  at 
Montgomery,  Alabama,  January  2,  1839,  Bishop  Thomas  A. 
Morris  in  the  chair;  and  nine  preachers  were  received  by  trans- 
fer, including  two  who  had  just  been  admitted  on  trial  by  the 
Conference  from  which  they  had  been  transferred;  fifteen 
others  were  admitted  on  trial;  so  that,  though  a  number  located, 
a  number  discontinued,  one  had  been  expelled,  and  one  had  died, 
there  were  assigned  to  appointments  for  the  ensuing  year  seven- 
teen more  preachers  than  had  been  the  year  just  then  closed. 

The  Conference  held  its  annual  session  at  Tuskaloosa,  Ala- 
bama, beginning  Wednesday,  January  1,  1840,  and  adjourning 
sine  die  the  next  Wednesday.  On  December  29,  1839,  the  Sun- 
day before  the  Conference  assembled,  Bishop  James  O.  An- 
drew, then  at  Tuskaloosa  awaiting  the  opening  of  the  session 
of  the  Conference,  over  which  he  was  to  preside,  preached  on 
his  favorite  theme:  "The  Eelative  Duties  of  Parents  and  Chil- 


Sessions  of  the  Alabama  Conference. 


459 


dren.  Husbands  and  Wives."  At  night  of  the  same  Sunday 
the  Kev.  Kobert  Paine,  then  President  of  La  Grange  College, 
who  was  also  at  Tuskaloosa  awaiting  the  approaching  session 
of  the  Conference,  preached  in  the  Methodist  Church.  The 
Eev.  AVilliam  Wier,  who  heard  the  sermon,  said:  "He  had  a 
good  plan,  and  labored  hard  to  give  energy  and  animation  to 
his  enlarged  thoughts,  but  he  was  dull  in  spite  of  all."  The 
Eev.  Mr.  Wier  pronounced  Bishop  Andrew's  sermon  "  a  most 
profitable  discourse." 

The  average  preacher  of  that  time  had  but  little  genius  for 
companionship  with  books,  and  in  the  study  of  theology  and  in 
the  acquisition  of  literary  taste  and  knowledge  he  was  neither 
diligent  nor  efficient.  The  Course  of  Study  prescribed  for  un- 
graduates  was  not  mastered.  At  that  session  of  the  Conference 
in  a  class  of  seventeen  preachers  who  had  been  on  trial  one 
year  there  were  only  seven  present  for  examination,  and  of  that 
seven  examined  on  Watson's  "Life  of  Wesley,"  three  had  a 
torerable  idea  of  the  book,  the  others  had  barely  read  it,  and 
not  one  of  the  class  had  ever  read  AVatson's  "Dictionary." 

A  very  tranquil  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference,  presided 
over  by  Bishop  James  O  Andrew,  was  held  at  Selma,  Alabama, 
beginning  December  30,  1840,  and  adjourning  sine  die  January 
6,  1841.  During  that  session  of  the  Conference,  January  2, 
1841,  an  Act  was  approved,  which  was  passed  by  the  Senate  and 
House  of  Eepresentatives  of  the  State  of  Alabama,  in  General 
Assembly  convened  in  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  incorporating  the 
Centenary  Institute  of  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  in  the  County  of  Dallas.  Of  course  the 
Centenary  Institute  thus  incorporated  engaged  the  attention  of 
the  Alabama  Conference  assembled  in  the  town  of  Selma. 

The  next  annual  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  was  held 
at  MoMe,  Alabama,  beginning  December  15  and  adjourning  sine 
die  December  22,  1841.  That  was  a  busy  session.  The  Eev. 
Fountain  E.  Pitts,  of  the  Tennessee  Conference,  attended  that 
session  of  the  Conference  in  the  interest  of  the  South-icestern 
Christian  Advocate. 

December  28,  1842,  the  Alabama  Conference  convened  in  the 
city  of  Montgomery,  Alabama,  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew  in  the 
chair.  The  Conference  was  in  session  more  than  a  week.  The 
Eev.  John  B.  McFerrin,  and  the  Eev.  George  McClintock,  two 


460 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alahatna. 


men  who  made  reputation,  attended  that  session  of  the  Confer- 
ence. 

The  Alabama  Conference  convened  at  Columbus,  Mississippi, 
December  27,  1843.  At  11  o'clock  a.m.  on  Sunday,  the  last  day 
of  the  year,  Edmund  S.  Janes,  afterward  Bishop,  preached  a 
sermon  touching  the  office  of  deacons  in  the  Church  of  God. 
Immediately  upon  the  close  of  the  sermon  ten  traveling  dea- 
cons were  ordained.  At  3  o'clock  p.m.,  the  same  day,  the  Eev. 
John  B.  McFerrin,  Editor  of  the  South-irestern  Christian  Ad- 
vocate,  preached  a  sermon  defining  the  office  and  expounding 
the  duties  of  elders  in  the  Church  of  God.  Upon  the  close  of 
the  sermon  six  traveling  elders  were  ordained.  Probably  a 
number  of  local  deacons  and  elders  were  also  ordained.  Bish- 
op Joshua  Soule  presided  at  that  Conference,  and  he  conducted 
the  ordination  services.  The  services  were  conducted  with  the 
holy  unction,  solemn  awe,  and  sublime  dignity  peculiar  to  Bish- 
op Soale.  The  spectators  were  awed  and  rejoiced.  The  im- 
pressions of  that  day  lasted.  The  name  and  house  of  God  were 
exalted.  By  that  ordination  service  the  people  present  were 
made  to  feel:  "Great  is  the  Lord,  and  greatly  to  be  praised,  in 
the  city  of  our  God,  in  the  mountain  of  his  holiness."  At  that 
session  of  the  Conference  delegates  to  the  General  Conference 
were  elected  consisting  of  Jesse  Boring,  Jefferson  Hamilton, 
"William  Murrah,  and  Greenberry  Garrett. 

The  Alabama  Conference  met  at  Wetumpka,  Autauga  Coun- 
ty, Alabama,  Wednesday,  February  26,  1845,  and  adjourned 
sine  die  the  next  Wednesday,  March  5.  These  are  the  correct 
dates,  all  statements  wheresoever  found  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standing. Bishop  James  O.  Andrew  presided.  On  Sunday, 
March  2,  ten  traveling  deacons  and  eight  traveling  elders  were 
ordained.  The  state  of  matters  at  the  time  of  that  Conference 
produced  friction.  There  were  difficulties  to  settle.  The  whole 
connection  was  agitated  on  the  slibjects  of  slavery  and  separa- 
tion. That  was  the  time  at  which  the  Alabama  Conference 
had  to  take  action  on  the  necessity  of  the  Conferences  in  the 
slave-holding  States  uniting  in  a  distinct  ecclesiastical  connec- 
tion. The  questions  involved  were  of  grave  character,  and  the 
agitation  over  them  was  intense.  Passion  ruled  the  hour.  Bishop 
Andrew  was  presiding  over  the  Conference  under  the  disabili- 
ty imposed  on  him  by  the  action  of  the  General  Conference  and 


Sessions  of  the  Alabama  Conference. 


461 


by  the  action  of  the  Bishops  in  leaving  his  name  entirely  out 
of  the  plan  of  episcopal  visitations.  By  the  plan  made  out 
Bishop  Soule  was  to  preside  over  the  Alabama  Conference. 
But  the  Conference  continued  its  work,  kept  intact,  provided, 
so  far  as  its  action  affected  matters,  for  the  settlement  of  the 
great  questions  before  the  Church,  finished  its  business,  sent 
out  its  preachers,  and  adjourned  in  usual  form. 
30 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      463 


CHAPTEE  XX. 

The  Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work 

OF  Methodism  in  Alabama. 

ON  March  24,  1832,  a  Treaty  was  made  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Creek  tribe  of  Indians,  the  first  Article  of 
which  was:  "The  Creek  tribe  of  Indians  cede  to  the  United 
States  all  their  land  East  of  the  Mississippi  Kiver."  The  land 
hereby  ceded  was  bounded  by  and  lay  within  the  following 
named  lines:  Beginning  near  the  mouth  of  Wills  Creek  and 
running  down  the  Coosa  River  with  its  eastern  bank  to  the  up- 
per end  of  Wetumpka  Falls,  from  thence  east  from  a  true  merid- 
ian to  a  point  due  north  of  Oakfuschee  Creek,  thence  south  by 
a  meridian  line  to  the  mouth  of  Oakfuschee  Creek,  thence  up 
the  same,  according  to  its  various  meanders,  to  a  point  where  a 
direct  course  will  cross  the  same  at  the  distance  of  ten  miles 
from  the  mouth  thereof,  thence  a  direct  line  to  the  mouth  of 
Semochechaba  Creek,  which  empties  into  the  Chattahoochee 
River,  thence  along  the  eastern  line  of  Alabama  to  about  one 
mile  north  of  Township  fourteen,  thence  along  the  line  which 
was  then  between  the  Creeks  and  the  Cherokees  to  the  Coosa  Riv- 
er near  the  mouth  of  Wills  Creek.  With  that  Treaty  of  March 
24,  1832,  went  the  last  of  the  ancient  domain  of  the  Creek  In- 
dians. Immediately  on  the  ratification  of  that  Treaty  white 
population  began  to  flow  into  the  territory  ceded;  and  the  Ala- 
bama Conference  at  its  first  session  in  December,  1832,  appoint- 
ed a  preacher  to  the  population  who  had  crossed  over  into 
that  newly  ceded  and  beautiful  country.  Talladega  Mission 
was  the  name  given  to  the  new  appointment,  and  the  Rev.  Jesse 
Ellis  was  the  man  put  in  charge  of  it.  Before  the  Creek  War- 
rior got  out  of  the  country  Christian  Societies  were  organized 
and  Quarterly  Conferences  were  held  therein. 

There  is  but  little  recorded  concerning  the  Talladega  Mission 
for  1833.     The  proceedings  of  one  Quarterly   Conference  for 
that  year  are  on  record.     It  was  the  first  one  held  for  the  Talla- 
dega Mission,  though  it  should  have  been  the  second,  as  the  one 
(462) 


for  the  first  round  was  never  held.  That  Quarterly  Conference, 
the  first  one  ever  held  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Coosa  River 
in  the  State  of  Alabama,  was  held  at  Bethel  Meeting  House, 
May  25,  1833,  and  was  presided  over  by  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Chris- 
topher, then  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Coosa  District.  The 
members  present  and  constituting  that  Quarterly  Conference 
were:  Jesse  Ellis,  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Mission;  Leo- 
nard Tarrant,  Harris  Taylor,  John  Gilliland,  J.  Hutchinson, 
local  preachers;  James  T.  Whitehead,  John  Box,  exhorters, 
and  Adam  A.  Lackey,  class  leader.  All  the  local  preachers 
here  named  as  present  presented  that  day  the  certificates  of  their 
official  standing  and  were  thereupon  recognized.  Harris  Tay- 
lor, James  M.  Hutchinson,  William  Garrett,  Robert  C.  Wilson, 
and  Richard  R.  Jones  were  severally  nominated  by  Brother 
Ellis  and  were  elected  Stewards  for  the  Mission.  James  T. 
Whitehead,  recommended  by  Zion  Society,  presented  an  appli- 
cation for  license  to  preach,  and  the  license  was  not  granted. 
Leonard  Tarrant  was  the  Secretary  of  that  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence. Bethel  Meeting  House,  at  which  that  Quarterly  Confer- 
ennce  was  held,  was  four  miles  from  the  T(jwn  of  Talladega, 
and  in  what  is  now  familiarly  known  as  the  Cove.  There  is 
still,  in  this  year,  1891,  a  Meeting  House  at  that  place  in 
which  the  Methodists  meet  and  worship.  That  meeting  house 
in  which  that  first  Quarterly  Conference  for  that  Mission  was 
held  did  not  belong  to  the  Church;  at  least,  there  was  no  title 
to  it.  There  was  probably  not  a  house  of  worship  in  the  Mis- 
sion that  year  which  belonged  by  deed  to  the  Church.  The 
Talladega  Mission  was  organized  and  announced  as  an  appoint- 
ment by  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  same  month  that  Talladega  County  was  consti- 
tuted by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State 
of  Alabama,  and  at  the  end  of  its  first  year  reported  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six  white  and  twenty  colored  members. 

The  Quarterly  Conferences  for  the  year  1834  were  all  held. 
The  presiding  elder,  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Christopher,  was  at  only 
the  third  and  fourth.  The  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Circuit  for 
that  year,  William  C.  Crawford,  and  the  preacher  who  was  a 
supply,  Tapley  Bynum,  were  present  at  all  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ferences. The  Records  state  "that  the  preachers  this  year 
got  their  Disciplinary  allowance." 


m 


464 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Rev.  William  C.  Crawford,  who  was  in  charge  of  the 
Talladega  Circuit  for  1834,  says:  "When  I  went  to  the  Circuit 
I  found  that  our  people  were  working  under  the  shadow  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  and  believing  that  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  a  plant  which  could  not  grow 
well  in  the  shade,  I  resolved  to  spend  one  year  in  establishing 
a  distinction  between  it  and  other  Churches,  and  I  succeeded. 
I  held  a  Camp-meeting  at  Jones's  Camp-ground,  down  the 
creek  from  Talladega  Town  several  miles.  I  was  the  Bishop. 
A  Cumberland  Presbyterian  tented  at  that  meeting,  and  three 
of  his  preachers  attended.  Then  and  there  was  my  time  and 
place  for  decisive  battle.  There  was  opportunity  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  my  purpose  to  make  Methodists  of  my  people. 
I  had  Judge  Tarrant  and  Dr.  Sevier,  local  Methodist  preach- 
ers, with  me,  and  I  did  not  ask  the  Cumberland  preachers  to 
preach.  My  brethren  would  say  to  me,  '  Why  do  you  not  ask 
them  to  preach? '  I  would  reply,  *  I  really  do  not  wish  them  to 
preach,  and  how  can  I  say  that  I  do?  I  am  not  hypocrite 
enough  for  that.  If  yoa  wish  them  to  preach  ask  them,  and  I 
will  say  nothing.'  Well,  that  they  would  not  do.  These 
things  went  on  until  Sunday  of  the  meeting,  when  the  victory 
was  won.  The  Cumberland  Presbyterian  tore  down  his  tent, 
and  moved  home,  and  the  Cumberland  preachers  left  with  him. 
For  a  while  it  appeared  that  I  stood  alone.  At  11  o'clock  a.m.. 
Dr.  Sevier  preached,  and  we  had  one  convert.  It  was  whis- 
pered about  by  some  that  I  had  killed  everything.  Not  a  man 
could  I  get  to  lift  the  collection  usually  taken  for  the  preachers 
in  charge  of  the  work.  Then  I  said,  '  Stand  aside,  brethren,  I 
was  never  mealy-mouthed  about  such  things,  I  can  do  it  my- 
self.' I  made  a  little  talk,  sent  round  the  hat,  and  got  twenty- 
six  dollars  and  twelve  and  a  half  cents,  the  largest  public  col- 
lection which  had  ever  been  taken  at  any  one  time  and  place  in 
the  Circuit.  I  was  encouraged,  and  I  concluded  things  were  not 
as  dead  as  my  big  men  appeared  to  suppose.  The  people  on 
that  Circuit  from  that  day  were  Methodists  and  not  Cumber- 
lands." 

The  Rev.  William  C.  Crawford,  who  rendered  that  valuable 
service  to  the  common  cause  of  Christianity  by  curing  the  peo- 
ple of  an  unrighteous  sentiment  about  the  union  and  coopera- 
tion of  Churches  which  hold  conflicting  doctrines  and  discord- 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work      465 


ant  forms  of  government  and  modes  of  worship,  though  not 
highly  educated,  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and  sterling 
worth.     He  was  about  thirty  years  old  when  he  settled  that 
conflict  in  the  alliance  of  antagonistic  forces,  having  been  born 
Sebtember  13,  1804     At  Macon,  Georgia,  on  Friday,  January 
7,  1831,  he  was  received  on  trial  by  the  Georgia  Conference; 
and  at  La  Grange,  Georgia,  January  3,  1833,  he  was  received 
into  full  connection  by  the  same  Conference,  and  elected  to 
deacon's  orders,  and  ordained  on   the  following  Sunday,  by 
Bishop  James  O.  Andrew;  and  at  that  session  of  the  Georgia 
Conference  he  was  transferred  to  the  Alabama  Conference,  and 
appointed    to   Pensacola   and    Escambia   Mission,    which   he 
served,  some  of  the  appointments  of  the  Mission  being  in  Ala- 
bama.    He  closed  his  work  on  the  Talladega  Circuit  for  1834, 
and  at  the  session  of  the  Annual  Conference  in  December  he 
located,  and  immediately  left  the  State  of  Alabama.     About  the 
time  he  closed  his  work  on  the  Talladega  Circuit  he  married 
Miss  Rhoda  Watkins,  the  daughter  of  Lewis  Watkins,  who 
lived  two  miles  or  more  from  the  town  of  Talladega.     In  Janu- 
ary, 1835,  he,  with  his  young  wife,  took  up  abode  west  of  the 
Sabine  River,  in  the  Province  of  Texas,  and  in  what  is  now 
Shelby  County,  Texas.     He  was  involved  in  all  the  wars  of 
Texas  from  then  till  now,  1891,  and  he  is  still  living.     He  was 
one  of  the  signers  of  Texas  Independence,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Convention  which  made  the  Constitution  of  the  Lone 
Star  State.     He  rendered  some  service  in  that  Convention  of 
which  he  has  been  justly  proud.     He  and  his  wife  had  their 
first  child  baptized  by  a  Methodist  preacher  in  1836,  and  they 
were  members  of  the  first  Methodist  Society  organized  in  what 
is  now  Shelby  County,  Texas.     He  has  been  an  active,  zealous 
local  preacher  in  the  land  of  Texas. 

The  chief  places  on  the  Talladega  Circuit  at  which  Societies 
were  organized  and  public  worship  was  held  during  the  years 
closing  with  1845,  were.  Bethel,  Talladega  Town,  Jacksonville, 
Kelley's  Spring,  Cedar  Creek,  Jones's,  Owens  Spring,  Ren- 
froe's,  Terrapin  Creek,  White  Plains,  Mount  Pleasant,  Mardis- 
ville.  Boiling  Spring,  Cold  Water,  Syllacauga,  Cane  Creek,  Ash- 
ley's, Alexandria,  Antioch,  Chinnabee,  Murphree's,  Ohatchee, 
Bethlehem,  Mount  Olivet,  Dry  Valley. 

March  24,   1838,   the   Quarterly   Conference   appointed  N. 


466 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Ganaway,  W.  L.  Kideout,  and  Thomas  H.  P.  Scales  to  procure 
a  ri^^^lit  to  the  ground  on  which  to  build  the  Church  denomina- 
ted Bethel,  and  also  to  contract  for  building  the  same,  agreeably 
to  the  rules  of  our  Discipline.  At  a  Quarterly  Conference, 
November  16,  1839,  the  Trustees  of  Bethel  Church  reported 
that  a  Deed  had  been  procured  for  the  ground,  and  that  they 
were  in  debt  for  the  Church  seventy  or  eighty  dollars.  That 
was  the  beginning  of  the  ownership  of  Church  property  at  that 
place,  notwithstanding  the  Methodists  had  been  meeting  there 
for  worship  for  nearly  six  years  previous  to  that  time. 

At  the  Talladega  Battle  Ground,  adown  the  Spring  branch, 
and  not  far  from  where  the  United  States  soldiers  who  fell 
there  in  battle  in  1813  are  buried,  in  some  sort  of  a  Meeting 
House,  the  Kev.  Jesse  Ellis  preached  in  1833;  and  there  a 
Quarterly  Conference  was  held  for  Talladega  Circuit.  March  8, 
1834.  At  that  Quarterly  Conference  a  Committee  was  appoint- 
ed to  secure  a  lot  in  the  Town  of  Talladega  for  a  Meeting  House 
and  Parsonage.  On  September  20, 1836,  Commissioners  of  the 
County  of  Talledaga  having  due  authority  in  the  premises,  in 
consideration  of  one  hundred  dollars  to  them  in  hand  paid,  did 
execute  a  Deed  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  to  Lot  No.  113  in  the  plan  of  the  Town  of  Talladega. 
A  small  wooden  church  was  erected  on  that  Lot,  and  there  the 
Methodists  worshiped,  perhaps,  for  twenty  years,  or  more. 

Jacksonville,  in  Benton  County,  is  first  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  there  April  19,  1834. 
At  another  Quarterly  Conference  held  there  June  11,  1836,  a 
Committee  was  appointed  to  superintend  the  building  of  a 
Meeting  House  at  Jacksonville,  and  at  a  Quarterly  Conference 
held  August  8, 1840,  it  appeared  that  there  was  not  a  full  Board 
of  Trustees  for  the  Jacksonville  Church,  and  a  number  of  per- 
sons were  elected  trustees  thereof.  From  the  records  setting 
forth  these  several  transactions  it  is  inferred  that  some  time 
between  the  middle  of  1836  and  the  beginning  of  1840  a  Church 
was  built  in  Jacksonville. 

Kelley's  Spring  was  in  Talladega  County,  five  or  six  miles 
north-east  of  the  town  of  Talladega,  and  not  far  from  what  was 
once  the  noted  home  of  the  father  of  Hon.  J.  L.  M.  Curry.  It 
first  appears  in  the  annals  of  Methodism  in  connection  with 
a  Quarterly  Conference  held  there  August  8,  9,  1834     Men  of 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      467 

note  and  worth  were  there.     There  was  a  Camp-ground  there 
It  appeared  on  the  records  as  one  of  the  payiog  Societies  until 
down  in  the  forties,  possibly  as  late  as  1845. 

Cedar  Creek  became  a  preaching  place  ^^'^''\^^  1^"^^^%^^^. 
A  Quarterly  Conference  was  held  there  September  27,  1834 
It  was  at,  or  near  the  place  now  known  as  Fayetteville,  m  the 
lower  end  of  Talladega  County.     It  was  kept  up  by  the  name  of 
Cedar  Creek  until  1838,  when  it  gave  place  to  the  name  of  fay- 
etteville.   Methodism  still  lives  there.  . 

A  Camp-meeting,  which  has  been  mentioned  m  another  place 
was  held  at  Jones's  Camp-ground  in  1834.  That  Camp-ground 
was  on  the  north  side  of  Talladega  Creek,  and  ^^^^  ^^^^^^^^ 
Selma,  Rome,  and  Dalton  Railroad  now  crosses  said  Creek,  and 
Tt  was  kept  up  for  some  years.  A  Quarterly  Conference  was 
held  at  that  place,  September  8,  1838,  at  which  twenty-five  of- 
ficial members,  fourteen  of  whom  were  local  preachers,  and 
the  presiding  elder  were  present;  and  to  which  was  reported 
thirty  dollars  quarterage  paid  by  the  members  of  Jones  s 
Camp-ground,  and  the  public  collection  taken  for  quarterage  at 
that  meeting  was  thirty-six  dollars  and  eighty-seven  and  a  half 

""^Trustees  for  a  Meeting  House  to  be  built  at  Owens  Spring 
on  Chockolocko  Creek  were  elected  at  a  Quarterly  Conference 
held  at  Kelley's  Spring,  August  8,  1834;  and  on  September  19, 
1835,  a  Quarterly  Conference  was  held  at  "  Owe^ns  Spring  en- 
cam^me^t;"  and  from  that  time  "Owens  Spring  Camp- 
ground" was  a  noted  place,  financially  one  of  the  strongest  ap- 
pointments on  the  Circuit,  at  which  a  Quarterly  Conf e™  was 
held  nearly  or  quite  every  year.  To  this  date,  1891,  there  is 
still  a  Methodist  congregation  which  worships  there.  Owens 
Spring  is  nine  or  ten  miles  from  the  Town  of  Talladega  and  a 

little  east  of  north.  .  .,    ,  i  •  i. 

Terrapin  Creek  Church  was  on  a  Creek  of  that  name  which 
runs  through  the  eastern  part  of  Benton  County  and  empties 
nlthe  Coosa  Eiver  in  the  County  of  Cherokee.    The  church 
was  probably  north-east  of  Jacksonville,  it  appears  on  record 
for  the  first  time  in  February,  1835.     There  was  a  Camp-ground 

'*  White  Plains  is  first  mentioned  in  March,  1836,  with  a  con. 
tribution  to  the  support  of  the  ministry  to  the  amount  of  two 


468 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      469 


dollars.  August  8,  1840,  "Trustees  for  the  Camp-ground  at 
the  White  Plains  "  were  put  on  record,  they  had  been  elected 
previous  to  that  time.  White  Plains  is  in  the  beautiful  Chock- 
olocko  Valley,  east  of  Jacksonville.  The  Methodists  still  wor- 
ship at  White  Plains. 

About  the  first  of  1834,  Hon.  Samuel  W.  Mardis,  a  man  of 
talents  and  of  piety,  for  many  years  a  Methodist,  at  one  time  a 
member  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  moved  to  Jum- 
per Springs,  in  Talladega  County,  and  in  honor  of  this  man  the 
name  of  the  place  was  changed.  Henceforth  it  was  called  Mar- 
disville.  It  is  south-west  of  the  Town  of  Talladega  five  miles. 
The  Honorable  man  for  whom  it  was  named  died  there  Novem- 
ber 14,  1836.  Mardisville  first  appeared  in  Methodist  records 
April  25,  1835,  with  a  contribution  for  the  support  of  the  min- 
istry of  two  dollars  and  a  half.  It  has  been  a  preaching  place 
through  all  the  intervening  years.  Most  of  the  time  the  So- 
ciety there  was  rather  small.  For  three  years,  beginning  with 
1842,  Talladega  and  Mardisville  were  together  as  a  pastoral 
charge.  The  first  Quarterly  Conference  ever  convened  at  Mar- 
disville met  there  April  1,  1837. 

Boiling  Spring  is  credited  with  five  dollars  quarterage  June 
11,  1836,  and  a  Quarterly  Conference,  of  very  respectable  num- 
bers, was  held  there  February  16,  1839,  and  about  one  year  and 
a  half  afterward  Trustees  were  elected  for  the  Church  there, 
and  instructed  to  use  their  best  efforts  to  procure  a  title  to  the 
Church  property  at  that  place  as  early  as  practicable.  That 
Church  was  about  one  and  a  half  miles  south-east  of  Oxford,  in 
the  County  of  Benton. 

There  is  a  large  Spring,  from  which  flows  off  a  clear,  and  ma- 
jestic stream,  in  Section  twenty-nine.  Township  sixteen,  Eange 
seven,  East,  and  in  what  was  originally  Benton  County.  In  the 
neighborhood  of  that  noted  Fountain  of  water  the  Methodists 
established  a  preaching  place,  and,  finally,  in  a  beautiful  grove 
on  the  banks  of  the  clear,  and  majestic  stream  which  flows  forth 
from  that  immense  Fountain,  and  a  short  way  below  the  same, 
a  Camp-ground  was  established.  The  place  was  named  Cold- 
water,  and  the  name  was  entered  upon  the  Journal  of  the  Quar- 
terly Conference  of  the  Talladega  Circuit,  September  2,  1837, 
by  virtue  of  the  fact  that  one  or  more  persons  at  that  preach- 
ing place   contributed  quarterage   to  the  amount  of  seventy- 


five  cents.  On  August  8,  1840,  «  Trustees  were  elected  for  the 
Society  or  Church  at  Coldwater."  There  a  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence  met  March  9,  1844,  and  many  have  been  held  there  since 
that  There  is  still  a  Methodist  Church  at  ''  Coldwater  Camp- 
ground  "  That  community  has  always  had  a  numerous  white 
population,  and  the  Methodist  congregation  there  has  always 
been  large,  and  the  contributions  for  Church  purposes  have 
been  uniformly  small.  Tiiat  seventy-five  cents  in  1837  was 
every  way  indicative,  was  prophetic,  was  the  precursor,  and 
the  omen  of  that  which  was  to  follow. 

Syllacauga  appears  in  the  annals  of  Methodism  at  the  sam^ 
time  that  Coldwater  is  put  on  record.  In  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence Journal  Syllacauga  is  written  just  under  Coldwater,  and  is 
credited  with  twenty-five  cents  quarterage.  A  Quarterly  Con- 
ference was  "  held  at  Syllacauga,  Talladega  County,  Alabama, 
June  16  1838,"  and  at  that  time  was  the  place  credited  with 
quarterage  te  the  amount  of  eight  dollars.  For  long  years 
Methodism  was  quite  weak  at  that  place. 

Cane  Creek  Society  was  on  a  Creek  of  that  name,  in  Benton 
County,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  in  the  neighborhood  of 
what  has  long  been  known  as  Morrisville.  Cane  Creek  is  first 
mentioned  with  Coldwater  and  Syllacauga.  It  went  on  the  rec 
ord  as  having  contributed  three  dollars  quarterage.  There  was 
held  a  Quarterly  Conference  at  Cane  Creek  Meeting  House, 
March  7,  1840.  Through  all  the  years  since,  the  Methodists 
liave  had  a  place  of  worship  there.  ,   „.  -.ooo 

The  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Talladega,  March  24, 18d8, 
upon  resolution  "  appointed  a  Committee  to  procure  the  Ground 
on  which  to  build  a  Church  near  to  Brother  Ashley's,  according 
to  rules  of  our  Discipline."  March  17, 1840,  a  deed  was  made  by 
John  Ashley  and  his  wife  to  three  and  thirteen-fortieths 
acres  of  Ground  in  Section  eight.  Township  twenty.  Range  four. 
East,  to  Martin  McElroy,  William  Kelley,  William  H.  Hudson, 
M  E.  Charr,  George  Riser,  and  John  Ashley,  Trustees  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  There  is  a  Methodist  Church 
there  still.     It  is  commonly  called  Riser's. 

At  Alexandria,  a  place  in  Benton  County,  and  in  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  valleys  in  the  State  of  Alabama,  the  Methodists 
established  an  appointment  for  preaching  and  organized  a  So- 
ciety, and  the  place  is  mentioned  in  the  Records  of  the  Circuit 


470 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      471 


as  early  as  October,  1838.  At  the  fourth  Quarterly  Conference 
for  1839,  under  the  question,  Are  there  any  complaints?  the 
preacher  in  charge  of  the  Circuit  presented  before  the  Confer- 
ence complaints  against  the  Society  at  Alexandria  to  the  effect 
that  the  members  thereof  manifested  a  want  of  interest  in  the 
cause  of  Christ,  by  not  attending  their  Class  Meetings  and  Cir- 
cuit Preaching  generally  and  almost  universally.  The  Confer- 
ence resolved  that  Brother  Sawyer,  the  presiding  elder,  inform 
the  Society,  by  letter,  that  for  their  non-attendance  at  Class 
Meeting  and  Circuit  Preaching,  unless  they  reformed  in  that 
respect,  the  Society  would  be  left  out  of  the  plan  of  the  Circuit. 
The  action  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  seems  to  have  had  a 
good  effect  upon  the  Society,  as  it  reported  next  year  more 
quarterage  than  had  been  reported  therefrom  at  previous  Quar- 
terly Conferences.  The  Society  continued  in  the  plan  of  the 
Circuit. 

Antioch  was  east  of  the  Town  of  Talladega  five  or  six  miles. 
Carter's  School  House,  which  was  four  miles  north-east  of  the 
Town  of  Talladega  and  on  or  near  the  place  known  as  the  J.  L. 
M.  Curry  place,  was  a  point  at  which  the  Methodists  preached, 
but  the  members  who  worshiped  there  moved  south  and  helped 
to  establish  Antioch.  Through  the  payment  of  one  dollar  for  the 
support  of  the  ministry,  "Antioch  Society  "  went  upon  the  Eec- 
ord  of  the  Circuit  September  28,  1839.  In  September,  1843,  a 
Committee  was  appointed  to  build  a  church  at  Antioch. 

Chinnabee  was  in  a  valley  of  that  name  east  of  the  Town  of 
Talladega,  and  about  ten  miles  from  Talladega.  For  many 
years  there  was  a  Camp- ground  there.  The  name  of  Chinnabee 
first  goes  on  the  Record  November  16,  1839,  with  eight  dollars 
quarterage  annexed.  Trustees  were  elected  for  Chinnabee 
Church,  August  8, 1840. 

Bethlehem,  which  was  about  eleven  or  twelve  miles  from  the 
Town  of  Talladega,  and  north  of  east  from  that  place,  and  three 
or  four  miles  from  Chinnabee  Camp-ground,  first  appeared  in 
the  affairs  of  the  Circuit  in  June,  1843,  and  in  September  of 
that  year  reports  the  existence  of  a  Sunday-school  under  its 
auspices  with  a  Superintendent,  a  Secretary,  a  Librarian,  two 
male  and  four  female  teachers,  and  thirty  scholars. 

There  is  a  valley  between  Chockolocko  and  Bine  Eye  Creeks 
called  Dry  Yalley.    In  that  Yalley  the  Methodists  had  an  ap- 


pointment and  a  Society.  In  November,  1843,  a  Committee  was 
appointed  to  build  a  Meeting  House  in  Dry  Valley  for  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  Trustees  were  appointed  for 

said  Church. 

According  to  the  official  Rolls,  the  leading  and  active  men  in 
the  Talladega  Circuit  during  the  period  from  the  beginning  of 
1833  to  the  close  of  1845,  were:   "Leonard  Tarrant,  Harris 
Taylor,  James  T.  Whitehead,  William  Garrett,  Robert  C.  Wil- 
son, Richard  R.  Jones,  James  H.  Hutchinson,  Tapley  Bynum, 
John  Box,  James  Long,  James  H.  Thomason,  John  N.  Gould- 
ing,  James  W.  Poe,  Thomas  Hicks,  Adam  A.  Lackey,  Josiah 
H.  Hill,  John  Gilliland,  Lewis  Watkins,  Peter  Rubel,  Elbert 
F.  Sevier,  James  Cole,  Michael  Armbrester,   Thomas  H.  P. 
Scales,  Jacob  D.  Shelley,  Thomas  Roland,  James  L.  Wright, 
Benjamin  0.  Stripland,  Matthew  Carter,  John  Driskill,  William 
McClellan,    William    McPherson,    A.    D.    Gaskill,    Alexander 
Douglass,  Pollard  Rhodes,  Bartlett  Renfroe,  Solomon  Martin, 
John  Nabors,  Francis  Self,  John  Renfroe,  Francis  M.  Cary, 
John  Ashley,  William  Cattingham,  William  W.  Hendrick,  Ed- 
ward Patton,  W.  L.  Rideout,  Thomas  D.  Barr,  John  C.  McGee, 
James  J.  Carpenter,  John  L.  Seay,  John  Brooks,  Eli  Bynum, 
Edward  L.  Woodward,  Edward  McMeans,  James  B.  Watson, 
Brown  Seay,  Willis  Franklin,  William  H.  Mabry,  James  S.  Stock- 
dale,  Jacob  Stoner,  James  Hampton,  Jennbeth  Winn,  Nicholas 
P.  Scales,  Henry  Fullingham,  James  F.  Grant,  William  Gore, 
George  Riser,  William   S.  Carpenter,  Joseph  Camp,  William 
Hufferd,  Daniel  C.  Mclntire,  Rees   Pickens,  Elijah   Teague, 
William'  B.  Turnipseed,  James  C.  Francis,  Robert  H.  Broils, 
Jared  E.  Groce,  Green  Penn."  ^       ^ 

Many  of  these  men  here  named  were  in  that  Circuit  at  work 
through  all  the  period  named,  and  afterward;  others  were 
there  only  a  part  of  the  time. 

In  the  spring  of  1833,  just  previous  to  the  holding  of  that 
first  Quarterly  Conference  for  Talladega  Mission,  the  Rev. 
Leonard  Tarrant,  a  local  preacher,  moved  to  Jumper  Springs, 
in  the  County  of  Talladega,  Alabama;  and  as  he  spent  most  of 
his  Christian  and  ministerial  life,  about  twenty-nine  years,  in 
Talladega  County,  and  inasmuch  as  he  was  a  member  and  the 
Secretary  of  the  first  Quarterly  Conference  ever  held  for  the 
Talladega  Mission,  and  inasmuch  as  he  was  one  of  the  great 


472 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


factors  of  Methodism  in  that  section  of  the  State,  a  sketch  of 
his  life  properly  comes  in  at  this  part  of  the  history. 

The  Eev.  Leonard  Tarrant  was,  perhaps,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
and  was  born  June  26,  1785.  His  education,  which  was  quite 
thorough  and  extensive,  was  obtained  in  Garrard  County,  Ken- 
tucky. He  possessed  more  than  ordinary  talents,  and  superior 
business  qualities.  He  was  a  fine  scribe,  an  admirable  reader, 
and  something  of  a  poet.  For  a  time  he  engaged  in  teaching, 
and  he  was  an  able  and  efficient  teacher.  September  22,  1812, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Jane  Estill.  He  brought  up  two 
daughters  and  a  son.  Virginia  Caroline  was  born  October  9, 
1813;  Edwiue  Ethelbert  was  born  July  10,  1815;  and  Harriet 
Eliza  was  boru  September  24,  1817.  For  a  while  he  lived  at 
Winchester,  Tennessee,  and  removed  from  there  to  Shelby 
County,  Alabama,  not  later  than  1824.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Kepresentatives  of  the  State  of  Alabama  from 
Shelby  County,  Alabama,  for  1831  and  1832,  and  a  member  of 
the  Senate  of  Alabama  from  Talladega  County,  for  1849  and 
1851. 

The  Treaty  made  between  the  United  States  and  the  Creek 
Indians,  March  24,  1832,  engaged  to  allow  ninety  principal 
Chiefs  of  the  Creek  tribe  to  select  one  section  of  land  each,  and 
every  other  head  of  a  Creek  family  to  select  one-half  section 
each,  which  tracts  should  be  reserved  from  sale  for  their  use 
for  the  term  of  five  years,  unless  sooner  disposed  of  by  them; 
and  also  stipulated  that  said  tracts  of  land  might  be  conveyed 
by  the  persons  selecting  the  same,  to  any  other  persons  for  a 
fair  consideration,  the  contract  to  be  certified  by  some  person 
appointed  for  that  purpose  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  Under  that  provision  of  the  Treaty,  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  Andrew  Jackson,  appointed  Leonard  Tar- 
rant Certifying  Agent;  and  that  notwithstanding  Tarrant  was 
in  politics  a  Whig,  and  Andrew  Jackson  a  Democrat,  and  held 
the  self-evident  proposition  that  to  the  victors  belong  the 
spoils.  That  appointment  carried  Tarrant  to  Jumper  Springs, 
in  the  bounds  of  the  Territory  where  lay  the  lands  to  be  dis- 
posed of  and  where  lived  the  Indians  interested  in  the  compen- 
sation to  be  received. 

The  office  of  Certifying  Agent  continued  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  until  the  business  involved  by  the  stipulations  of 


■?«a^s*. 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      47  a 


the  Treaty  was  finished;  and  Leonard  Tarrant  filled  the  office 
BO  long  as  it  existed;  and  he  managed  the  business  committed 
to  his  hands  with  entire  satisfaction  to  the  United  States  Gov- 
emment  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  Indians  interested 
in  the  transactions  involved,  but  not  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
speculators,  and  swindlers  who  were  engaged  in  trading  m  the 
newly  acquired  lands.     Never  were  more  iniquitous  frauds  at- 
tempted and  never  were  there  more  wicked  devices  resorted  to 
in  any  dispensation  of  business  than  were  attempted  and  were 
resorted  to  in  that  time  and  section  by  the  land  dealers.     Cor- 
ruption and  collusion  ruled  the  hour.     From  various  States 
and  many  sections  men  poured  into  the  ceded  territory  to 
secure  the  lands  selected  by  the  heads  of  the  Indian  families 
by  nominal  sums  and  worthless  considerations.     Mr.  Tarrant 
the  Certifying  Agent,  was  a  terror  to  the  swindler.     He  had 
been  placed  in  office  by  the  United  States  Government  to  see 
that  the  Indian  received  a  just  compensation  for  the  land  guar- 
anteed  by  the  Treaty,  and  he  was  faithful  to  his  trust.     The 
sharpers  tried  to  deceive  him,  and  to  bribe  him.     He  was  hard 
to  deceive,  and  could  not  be  bribed.     When  the  land  traders 
had  tried  him,  and  found  him  forever  on  the  side  of  right,  and 
always  on  the  side  of  the  poor  isavage  against  the  swindler, 
they  offered  him  a  large  sum  of  money  to  vacate,  or  resign  his 
office,  but  he  could  not  be  bought.     He  retained  his  position, 
and  helped  the  Indian  in  securing  a  just  compensation  for  his 
land     Tradition  tells  that  on  one  occasion  some  misanthrope 
was  in  conversation  with  Andrew  Jackson,  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  about  the  citizens  of  Alabama,  and  said  to  the 
President-   "There  is  not  an  honest  man  in  Alabama;"    to 
which  the  President  replied:  "Leonard  Tarrant  is  in  Alabama, 
and  I  know  he  is  an  honest  man."  ^  ^    .    ^ 

For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Tarrant  was  Judge  of  Probate, 
and  with  credit  to  himself  and  with  benefit  to  his  constituents 
discharged  the  duties  of  the  office. 

The  exact  day  when,  the  precise  place  where,  and  the  special 
ministrations  in  which,  Leonard  Tarrant  emerged  from  the 
moral  shadows  which  dimmed  his  perceptions  and  hedged  him 
about  with  death,  and  entered  into  the  light  of  the  sons  of  God 
are  now  unknown;  but  the  event,  so  full  of  bliss  and  Bplendor 
occurred  at  some  time  before  all  the  days  of  the  year  1825  had 


474 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


rolled  away,  and  at  some  place  less  than  twenty  leagues  from 
the  geographical  center  of  Alabama.     He  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.     Eenewed  of  heart,  forgiven  of  sin,  con- 
stantly rapt  in  celestial  transports,  enchanted  by  the  melting 
strains  of  divine  music  heard  in  the  assembly  of  the  saints, 
inspired   with    the    hope   of    finally   obtaining   admission    to 
imperial  roalras,  and  of  forever   enjoying  imperial  bliss,  Mr. 
Tarrant  no  longer,  as  once  he  did,  engaged  in  the  sports  of 
the  turf,  no  longer,  as  once  he  did,   took  pleasure  in  frolic 
and   fun;    but  he  at  once  entered  upon  the  work  of  Christ, 
and  sought  to  learn  of  sainted  sage  and  bard  divine.     Without 
any  the  least  delay  he  commenced  preaching.     He  commenced 
preaching  even   before  he  had  opportunity  to  obtain  license 
from  the  Church.     In  the  stately  length  and  wide  expanse  of 
the  Christian  field  he  found  ample  room  and  verge  enough  for 
the  full  employment  of  his  heaven  given  endowments.     He  was 
never  engaged  in  any  other  than  in  the  local  ranks,  but  in  that 
relation  he  was  active  and  useful. 

The  date  of  his  license  to  preach  is  unknown.  He  was  or- 
dained a  deacon  by  Bishop  James  0.  Andrew,  at  Tuskaloosa, 
Alabama,  Sunday,  December  16, 1832.  .  The  Legislature  of  Ala- 
bama was  in  session  at  Tuskaloosa  at  that  time,  and  Mr.  Tarrant 
was  a  Eepresentative  in  attendance  from  Shelby  County.  He 
was  ordained  an  elder  by  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew,  at  Mont- 
gomery, Alabama,  on  Sunday,  January  1,  1843.  He  was  made 
a  Life  Member  of  the  Missionary  Society,  at  Chinnabee  Camp- 
ground, in  Talladega  County. 

In  physical  structure  the  Kev.  Leonard  Tarrant  was  large 
and  portly,  measuring  more  than  six  feet  two  inches  in  height, 
and  weighing  at  least  two  hundred  and  twenty  pounds.     In 
complexion  he  was  lively,  fair,  and  flushed  with  red.     His  eyes 
were  clear  and  grey;  his  eyebrows  were  heavy,  and  his  hair  was 
thick;  by  the  use  of  the  razor  he  kept  his  face  bare  of  beard. 
Mustache  and  whiskers  he  never  allowed  on  his  lip  and  face. 
His  countenance   was   frank,  mild,   and   benignant.     He   had- 
character  and  reputation,  and  both  were  without  blemish.     He 
was  a  holy  man,  and  above  suspicion.     All  who  knew  him  re- 
spected and  reverenced  him.     He  was  popular  in  the  house- 
holds of  the  country.     In  a  blank  book,  pocket  size,  he  record- 
ed, in  a  neat  and  beautiful  hand,  the  names  of  the  various 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      475 


couples  which  he  married  ranging  over  the  years  from  1837  to 
1861  This  little  book  contains  the  names  of  fifty-two  couples 
at  whose  marriage  he  officiated.  Many  of  these  names  are 
familiar  in  Talladega  County;  such  as  William  Simmons  and 
Ann  C.  Cruikshanks;  Hugh  G.  Barclay  and  Mrs.  Margaret 
A  Brown;  Joseph  N.  Savery  and  Nancy  M.  Givens;  Benton 
W.  Groce  and  Caroline  B.  McEldery;  William  Wilson  and 
Caroline  M.  Estill;  Andrew  Lawson  and  Priscilla  Douglass; 
Boliver  Eason  and  Sarah  J.  Shelly;  James  H.  Joiner  and 
Carolina  E.  McLane;  George  K.  Armbrester  and  Missouri  E. 

Griffith.  ^     ^.  , 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  wrote  poetry,  none  of  which  was 
ever  published,  so  far  as  is  known,  and  none  of  which  would 
rank  with  the  best  pieces  written  by  Wesley  and  Watts,  but 
some  of  his  poetical  productions  have  merit,  and  are  superior 
to  many  pieces  of  other  authors  which  have  been  published 

and  praised.  ^  t**-     j-     -n 

The  Eev.  Leonard  Tarrant  died  at  his  home,  at  MardisviUe, 

Talladega  County,  Alabama,  February  25,  1862.     The  day  he 

died  the  jonquils,  harbingers  of  coming  spring,  were  blooming  in 

profusion  in  the  yard  before  the  door,  and  the  snow,  which  had 

fallen  the  night  before  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  inches,  in 

a  freak  of  departing  winter,  lay  upon  the  ground.     A  friend, 

the  Eev  John  Corley,  on  a  visit  to  him,  took  leave  of  him,  and 

in  taking   his  last  farewell,  asked:  "What  shall   I  tell  your 

friends   about  your   prospects?"     The  dying   man  answered: 

**  Tell  my  friends  that  last  night  I  was  up  to  my  ankles  in  the 

cold  waters  of  death,  this  morning  I  was  up  to  my  knees,  now  I 

am  up  to  my  loins,  but  I  have  no  fear,  as  the  flowers  m  the 

yard  before  the  door  are  blooming  amidst  the  snow  which  lies 

about  them,  so  my  soul  is  blooming  for  glory."     In  a  few  hours 

after  that  utterance  his  soul  went  forth  from  this  realm  of  woe 

and  death  to  glory  and  to  God.     In  the  precincts  of  light  his 

soul  is  ever  blooming,  full  of  love  and  full  of  joy.     He  is  now 

before  the  throne  and  with  the  Ancient  One. 

The  Eev.  Leonard  Tarrant  planted  Antioch,  Chinnabee,  and 
Bethlehem  Societies.     He  established  them. 

The  Eev.  Harris  Taylor,  a  local  preacher,  associated  himself 
with  the  Talladega  Circuit  at  the  very  beginning,  and  contin- 
ued associated  with  the  same  in  that  section  of  the  country, 


476 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


and  among  its  most  efficient  men,  until  his  death,  in  1852.     He 
was  buried  at  Alexandria,  Benton  County. 

William  Garrett,  one  of  the  stewards  elected  at  the  first 
Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Talladega  Mission,  was,  at  that 
time,  a  young  man  who  had  just  emigrated  from  East  Tennes- 
see and  settled  in  the  bounds  of  that  Mission.  He  served  the 
Talladega  charge  in  the  office  of  steward,  exhorter,  class  leader, 
and  Trustee  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  a  class  leader  in 
that  charge  as  late  as  1840.  In  1837  he  entered  the  public 
service  of  the  State  of  Alabama.  For  some  years  he  was 
Clerk  of  the  House  of  Kepresentatives.  For  thirteen  years  he 
was  Secretary  of  State.  He  served  also  in  the  House  of  Kep- 
resentatives and  in  the  Senate  of  the  State.  He  filled  the 
places  of  public  trust  with  distinction.  *He  wrote  and  pub- 
lished a  large  and  estimable  volume  bearing  the  title:  "Eemi- 
niscences  of  Public  Men  in  Alabama,  for  Thirty  Years."  He 
maintained  his  connection  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
through  life,  and  was  a  valuable  member.  For  years  he  resided 
in  Coosa  County,  and  died  there. 

The  Rev.  Elbert  F.  Sevier,  a  local  elder,  was  admitted  as  a 
member  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Talladega  Circuit, 
at  Kelley's  Spring,  August  8,  9,  1834,  and  was  connected  with 
that  Circuit  for  three  or  more  years.  He  was  admitted  into  the 
Tennessee  [Conference  on  trial  in  the  latter  part  of  1823,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Holston  Conference  until  the  latter  part  of 
1831,  when  he  located,  and  in  due  course  came  to  Alabama. 
He  returned  to  the  State  of  Tennessee,  and  in  the  latter  part  of 
1839  was  re-admitted  to  the  Holston  Conference.  He  was  a  man 
of  talents,  social  rank,  learning,  and  piety.  During  the  time  he 
was  associated  with  the  Talladega  Circuit  in  Alabama,  he  was 
efficient  in  the  cause  of  Methodism.  He  did  much  in  that  form- 
ative period  in  guiding  affairs.  His  wise  counsels  in  the  man- 
agement of  matters  were  invaluable,  and  his  able  and  profound 
sermons  helped  to  extend  the  Redeemer's  kingdom. 

One  instance  of  his  guiding  wisdom  in  the  extremity  of  the 
hour  may  be  given.  The  relation  of  Methodism  to  the  aboli- 
tion of  slavery  was  an  interesting  question  in  the  newly  settled 
regions  of  Alabama.  The  opponents  of  Methodism  used  the 
agitation  of  the  hour  to  the  detriment  of  the  cause  dear  to 
Methodists.     It  became  necessary  to  avert  the  damage.     At  a 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      477 


Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Owens  Spring  Encampment,  for 
Talladega  Circuit,  September  19,  1835,  a  Quarterly  Conference 
composed  of  nineteen  official  members,  and  which  was  presided 
over  by  the  presiding  elder,  the  Rev.  Greenberry  Garrett,  and 
whose  Secretary  was  William  Garrett,  the  following  pre- 
amble and  resolutions,  under  the  lead  of  the  Rev.  Elbert 
F.  Sevier,  were,  with  great  emphasis,  adopted:  "Whereas, 
certain  Fanatics  to  the  North  are  publishing  numerous  incen- 
diary papers  on  the  subject  of  Abolition,  calculated  to  stir  up 
the  Slaves  to  insurrection  and  rebellion,  and  thus  endangering 
the  peace  and  civil  order  of  society  and  also  the  civil  and  reli- 
gious institutions  of  the  Country;  and,  whereas,  reports  have 
been  put  into  circulation,  implicating  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  especially  the  Ministers  of  said  Church  as  favor- 
ing the  wicked  and  nefarious  schemes  of  said  Abolitionists,  We, 
the  members  of  the  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference  held  for 
Talladega  Circuit  in  the  Alabama  Conference,  at  Owens 
Spring  Camp-ground,  on  the  19th  September,  1835,  having  ta- 
ken the  subject  into  consideration,  adopt  the  following  resolu- 
tions: 1.  Resolved,  That  we  totally  disapprove  of  the  doctrine 
and  schemes  of  the  Abolitionists  and  Fanatics  on  the  subject  of 
Slavery.  2.  That  we  believe  the  views  and  sentiments  of  the 
Church  throughout  our  whole  country  are  in  accordance  with 
ours  as  expressed  above.  3.  That  we  will  use  our  best  exertions 
to  stop  the  circulation  of  all  papers,  tracts,  or  pamphlets,  calcu- 
lated to  stir  up  insurrection  or  excite  rebellion  among  the 
Slaves  of  the  South  and  West,  and  to  crush  all  plans  or  devices 
coming  within  our  knowledge  having  any  such  tendency. 
4.  That  the  above  preamble  and  resolutions,  be  published  in  the- 
newspaper  published  in  the  Town  of  Talladega,  the  Christian 
Advocate  in  New  York,  and  Western  Methodist  in  Nashville."      i 

There  is  nothing  found  anywhere  on  the  subject  excelling 
that  document.  It  shows  intelligence,  adaptability,  patriotism, 
and  piety.  It  was  an  admirable  paper  for  the  emergency  of  the 
hour.  The  Rev.  Elbert  F.  Sevier  had  the  insight  and  the  pa- 
triotism and  the  piety  to  engineer  such  a  good  production  and 
such  a  timely  deliverance  to  acceptance  and  adoption. 

Much  of  the  time  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Sevier  was  in  the  itiner- 
ant work  in  the  Holston  Conference  he  was  presiding  elder  on 

the  best  Districts.     Occasionally  he  was  on  Stations,  such  as 
31 


'\ 


478 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      479 


Sir 


Knoxville  and  Cliattaiiooga.     He  died  somewhere  about  Chat- 
tanooga in  the  year  18G2.     His  works  endure,  and  praise  him. 

The  Eev.  Thomas  H.  P.  Scales  was  received  as  a  local  preach- 
er and  a  member  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Talladega 
Circuit,  April  20y  1835,  and  was  intimately  associated  with  and 
an  active  and  intelligent  worker  in  the  Circuit  until  December, 
1841,  when  he  was  received  on  trial  in  the  Alabama  Conference. 
It  is  not  know^n  when  or  where  he  was  licensed  to  preach.  He 
was  eligible  to  deacon's  orders  when  he  joined  the  Talladega 
Circuit,  though  he  was  not  ordained  till  the  close  of  1839.  He 
made  three  distinct  efforts  to  obtain  admission  into  the  Annual 
Conference  before  he  succeetled,  the  Quarterly  Conference  of 
the  Talladega  Circuit,  or  the  Jacksonville  whichever  it  was 
called  at  the  time,  recommended  him  as  a  suitable  person  for 
admission  every  time  he  asked  for  it.  The  last  time  he  was 
recommended  at  Owens  Spring,  October  16,  1841.  He  pro- 
fessed to  have  perfect  love  and  entire  holiness  of  heart,  and  he 
made  a  nseful  preacher,  and  filled  some  of  the  best  appoint- 
ments.    He  died  in  1853. 

So  far  as  is  now  known  James  H.  Thomason  was  the  first 
man  ever  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the 
Talladega  Circuit.  He  was  licensed  at  Kelly's  Spring,  in  Au- 
gust, 1834.  Tapley  Bynum  was  the  first  one  ever  recommended 
by  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  that  Circuit  to  the  Annual  Con- 
ference for  admission  into  the  traveling  connection.  He  was 
not  admitted  by  the  Annual  Conference. 

The  preacher  on  the  Talladega  Circuit  for  1835  was  Daniel 
B.  Barlow,  and  it  was  provided  that  one  should  be  supplied. 
At  the  second  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  year  John  Poe  ap- 
peared as  the  supply.  He  filled  that  position  till  the  close  of 
the  year,  and  at  the  fourth  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Owens 
Spring,  September  19,  1835,  he,  together  with  James  Cole,  and 
James  H.  Thomason,  was  recommended  to  the  Annual  Confer- 
ence for  admission  into  the  traveling  connection.  He  was  ad- 
mitted by  the  Annual  Conference  upon  that  recommendation, 
but  at  the  end  of  two  years  on  trial  discontinued.  Cole  and 
Thomason  were  not  admitted. 

All  the  preachers  connected  with  the  Circuit  for  the  year 
were  paid  their  full  allowance  for  quarterage  and  traveling  ex- 
penses, and  there  was  a  surplus  of  money  which  was  sent  up  to 


the  Annual  Conference  for  distribution  under  the  law  of  that 
day.  The  Talladega  Circuit  in  that  day  was  first-class  in  finan- 
cial affairs. 

In  two  years  the  membership  on  the  Circuit  had  nearly  thrib- 
bled.     Immigration,  no  doubt,  helped  to  swell  the  number. 

The  preachers  for  Talladega  Circuit  for  1836  were  Edward 
H  Moore,  and  Benjamin  L.  West.  Moore  was  a  native  of 
Oglethorpe  County,  Georgia,  born  August  20,  1810.  West  was 
a  native  of  Bobeson  County,  North  Carolina,  born  March  29, 
1810.  There  was  an  increase  in  the  number  of  the  members  of 
the  Church  on  that  Circuit  that  year  of  two  hundred  and  ninety- 
six  At  the  fourth  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  that  Circuit 
October  29,  1836,  R.  M.  Richards  and  James  M.  Mitchell  were 
licensed  to  preach  as  local  preachers. 

The  Rev.  Wiley  W.  Thomas  was  the  preacher  on  the  Talla- 
dega Circuit  for  1837.    The  Rev.  Edward  Patton  was  received 
asl  local  preacher  and  a  member  of  the  Quarterly  Conference 
of  the  Tallade-a  Circuit,  April  1, 1837,  and  the  Rev.  James  Wil- 
lis   a  local  de^acon  from  the  bounds  of  the  Holston  Confer- 
ence   presented  the  certificate  of  his  official  relation  and  was 
recognized  as   a  member  of  the  Talladega  Circuit  that  year. 
Francis  M.  Cary  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference  of  that   Circuit  November  4,   1837.    The   Quarterly 
Conferences  for  that  year  engaged  much  in  the  consideration 
of  financial  plans,  and  in  efforts  to  build  a  parsonage  for  the 
Circuit.     Many  resolutions  were  passed  on  these  subjects. 

The  building  of  a  parsonage  for  the  Circuit  elicited  much  at- 
tention through  the  year  1838.  The  subject  was  of  profound 
interest,  but  the  task  seems  to  have  been  herculean. 

The  following  certificate  of  membership  was  presented  to  the 
Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Syllacauga,  June  16,  1838:  *'The 
bearer  hereof,  William  W.  Hendrick,  has  'been  an  acceptable 
member  and  local  elder  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in 
Buckino-ham  Circuit,  Virginia  Conference,  September  16,  1837. 

George  W.  S.  Harper." 

"Also  Mrs.  Frances  W.  Hendrick  and  Miss  Mary  V.  Hendrick 

have  been   acceptable  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church  in  Buckingham  Circuit,  Virginia  Conference,  Septem- 

h     16  1837.  George  W.  S.  Harper." 

This  man,  the  Rev.  William  W.  Hendrick,  was  born  in  Vir- 


u% 


480 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      481 


ginia,  December  17, 1788;  was  converted  and  joined  the  Church 
in  1804;  licensed  to  preach,  and  joined  the  Virginia  Conference 
on  trial,  at  Newberne,  in  North  Carolina,  in  February,  1807;  in 
due  course  reached  full  membership  in  the  Conference  and 
elder's  orders,  and  located  in  February,  1812.  He  left  Virginia 
about  the  time  his  certificate  of  {membership  bears  date,  and 
by  due  course  of  journey  reached  Mardisville,  Talladega 
County,  Alabama,  and  took  up  residence  there.  He  died  at  his 
home  in  Talladega  County,  Alabama,  January  17,  1863.  After 
a  long  life  of  usefulness  he  died  in  the  faith.  His  descendants 
are  Methodists. 

At  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Talladega  Circuit,  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  Benton  County,  November  19,  1838,  Thomas 
D.  Barr  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  there  and  then  he  and 
Francis  M.  Cary  were  recommended  to  the  Annual  Conference 
to  be  admitted  on  trial  in  the  traveling  connection.  Barr  was 
then  in  his  twenty-fifth  year,  and  a  native  of  North  Carolina. 
He  was  regenerated  at  nine  years  of  age,  and  he  united  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  five  years  after  his  conversion. 
He  moved  to  Talladega  County,  Alabama,  in  the  latter  part  of 
1833.  Cary,  when  he  received  from  the  Quarterly  Conference 
that  recommendation  for  itinerant  work,  was  in  his  twenty 
fourth  year,  and  was  a  native  of  Madison  County,  Alabama. 
In  his  nineteenth  year  he  was  regenerated.  In  pursuance  of 
the  recommendations  which  had  been  obtained  Barr  and  Cary 
were  both  admitted  on  trial  by  the  Alabama  Conference  in 
January,  1839.  Cary  remained  on  trial  in  the  Conference  three 
years,  and  then  discontinued.  In  due  process  Barr  was  ad- 
vanced to  membership  in  the  Conference  and  to  the  order  of 
an  elder.  He  continued  in  the  Alabama  Conference  to  the  end 
of  his  earthly  pilgrimage.  His  last  appointment  was  Marianna, 
Florida,  and  there*  he  died  of  fever  September  4,  1843.  He 
was  a  man  of  integrity,  seriousness,  humility,  and  piety.  He 
succeeded  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  died  in  the  faith. 

In  November,  1838,  in  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  the 
Circuit  from  Fayetteville  in  the  lower  end  of  Talladega  County 
to  Rabbit  Town  in  Benton  County  there  were  but  two  Sunday- 
schools  with  three  Superintendents,  ten  teachers,  fifty  scholars, 
and  two  hundred  volumes  in  Libraries.  At  what  points  these 
two  schools  were  is  not  certainly  known.     The  next  year,  the 


I 


Oircuit  then  having  been  divided,  there  was  only  one  School  in 
the  Jacksonville  Circuit,  and  that  was  at  Bethel.  In  that 
region  covered  by  the  Talladega  Circuit  at  its  first  organization 
and  up  to  the  year  now  under  consideration  the  Baptists  and 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterians  had  the  controlling  influence. 
The  Baptists  then  in  that  region  were  mostly  anti-missionaries, 
who  opposed  Missionary  Societies  and  Sunday-schools.  The 
Cumberland  Presbyterians  were  prosecuting  their  effort  at 
popularizing  themselves  with  the  insinuating  policy  of  union. 
They  were  for  union  meetings  and  union  Sunday-schools. 
With  the  union  proclivities  fostered  by  the  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterians and  the  anti-missionary  doctrines  disseminated  by 
the  Baptists  to  contend  against,  with  other  potent  influences 
and  untoward  environments  against  them,  the  Methodists  had 
a  hard  time  in  organizing  Sunday-schools  in  that  Circuit. 

At  the  close  of  1838  the  Talladega  Circuit  was  divided  into 
two,  one  called  the  Talladega  and  the  other  the  Jacksonville. 
The  Talladega  Circuit  as  it  existed  in  1839  was  mostly  in  TaU 
ladega  County,  and  the  principal  appointments  on  it  were  Talla- 
dega Town,  Mardisville,  Ashley's,  Syllacauga,  and  Fayetteville. 
Jacksonville  Circuit  had  Jacksonville,  Alexandria,  Boiling 
Spring,  Coldwater,  Mount  Pleasant,  Ohatchee,  and  White 
Plains  in  Benton  County,  and  Antioch,  Bethel,  Chinnabee, 
Kelley's  Spring,  and  Owens  Spring  in  Talladega  County. 
The  preacher  on  the  Talladega  Circuit  for  that  year  was  Wil- 
liam Moores.  The  preacher  on  the  Jacksonville  Circuit  for 
that  year  was  Jesse  Ellis. 

The  members  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Boiling 
Spring,  February  16,  1839,  for  the  Jacksonville  Circuit  formed 
themselves  into  a  Missionary  Society,  and  adopted  a  Constitu- 
tion. The  first  Article  of  the  Constitution  is  as  follows:  "This 
Association  shall  be  called  the  Jacksonville  Circuit  Missionary 
Society,  Auxiliary  to  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Alabama 
Conference."  The  seventh  Article  constituted  the  members  of 
the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Jacksonville  Circuit  the  Board 
of  Managers.  The  eighth  Article  decreed  that  there  should  be 
an  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  held  at  the  time  and  place  of 
holding  the  third  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  Circuit.  At 
the  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  Talladega  Circuit  held  March 
27,  1836,  it  was  resolved  to  form  the  Quarterly  Conference  into 


482 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


a  Missionary  Society,  but  the  resolution  was  not  carried  into 
operation  until  1839.  By  action  of  the  Quarterly  Conference 
August  20,  1842,  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Circuit  was  dis- 
continued. The  Society  operated  under  great  disadvantages, 
and  the  results  achieved  were  comparatively  small.  Out  of  a 
subscription  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  made  on  the  Cir- 
cuit in  1839,  about  thirty-five  dollars  were  collected. 

Strong  resolutions  were  passed  in  1839  in  favor  of  securing  a 
Parsonage  for  the  Jacksonville  Circuit,  but  beyond  the  resolu- 
tions not  much  was  done.  Much  complaint  was  also  made 
about  the  neglect  of  class-meetings,  and  resolutions  were 
adopted  concerning  the  increase  of  the  number  to  be  held  and 
the  increase  of  those  who  attended.  That  was  the  Centenary 
year  of  Methodism,  and  the  Jacksonville  Circuit,  through  its 
Quarterly  Conference,  provided  for  holding  two  Centenary 
Meetings  on  the  25  of  October,  one  at  Owens  Spring  Camp- 
ground, the  other  at  Jacksonville.  At  the  third  Quarterly  Con- 
ference for  that  year,  held  at  Owens  Spring,  September  28, 
W.  L.  Rideout  and  William  McClellan  were  licensed  to  preach. 
During  that  year  the  Rev.  James  T.  Whitehead,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  first  Quarterly  Conference  ever  held  for  the 
Talladega  Mission,  fell  under  charges  of  a  serious  nature,  and, 
while  upon  investigation  he  was  acquitted  of  the  charges,  the 
Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Bethel,  November  16,  1839,  by 
action  had  in  the  case,  declined  to  renew  his  license;  where- 
upon, he  fled  to  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and  he  ob- 
tained license  to  preach  in  that  Church.  He  was  not  very  effi- 
cent  among  his  new  associates.  He  stood  on  their  record  in 
connection  with  Benton  Circuit  among  the  unstationed  preach- 
ers. The  same  Quarterly  Conference  which,  by  formal  action, 
refused  to  renew  the  license  of  James  T.  Whitehead,  recom- 
mended the  Rev.  John  Brooks,  a  man  of  note  and  of  worth,  to 
the  Annual  Conference  for  re-admission  into  the  traveling  con- 
nection, and  the  Alabama  Conference  at  the  ensuing  session 
re-admitted  him  upon  that  recommendation.  There  was  for 
that  year  an  encouraging  increase  in  the  number  of  members 
in  the  two  Circuits  which  occupied  the  territory  formerly  oc- 
cupied by  the  one.  In  white  and  colored  members  there  was 
an  increase  of  over  two^  hundred  and  fifty. 

The  form  of  the  Circuits  continued  as  they  were  the  preceding 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      483 

year,  though  there  was  a  change  in  the  preachers.     The  Rev 
Jesse  Ellis  located  and  became  a  local  preacher  m  the  Circuit, 
and  the  Rev.  William  Rhodes  was  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the 
Jacksonville  Circuit  for  1840;  and  the  Rev.  Theophilus  Moody 
was  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Talladega  Circuit  for  that  year. 
There  were  some  adverse  events  and  damaging  sensations  m 
that  part  of  the  vineyard  during  the  year  1840.    In  the  first 
nlace  the  Rev.  James  L.  Wright,  who  had  been  connected  with 
the  cause  there  from  the  beginning,  and  who  had  caused  some 
trouble  at  the  first  by  his  irregularities  and  by  claiming  pre- 
rogatives without  properly  accredited  credentials  became  dis- 
affected and  in  the  year  1840  he  openly  inveighed  against  the 
Discipline  and  polity  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
when  advised  by  the  presiding  elder  in  charge  of  affairs  that 
for  such  conduct  a  prosecution  was  inevitable  he  withdrew  and 
attached  himself  to  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.     Sensa- 
tion and  friction  ensued,  and  the  cause  was  injured.     He  occu- 
pied  some  little  position  among  his  new  allies,  bat  his  influence 
was  circumscribed.     The  Methodist  Protestant  Church  took 
off  quite  a  number,  first  and  last,  of  the  local  preachers  who 
were  once  connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  m 
that  section  of  the  country.     The  Rev.  James  M   Hutchinson, 
one  of  the  men  elected  a  steward  at  that  Quarterly  Conference 
held  at  Bethel  Meeting  House,  for  Talladega  Mission  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  May  25,  1833  finaly  joined  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and  preached  ^ith  them     The 
Rev  James  S.  Stockdale,  after  long  connection  with  theMetho- 
dist  Episcopal  Church,  and  after  repeated  trials  and  expulsions 
from  the  Church  and  suspensions  from  the  ministry,  finally 
joined  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.     Such  acquisitions 
were  not  calculated  to  do  any  Church  much  good. 

In  the  next  place,  the  Rev.  Josiah  H.  Hill,  who  was  present 
as  a  local  preacher,  at  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  ^or  Talla- 
dega Circuit  at  Cedar  Creek,  September  27,  1834,  who  had 
been  somewhat  punctual  and  prominent  through  the  succeed- 
ine  years,  at  last,  in  1840,  fell  into  trouble  and  came  to  grief. 
His  case  was  connected  with  one  of  the  most  singularly  man- 
aged Quarterly  Conferences  ever  held  in  the  connection.  There 
is  nothincr  like  it  in  the  history,  of  ecclesiastical  affairs.  He  was 
triad  by  1  Quarterly  Conference,  which,  though  m  the  nature 


484 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      485 


of  the  case  not  endowed  with  ubiquity  and  eternity,  was  held 
at  two  different  points,  in  two  different  Counties,  more  than 
twenty  miles  apart,  and  at  different  times,  times  separated  by 
forty  intervening  days.     That  Quarterly  Confererce  met  and 
proceeded  to  business  at  White  Plains  Camp-ground,  in  Ben- 
ton County,  September  19,  1840.     The  first  thing,  after  the  de- 
votional exercises  and  the  preliminary  matters  of  organization, 
m  that  Conference  was  to  lodge  complaints  against  the  moral 
character  of  the  Rev.  Josiah  H.  Hill.     Then  two  small  items  of 
business  were  transacted,  and  the  Conference  arraigned  Mr. 
Hill  upon  a  bill  of  charges  involving  falsehood  and  slander. 
These  charges  had  their  origin  in  some  financial  transactions 
and  some  statements  concerning  the  casting  of  ballots  at  an 
election  for  members  of  the  Legislature.     The  Quarterly  Con- 
ference rendered  a  verdict  declaring  Mr.  Hill,  the  defendant, 
guilty  as  charged  in  the  bill  of  indictment,  and  aflixed  a  penalty; 
by  formal  enactment  declined  to  renew  his  license,  and  author- 
ized a  reproof  administered   to  him  by  the  presiding  elder. 
Wonderful  penalty,  indeed,  for  such  offenses!     "The  Confer- 
ence then  adjourned  to  meet  again  to  transact  the  further  busi- 
ness of  this  Conference,  on  the  Saturday  preceding  the  first 
Sabbath  in  November  next,  at  Owens  Spring  Camp-ground." 
The  Journal  says:  "Conference  met  according  to  adjournment 
on  October  31,  1840."     The  first  thing  on  record  after  the  en- 
rollment of  the  names  of  the  members  present,  is:  "Eesolved 
by  this  Conference  that  the  case  of  J.  H.  Hill  be  reconsidered, 
on  this  being  done  it  was  resolved  that  J.  H.  Hill  be  expelled 
from  our  Church."     That  was  a  wonderful  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence.    Thomas  Lynch  was  the  presiding  elder,  and  Thomas  H. 
P.  Scales  was  the  Secretary  of  that  Conference.     Owens  Spring 
Camp-ground,  at  which  Mr.  Hill's  case  was  reconsidered,  was  in 
Talladega  County.     Mr.  Hill  may  have  been  guilty,  but  the 
so-called  Quarterly  Conference  by  which  he  was  expelled  was 
beyond  all  doubt  an  illegal   body.     A  Quarterly  Conference 
may  adjourn  from  hour  to  hour,  and  from  day  to  day,  to  finish 
business  pending,  but  may  not  adjourn  to  a  distant  day  and 
place,  and  after  the  lapse  of  weeks  review  and  undo  its  own 
work.     Great  sensation  followed  that  long  pending,  and  sus- 
pended, and  itinerating  Quarterly  Conference.     It  discredited 


I 


its  own  work,  annulled  its  own  authority,  and  scandalized  the 
common  cause  of  religion. 

By  that  illegal  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Owens  Spring, 
October  31,  1840,  the  Eev.  Nicholas  P.  Scales,  then  not  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  was  duly  recommended  to  the  Annual  Con- 
ference to  be  a  traveling  preacher,  and  on  that  recommendation 
the  Alabama  Conference  at  the  session  beginning  December 
30,  1840,  admitted  him  on  trial,  and  sent  him  as  junior  preacher 
to  the  Jacksonville  Circuit.  He  died  a  member  of  the  Alabama 
Conference,  in  February,  1861,  though  no  account  is  taken  of 
his  death  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Annual  Conference.  He 
held  a  superannuated  relation  in  the  Conference  from  January, 
1848,  till  his  death.  He  was  born  in  Tennessee,  January  15, 
1818,  and  moved  to  Talladega  County,  Alabama,  in  1835.  He 
was  buried  in  the  graveyard  at  the  Town  of  Talladega. 

The  preacher  on  the  Talladega  Circuit  for  1841  was  Jesse 
Ellis,  and  on  the  Jacksonville  Circuit  for  that  year  there  were 
two  preachers,  James  P.  McGee,  and  Nicholas  P.  Scales. 
Henry  Fullingham  was  licensed  to  preach  at  Alexandria  Camp- 
ground in  August  of  that  year,  and  Edward  McMeans  and 
Willis  Franklin  were  licensed  to  preach  at  Owens  Spring,  in 
October.  During  the  third  quarter  of  that  year  one  hundred 
and  seventeen  persons  were  received  on  probation,  and  during 
the  fourth  quarter  eighty-seven  were  received.  All  this  on  the 
Jacksonville  Circuit.  A  house  of  worship  somewhere  in  the 
neighborhood  next  to  Alexandria  was  donated  to  the  Methodists 
by  Elijah  Loyd,  and  was  accepted  and  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Trustees.  Debts  which  were  annoying  and  damaging  had  been 
incurred  in  building  houses  of  worship  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Jacksonville  Circuit,  and  during  that  year  great  efforts  were 
made  by  special  meetings  and  public  collections  to  liquidate 

the  debts. 

The  appointments  for  1842  were:  Talladega  and  Mardisville, 
Edward  J.  Hammill.  Jacksonville,  Theophilus  Moody,  George 
McClintock.  This  was  a  new  arrangement  of  the  work.  Talla- 
dega and  Mardisville  were  together  and  made  the  entire 
pastoral  charge,  and  it  seems  that  what  had  formerly  been  in  the 
lower  end  of  Talladega  Circuit,  such  as  Ashley's,  Clear  Creek, 
Syllacauga,  Fayetteville,  and  Hatchett  Creek  Camp-ground,  were 
now  in  the  Harpersville  and  Coosa  Circuits.     Hatchett  Creek 


486 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Camp-ground  had  possibly  not  been  in  the  Talladega  Circuit. 
It  was  on  Hatchett  Creek,  in  Talladega  County,  in  Section  twenty- 
eight.  Township  twenty-one,  Range  six,  East;  and  it  was  deed- 
ed by  Reuben  Philips  and  his  wife  to  Timothy  Ford,  Abraham 
Hester,  John  Evans,  Sen.,  Uriah  Evans,  and  Ezekiel  Wilder, 
Trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  September  29, 
1843.  It  had  been  a  Camp-ground  previous  to  the  time  it  was 
conveyed  by  deed  to  Trustees.  That  Camp-ground  was  estab- 
lished in  the  month  of  October,  1837,  or  some  months  earlier, 
and  was  established  at  the  instance  and  by  the  efforts  of  the 
Rev.  fleuben  Philips. 

For  four  years  beginning  with  1842  and  closing  with  1845 
the  towns  of  Talladega  and  Mardisville  constituted  a  pastoral 
charge.  Edward  J.  Hammill,  Theophilus  Moody,  Yarnum  L. 
Hopkins,  and  Lewis  G.  Hicks  served  the  work  as  preacher  in 
charge  each  one  year.  At  the  end  of  1844  Mardisville  fell 
out  of  the  charge  and  at  the  end  of  1845  Talladega  went  back 
into  the  Circuit,  and  the  name  of  the  Circuit  was  changed  from 
Jacksonville  to  Talladega.  Thus  early  ended  the  effort  of  the 
two  towns  to  maintai"^.  a  pastoral  charge.  The  Methodists  in 
those  towns  at  that  early  day  were  few  in  number  and  feeble  in 
resources.  At  that  time  political  strife  and  party  spirit  en- 
grossed the  country,  and  the  Church  did  not  grow  much.  In 
the  town  of  Talladesra  at  that  time  the  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist  Episcopal  Church  were  mostly  women,  and  though  they 
were  noble  women,  and  kept  the  cause  alive,  they  were  under 
great  disabilities.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Dixon,  Mrs.  Ann  M.  Jones, 
Mrs.  Mary  Moore,  Mrs.  Shelley,  and  others  were  women  of 
consecration  and  of  piety;  and  the  Sunday-school  was  carried  on 
mostly  by  these  women  until  1842.  Of  course,  the  Sunday- 
school  was  feeble  and  was  conducted  imperfectly.  In  May, 
1842,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  E.  J.  Hammill,  James  G. 
L.  Huey  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Talladega, 
and  the  women  above  named  laid  hands  on  him  and  inducted 
him  into  the  office  of  Sunday-school  Superintendent.  Even 
Mr.  Huey  carried  on  the  Sunday-school  for  some  while  with- 
out any  public  prayer.  The  School  was  opened  by  reading  a 
lesson  out  of  the  Scriptures  and  singing  a  song  selected  from 
such  Hymn  Books  as  they  had.  That  method  of  conducting 
the  introductory  services  of  the  School  prevailed  until  Mrs. 


I 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      487 


Samuel  F.  Rice  with  her  children  entered  the  School.  Mrs. 
Rice  modestly  informed  the  Superintendent  that  the  order  of 
the  services  was  not  satisfactory,  and  suggested  the  offering  of 
a  public  prayer.  The  suggestion  was  accepted.  Henceforth 
prayer  was  made  in  that  School. 

The  number  of  members  was  not  as  large  at  the  close  of  1845 
in  that  charge  as  it  was  at  the  close  of  its  first  year. 

The  preachers  appointed  to  Jacksonville  Circuit  were,  for 
1843  Haman  Bailey,  and  John  Jones;  for  1844  Haman  Bailey, 
and  Clayton  C.  Gillespie;  for  1845  Acton  Young,  and  Clayton 

0.  Gillespie.  ,      i  i.      • 

John  L.  Seay  was  licensed  to  preach  as  a  local  preacher  m 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  by  the  Quarterly  Conference 
held  for  the  Circuit  at  Owens  Spring  Camp-ground,  September 
16  1843,  having  been  recommended  by  the  Society  at  Antioch, 
and,  now,  in  1891,  Rev.  John  L.  Seay  still  lives  near  the  site  of 
Antioch,  a  local  preacher. 

Alexander  Douglass  was  licensed  to  preach  as  a  local  preach- 
er by  the  fourth  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  the  Circuit  for 
1843;  and  by  the  same  quarterly  Conference  "The  License  of 
a  Colored  Brother,  an  exhorter  named  Sam,  the  property  of 
Brother  Kerr,  was  renewed."  ^ 

Throughout  the  bounds  of  the  Jacksonville  Circuit  during 
the  year  1843  much  distraction  was  endured  and  great  detri- 
ment ensued.     Preachers  and  members  committed  crimes  of 
enormity,  and  entailed  scandal  on  the  Church.     Members  of 
some  of  the  Societies  were  annoyed  and  irritated  by  charges 
and  counter-charges  against  each  other.     There  is  one  instance 
on  record  where  a  member  of  the  Church  charged  a  local 
preacher    with    crimes    upon  which    the   local    preacher  was 
tried  by  the   Quarterly  Conference,  and  acquitted;   and   the 
Quarterly  Conference  required  the  preacher  in  charge  to  cause 
the  member  who  brought  the  charges  against  the  local  preach- 
er to  appear  before  a  Committee  to  answer  to  the  charge  of 
Malicious  Prosecution.     The  local  preacher  in  the  case  was 
James  S.  Stockdale  and  the  member  was  Massingale  H.  Porter. 
The  Rev.  John  Jones,  the  junior  preacher  on  the  Circuit,  and 
who  was  on  trial  in  the  Annual  Conference  and  consequently 
amenable  to  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Circuit  for  his 
life  was,  for  the  crime  of  Falsehood,  expelled  from  the  Church 


488 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


by  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  the  Circuit  at  Alexandria, 
November  19,  1843.  That  was  a  sad  ending  of  a  man  who  had 
been  sent  to  the  people  with  the  message  of  gospel  truth.  It 
was  alleged  that  he  perpetrated  the  falsehood  by  making  con- 
flicting statements  concerning  a  note  given  to  Herndon  and 
Kelley.  Reproach  was  entailed  upon  the  Christian  cause,  and 
that  reproach  was  felt  throughout  that  Circuit  and  beyond,  and 
outlasted  the  year  in  which  it  originated. 

The  Quarterly  Conferences  held  for  the  Jacksonville  Circuit 
for  18-44:  licensed  W.  Posey,  William  Gore,  and  J.  B.  Seay  to 
preach,  and  during  that  year  there  were  numerous  Church 
trials,  arbitrations,  and  appeals.  Of  these  there  were  enough 
for  all  purposes  of  fume  and  fermentation,  disturbance  and 
disquiet.  If  the  purification  attained  was  equal  to  the  putre- 
faction disclosed,  the  work  should  have  been  satisfactory. 

Upon  the  motion  of  Haman  Bailey,  the  preacher  in  charge 
of  the  Circuit,  the  third  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  year  ap- 
pointed a  Committee  of  five  to  draft  a  preamble  and  resolution 
expressing  the  sense  of  that  Conference  on  the  subject  of  the 
division  of  the  Church  north  and  south  as  provided  for  by  the 
Acts  of  the  General  Conference  of  that  year.  The  Committee 
reported  a  paper  on  that  subject  which  was  adopted  and  ordered 
published  in  certain  secular  and  religious  Newspapers  named. 

The  Conference  year  for  1844  went  into  the  calendar  of  1845, 
the  session  of  the  Annual  Conference  beginning  February  26, 
1845,  and  extending  into  the  days  of  March.  The  fourth 
Quarterly  Conference  for  the  Jacksonville  Circuit  for  the  cur- 
rent year  1844  was  held  January  18,  1845.  On  the  previous 
Saturday,  January  11,  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Circuit, 
the  Rev.  Haman  Bailey,  died.  The  Record  of  that  Quarterly 
Conference,  held  just  one  week  after  his  death,  says:  "Owing 
to  the  death  of  our  much  Beloved  Brother,  H.  Bailey,  (Circuit 
Preacher)  it  was  thought  prudent  that  this  Conference  do 
something  for  the  comfort  of  his  bereaved  and  dependent 
family,  and  Brothers  Taylor,  Patton,  and  Groce  were  appointed 
to  make  some  arrangement  for  their  comfort."  The  Parsonage 
for  the  Jacksonville  Circuit,  which  was  secured  and  made  ready 
for  the  preacher  and  his  family  the  beginning  of  1844,  was  near 
the  Academy,  at  Marble  Spring,  on  Chockolocko  Creek,  near 
Owens  Spring  Camp-ground,  and  about  nine  miles  north-east 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      489 

of  the  Town  of  Talladega.  There  on  January  11,  1845,  the 
Rev.  Haman  Bailey  died,  and  in  the  neighborhood  near  there, 
in  the  Jemison  Grave-yard,  he  was  buried.  He  was  not  a  man  of 
finished  education,  but  he  was  a  faithful,  useful,  and  an  accept- 
able minister  of  the  gospel.  He  preached  the  doctrine  of  the 
Bible,  and  lived  a  life  of  sanctity. 

Close  to  where  the  Chinnabee  Valley  and  the  outlying  hills 
join,  there  was  left  and  there  lingered  a  savage  by  the  name  of 
Coffee  who  was  attached  to  his  wigwam  in  his  native  land,  and 
who  had  escaped  the  imperative  order  of  the  United  States 
officer  who  gathered  together  and  sent  thence  across  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  the  last  remnant  of  the  Creek  tribe  of  Indians 
who  roamed  among  the  beautiful  streams  of  Alabama.     An  in- 
cident in  the  life  of  that  savage,  and  one  of  no  small  import, 
may  be  here  narrated.     At  Chinnabee,  and  not  a  great  way 
from  the  hut  of  that  denizen  of  the  forest,  the  Methodists  es- 
tablished a  Camp-ground  as  early  as  1839;  and  that  year,  or 
the  next,  Coffee  attended  a  Camp-meeting  held  at  that  place, 
and,  savage  though  he  was,  the  Lord  commanded  the  blessing 
of  eternal  life  upon  him.     Just  a  little  way  from  the  outer  part 
of  the  Shed  under  which  the  congregation  assembled  for  divine 
worship  there  was  a  log  which  had  been  left  in  clearing  off  the 
grounds.     On  that  log  Coffee,  with,  perhaps,  some  members  of 
his  family,  seated  himself  while  divine  service  went  on,  and 
there  the  Spirit  reached  him.     Henry,  a  colored  man  who  was 
about  twenty-five  years  old,  and  who  had  himself  been  con- 
verted  in  1836,  and  who  was,  for  many  years,  under  the  law, 
the  property  of  John  L.  Seay,  and  who  was  in  the  days  of 
slavery  an  exhorter,  and  exercised  his  gifts  as  a  preacher,  and 
who,  after  the  manumission  of  the  slaves  of  the  country,  was 
one  of  the  foremost  preachers  in  the  Colored  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  the  United  States,  and  always,  from  the  day 
of  his  regeneration  till  his  death,  in  1884,  one  of  the  most  pious 
men  of  any  Church,  discovered  the  fact  that  Coffee  was  under 
conviction,  and  made  it  known  to  the  preachers  in  charge  of 
the  services.     The  preachers  and  other  Christians  gathered 
about  him,  and  treated  him  as  a  mourner.     They  conversed 
with  him  and  prayed  for  him.     He  understood  only  the  Indian 
language.     The  Rev.  Leonard  Tarrant  led  the  prayer  offered 
in  the  interest  of  Coffee,  and  John  L.  Seay,  who  was  a  member 


490 


llistortf  of  Mt'tlnuUsm  in  Ahxbama. 


of  tho  Churcli,  ami  who  undorHiooil  the  liulinii  uiul  tho  English 
hiULCiuii^os,  Hottni  as  intt^rprotor,  ami  iiitorpri»ttHl  tho  prayors 
otTtuoil  for  him  ami  tho  instructions  givon  him.  Throufjjii  Tar- 
rant ami  Soay  ho  was  instriu'trtl  in  tlu»  gos[)ol,  and  hnl  in  sup- 
plication at  the  throne  of  graces  ami  from  CJoil  through  Ji»su8 
Christ  he  obtainoil  salvation.  Tlu*  Whiti*  nuin,  thi»  Jilack  man, 
ami  the  Iveil  man  all  joined  in  the  work  of  salvation,  and  together 
pnrtieipateil  in  the  joy  which  tMisueil.  The  language  of  Coifee 
as  a  penitent  and  as  a  I'onvert  was  strikingly  different.  When 
he  was  a  ])enitont  under  conviction  he  expressed  his  fei^iings 
by  saying,  speaking  in  the  Indian  language,  "  Heart  sick  heap." 
AVlien  he  attaimnl  regent^-ation  he  said,  "  Heart  no  h>nger  sick. 
Master  of  breath  is  good;  1  am  stingy  of  him."  13y  the  last  re- 
mark he  meant  to  express  his  high  appreciation  of  (lod,  and 
his  intense  love  for  him.  The  intense  language  spoken  by  that 
Creek  Imlian  at  Chinnabee  Camp-gronnd,  in  Talladega  County, 
Alabama,  in  America,  in  the  tirst  half  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
reminds  one  of  the  intense  language  spoken  by  Jesns  on  the 
Mount  in  Palestine,  Asia,  in  the  tirst  half  of  the  tirst  century. 
The  citizens  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  whether  they  come  from 
among  the  savage  or  civilized,  the  rude  or  cnltured,  speak  a 
uniform  and  pure  language,  and  for  the  reason  that  the  feel- 
ings and  impulses  imparted  to  the  heart  by  the  inspiration  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  are  the  same  in  all  cases. 

At  the  close  of  one  dozen  years  from  the  introduction  of 
Methodism  into  Talladega  and  Benton  Counties,  there  were  in 
the  bounds  of  the  territory  first  occupied  by  the  Talladega  Cir- 
cuit more  than  twenty  Methodist  Societies  of  established  worth, 
the  membership  of  which  aggregated  more  than  twelve  hun- 
dred, and  from  which  a  number  of  efficient  men  had  been  sent 
into  the  ministry. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  Further  Enlarqemknt  and  Advancement  of  the  Work 

OF  Methodism  in  Alabama. 

THAT   largo  portion  of  the  territory  acquired  from  the 
Creek  Indians  by  the  Tn^fity  of  March  24, 1832,  and  which 
was  not  traversed  by  the  Talladega  Circuit,  was  presented  Uy 
the  notice  of  the  Alabama  Coufenuice  at  the  session  thereof  at 
Montgomery,  Alabama,  December  11,  1833.     October  1,  183:), 
tho  llev.  E.  G.  llichards,  a  local  preacher  of  the  M(.*thodist 
Episcopal  Church,  entered  permanent  abode  at  the  place  since 
then  known  as  La  Fayette,  in  Chambers  County,  Alabama. 
Ho   immediately   heard    of   a   few   Methodists   at   and   about 
Hurst's  Store,  where  the  town  of  Fredonia  now  stands,  and  he 
went  out  and  preached  to  them.     He  at  once  formed  the  purpose 
of  securing  a  Missionary  for  that  section  of  the  country.     To 
that  end,  he  gathered  all  the  Methodists  who  could  be  assem- 
bled at  Hurst's  Store,  thirteen  in  number,  as  a  nucleus  for  a 
Mission      He  went  to  the  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference 
at  Montgomery,  Alabama,  December  11,  1833,  and  represented 
to  the  Conference  the  necessities  of  the  unoccupied  field,  and 
the  demands  of   the   sheep  without  a  shepherd.     At  Hurst's 
Store  in  the  primeval  forest  where  still  roamed  the  Indian  in 
his  savage  state  and  habits,  there  was  a  Class  already  formed 
of  thirteen  Methodists  who,  though  they  were  not  furnished 
with  a  house  of  worship  ornamented  with  vessels  of  gold  and 
silver  and  hangings  of  fine  twined  linen  and  of  royal  colore, 
and  had  to  worship  under  the  boughs  of  the  trees  or  the  open 
heavens,  or  at  most  in  a  very  rude  hut,  needed  a  spiritual  guide 
and  a  divinely  commissioned  teacher.     At  other  points  there 
were  scattered   settlers  in   need  of  spiritual  oversight.     The 
Conference  put  down  in  its  list  of  appointments  one  which 
hitherto  had  not  existed:  Chattahoochee  Mission:  io  that  Mis- 
sion was  sent  for  1834,  Sidney  Squires,  and  Hugh  M.  Finley. 

The  Chattahoochee  Mission  for  1834  occupied  all  the  newly 
acquired  territory  south  of  Talladega  and  Benton  Counties,  and 

(491) 


i 


I 


492 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


consisted  of  the  then  Chambers,  Coosa,  Macon,  Randolph,  Eus- 
sell,  and  Tallapoosa  Counties,  and  that  part  of  the  new  cession 
included  in  Barbour  County.  It  was  a  large  field  with  few 
white  inhabitants  in  it  and  many  savages.  All  was  rude  and 
rough.  The  two  Missionaries  traveled  through  the  field  preach- 
ing wherever  inhabitants  could  be  found  and  organizing  Socie- 
ties wherever  Methodists  enough  to  make  a  Society  could  be 
gathered.  But  few  of  the  places  where  Societies  were  organ- 
ized that  year  are  now  known.  There  were  at  least  four  So- 
cieties formed  in  Chambers  County  by  the  close  of  that  year; 
one  near  Caraway's  Mill,  six  miles  above  where  Fredonia  now 
is,  of  which  Bonner,  Rutland,  and  others  were  members;  one 
at  Kidd's  Store,  now  Oak  Bowery,  of  which  Webb  Kidd  was  a 
leading  member;  one  at  the  place  now  known  as  La  Fayette,  of 
which  there  were  only  three  members,  the  Rev.  E.  G.  Richards, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Dudley,  and  Mrs.  Kitty  Driver;  and  one  at  Hurst's 
Store,  now  Fredonia,  and  which  was  the  largest  Society  in  the 
bounds  of  the  Mission.  Mrs.  S.  M.  Hurst  was  one  of  the 
charter  members  at  that  place,  and  Mr.  J.  A.  Hurst,  the  man 
who  established  the  Store  at  that  place,  was  a  Methodist  and  a 
local  preacher  there  for  many  years. 

The  Rev.  Hugh  M.  Finley  was  in  his  second  year  on  trial  in 
the  Conference,  and  he  died  that  year  at  Hurst's  and  was 
buried  on  the  lot  on  which  the  house  of  worship  was  afterward 
built  by  the  Methodists  at  Fredonia.  At  the  end  of  the  year 
on  the  Chattahoochee  Mission  the  Rev.  Sidney  Squires  trans- 
ferred to  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  on  the  organization 
of  the  Arkansas  Conference  he  became  a  member  thereof,  and 
he  located  at  the  close  of  1839. 

The  country  embraced  in  the  Chattahoochee  Mission  for 
1834  was  at  the  close  of  that  year  and  for  1835  assigned  to  five 
different  appointments  as  follows:  Clayton  Mission,  Uchee  Mis- 
sion, Line  Creek  Mission,  Chambersville  Mission,  and  Talla- 
poosa. 

The  Clayton  Mission  was  partly  in  Barbour  and  partly  in 
Macon  Counties,  and  was  within  the  newly  ceded  territory,  ex- 
cept Clayton,  which  was  outside  and  two  miles  south-west  of 
the  line.  Clayton  and  Irwinton  (now  Eufaula)  were  the  most 
prominent  preaching  places  on  the  Mission,  with  others  of  les8 
note  within  the  intervening  points  between  these  places  and 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      493 

the  Uchee  Mission.  The  preacher  assigned  to  the  Clayton 
Mission  for  the  first  year  of  its  existence  was  Zaccheus  Dowling. 
At  the  close  of  the  year  there  w^ere  one  hundred  and  twelve 
white  and  forty-eight  colored  members. 

The  Uchee  Mission  was  named  after  the  Uchee  Creeks 
which  traverse  the  County  of  Russell,  the  name  indicating  the 
section  of  country  in  which  the  Mission  was  situated.  The 
preacher  on  that  Mission  for  its  first  year  was  the  Rev.  Daniel 
C.  Mclntyre.  At  the  close  of  the  year  there  were  in  that  Mis- 
sion one  hundred  and  twenty-four  white  and  fifty-three  colored 
members. 

Line  Creek,  for  which  Line  Creek  Mission  was  named,  was, 
at  that  point,  the  line  of  the  newly  ceded  territory,  and  was  lalso 
the  line  between  Montgomery  and  Macon  Counties.  That  Mis- 
sion was  left  to  be  supplied  for  1835,  and  there  was  no  return 
made  from  it  for  the  year,  and  it  disappeared  from  the  list  of 
appointments  for  the  time  being. 

Chambersville,  for  which  Chambersville  Mission  was  named, 
was  the  county  town  of  Chambers  County,  and  was  afterward 
changed  from  that  name  to  La  Fayette.  Chambersville  Mis- 
sion embraced  anywhere  in  Chambers  and  Randolph  Counties 
and  about  the  edges  of  the  adjourning  Counties  not  embraced 
in  other  appointments.  The  preacher  for  that  Mission  for  that 
first  year  was  the  Rev.  Paul  F.  Stearns,  and  one  to  be  supplied, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  year  the  report  showed  four  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  white  and  eighty-four  colored  members  in  the  bounds 
of  that  charge. 

The  Tallapoosa  Charge  was  in  Tallapoosa  and  Coosa  Coun- 
ties, and  the  preacher  on  it  the  first  year  of  its  existence,  the 
Rev.  Richard  N.  Crowson,  had  hard  work  and  small  success. 
Only  thirty-four  white  members,  and  none  of  any  other  sort, 
were  gathered  in  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  the  work. 

For  1836  that  region  of  country  was  divided  between  Clay- 
ton, Uchee,  La  Fayette,  and  Tallapoosa  Mission,  with  the 
Rev.  William  B.  Neal  at  Clayton,  the  Rev.  Alexander  R.  Dick- 
son at  Uchee,  the  Rev.  George  W.  Cotton  and  the  Rev.  John 
W.  Broxson  at  La  Fayette,  and  the  Rev.  John  Poe  at  Talla- 
poosa. The  Lower  Creek  Indians  conceived  the  idea  of  retain- 
ing their  lands  and  remaining  in  their  native  country,  the 
Treaty  of  cession  and  stipulations  of  removal  to  the  contrary 
32 


494 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


notwithstanding,  and  by  the  first  of  May,  1836,  they  were  com- 
mitting depredations  upon  and  were  in  open  hostilities  against 
the  new  settlers  in  the  newly  acquired  territory.  Kussell 
County  was  about  the  center  of  the  hostile  demonstrations,  and 
the  places  where  most  of  the  depredations  were  committed  were 
in  that  county,  but  the  agitation  was  wide  spread,  and  extended 
over  the  newly  acquired  territory,  and  beyond;  and  the  work  of 
the  ministry  was  interrupted,  and  for  the  time  suspended  in  all 
the  pastoral  charges  here  mentioned.  For  that  year  Uchee  and 
La  Fayette  charges  had  no  increase  in  members,  Clayton  had 
an  increase  of  only  forty-six  members,  and  Tallapoosa  had  an 
increase  of  seventy-eight  members. 

The  preachers  for  1837  were:  Clayton,  the  Eev.  John  Bos- 
well;  Uchee,  the  Kev.  J.  Davis,  the  Kev.  Charles  Strider;  La 
Fayette,  the  Rev.  John  Hunter;  Tallapoosa,  the  Rev.  Benjamin 
L.  West;  and  Randolph  Mission,  a  new  appointment,  was  to  be 
supplied. 

The  preachers  in  that  territory  for  1838,  with  Line  Creek 
Mission  again  added  to  the  appointments,  were:  the  Rev. 
James  Shanks  at  Clayton;  the  Rev.  John  Hunter  at  Uchee; 
the  Rev.  William  C.  Robinson  at  La  Fayette;  the  Rev.  John 
Boswell  at  Line  Creek;  the  Rev.  Benjamin  L.  West  at  Talla- 
poosa; Randolph  Mission,  to  be  supplied. 

The  work  in  that  territory  increased  rapidly  at  that  date,  and 
a  number  of  new  appointments  were  made  for  1839.  Irwinton, 
Tuskegee,  Coosa,  and  Terrapin  Creek  Mission  were  all  added 
for  that  year,  and  Uchee  disappeared.  The  Rev.  John  W. 
Starr  was  appointed  to  Irwinton;  the  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Capers, 
and  the  Rev.  John  W.  Talley,  Jr.,  to  Tuskegee;  the  Rev.  John 
Hunter  to  Tallapoosa;  the  Rev.  James  P.  McGhee  to  Coosa; 
the  Rev.  William  Spann  to  Terrapin  Creek;  the  Rev.  John  T. 
Rbper  to  Randolph;  the  Rev.  James  Shanks  returned  to  Clay- 
ton; the  Rev.  John  Boswell  to  Line  Creek;  the  Rev.  William 
C.  Robinson  to  La  Fayette: 

For  1840  the  charges  in  that  territory  remained  the  same,  ex- 
cept Terrapin  Creek  disappeared.  The  Rev.  John  W.  Starr  re- 
turned to  Irwinton;  the  Rev.  John  Hunter  to  Tallapoosa;  the 
Rev.  John  W.  Talley,  Jr.,  was  appointed  to  Clayton;  the  Rev. 
L.  B.  McDonald  to  Line  Creek;  the  Rev.  William  C.  Robinson, 
and  the  Rev.  Jefferson  Bond  to  Tuskegee;  the  Rev.  E.  AY.  Sto- 


Furthey  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      495 


ry  to  La  Fayette;  the  Rev.  James  P.  McGhee  to  Randolph;  and 
Coosa  was  to  be  supplied. 

For  1841  the  charges  in  that  territory  were  increased  by  the 
addition  of  Glennville,  Russell,  and  Chattahoochee  Mission.  The 
Rev.  Elias  W.  Story  returned  to  La  Fayette,  and  the  Rev.  James 
Peeler  was  appointed  with  him;  the  Rev.  L.  B.  McDonald  re- 
turned to  Line  Creek;  the  Rev.  Charles  B.  Eastman  went  to 
Irwinton;  the  Rev.  William  C.  Robinson  tg  Glennville;  the  Rev. 
John  Hunter,  and  the  Rev.  J.  Laney  to  Tuskegee;  the  Rev. 
Henry  T.  Jones  to  Russell;  the  Rev.  John  T.  Roper  to  Talla- 
poosa; the  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Williamson  to  Chattahoochee;  the 
Rev.  George  R.  W.  Smith  to  Coosa;  the  Rev.  Abel  Pearce  to 

Randolph. 

The  charges  in  that  territory  for  1842  were:  Irwinton  Station, 
the  Rev.  Stephen  F.  Pilley;  Glennville,  the  Rev.  Benjamin  L. 
West,  the  Rev.  William  C.  Robinson,  Sup.;  Line  Creek  to  be 
supplied;  Tuskegee,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Armstrong,  the  Rev. 
Joshua  Starr;  Russell,  the  Rev.  Elias  W.  Story;  La  Fayette,  the 
Rev.  Thomas  J.  Williamson;  Dadeville,  the  Rev.  Nicholson  P. 
Scales;  Chattahoochee  Mission  to  people  of  color,  the  Rev. 
Alexander  McBride;  Coosa,  tlie  Rev.  Jesse  Ellis,  the  Rev.  Ed- 
ward W.  Barr;  Randolph,  the  Rev.  John  Hunter. 

The  charges  in  the  same  territory  for  1843  were:  Irwinton 
and  Glennville,  the  Rev.  Stephen  F.  Pilley;  Glennville  Circuit, 
the  Rev.  John  Hunter;  Line  Creek,  the  Rev.  Abraham  B.  Elli- 
ott; Tuskegee,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Armstrong,  the  Rev.  Robert  R. 
Dickinson;  La  Fayette,  the  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Williamson,  the 
Rev.  James  H.  Laney;  Russell,  the  Rev.  Elias  W.  Story,  the 
Rev.  J.  R.  Locke;  Dadeville,  the  Rev.  Joshua  Starr;  Chattahoo- 
chee Mission,  the  Rev.  A.  McBride,  the  Rev.  Leonard  Rush; 
Randolph,  the  Rev.  J.  Kuykendall;  Coosa,  the  Rev.  Jesse  Ellis. 

The  charges  for  1844  were:  Eufaula  and  Glennville,  the  Rev. 
Thomas  H.  P.  Scales;  Aberfoil,  the  Rev.  James  Peeler,  the  Rev. 
Alexander  McBride;  Glennville  Mission  to  people  of  color,  the 
Rev.  William  K.  Norton;  Line  Creek,  the  Rev.  John  R.  Locke; 
Tuskegee,  the  Rev.  E.  W.  Story,  the  Rev.  James  A.  Heard; 
La  Fayette,  the  Rev.  John  Hunter,  the  Rev.  O.  R.  Blue;  Dade- 
ville, the  Rev.  E.  J.  Hammill;  Russell,  the  Rev.  John  C.  Carter, 
the  Rev.  Joshua  Starr;  Randolph,  the  Rev.  James  M.  Wells; 
Coosa,  the  Rev.  Theophilus  Moody,  the  Rev.  John  W.  Ellis. 


496 


History  of  Method  ism  in  Alabama. 


The  charges  for  1845  were:  Eufaula  and  Glennville,  the  Kev. 
Samuel  Armstrong;  Enon,  the  Eev.  James  Peeler;  Glennville 
Colored  Mission,  the  Eev.  William  K.  Norton:  La  Fayette,  the 
Rev.  J.  "W.  Starr,  the  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Campbell;  Dadeville,  to 
be  supplied;  Crawford,  one  to  be  supplied,  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam H.  Carlisle;  Chattahoochee  Colored  Mission,  the  Rev. 
Leonard  Rush,  the  Rev.  J.  B.  F.  Hill;  Tuskegee,  the  Rev. 
John  C.  Carter,  the  pev\  James  A.  Clement;  Line  Creek  and 
Woodley  Bridge  Colored  Mission,  the  Rev.  A.  S.  Harris;  Killa- 
bee  Colored  Mission,  the  Rev.  E.  W.  Story;  Hillabee  Mission, 
the  Rev.  Jesse  Ellis;  Coosa,  the  Rev.  John  Hunter,  the  Rev. 
William  Ira  Powers;  Randolph,  the  Rev.  Wiley  White;  Musca- 
dine, to  be  supplied. 

At  the  close  of  1844  there  were  in  the  bounds  of  that  last 
ceded  territory  of  the  Creek  Indians,  and  where  the  savage 
tribe  had  so  recently  waged  hostilities,  and  committed  depreda- 
tions, and  scalped  the  white  man,  more  than  five  thousand  white 
members  and  more  than  two  thousand  colored  members.  Surely 
it  was  better  to  have  that  country  inhabited  by  that  many  Chris- 
tians than  by  savages,  whether  many  or  few. 

The  Town  of  Irwinton  is  mentioned  in  an  Act  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  Alabama,  approved  January  16,  1834;  and  again  in 
an  Act  approved  January  8,  1836,  incorporating  the  Trustees  of 
the  Irwinton  Academy;  and  again  in  an  Act  approved  January 
9,  1836,  amending  an  act  incorporating  the  Town  of  Irwinton. 
The  General  Assembly  of  Alabama  passed  and  approved  an  Act 
January  2,  1843,  to  alter  the  name  of  the  Town  of  Irwinton  to 
that  of  Eufaula.  The  Methodists  commenced  preaching  at  Ir- 
winton at  the  beginning  of  the  place,  and  have  maintained  a 
good  organization  there  all  the  time  since.  The  statement  that 
the  Rev.  Morgan  C.  Turrentine  organized  a  Methodist  Society 
at  the  Town  of  Irwinton,  Barbour  County,  Alabama,  is  founded 
upon  pure  fiction.  From  tlie  close  of  1829  to  the  close  of  1849 
the  Rev.  Morgan  C.  Turrentine  was  a  member  of  the  South 
Carolina  Conference,  all  that  time  filling  appointments  in  South 
Carolina  and  in  North  Carolina,  with  all  the  State  of  Georgia 
between  him  and  Alabama.  Squires,  Finley,  Dowling,  and  Neal 
were  the  only  preachers  having  charge  of  the  territory  in  which 
Irwinton  was  located  from  the  beginning  there  at  the  close  of 
1833  to  the  close  of  1836.     It  has  been  stated,  by  those  claiming 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      497 


to  know,  that  the  Methodists  erected  a  house  of  worship  at  Ir- 
winton in  1835,  and  it  was  the  first  erected  at  that  place  by  any 
denomination.  Irwinton  was  set  off  from  the  Clayton  charge  at 
the  close  of  1837,  and  was  put  down  as  a  Station  at  the  close  of 
1842,  though  it  had  Glennville  with  it  during  1843,  1844,  1845. 
At  the  close  of  1845  there  were  in  the  Society  at  Eufaula  about 
one  hundred  white  and  sixty  colored  members. 

In  the  county  of  Barbour,  fifteen  miles  from  Eufaula,  a 
preaching  place  was  established  and  a  Society  was  organized, 
and  the  place  was  known  as  Norton's  School-house,  though  the 
official  name  of  the  church  was  Providence.  That  church  began 
with  and  flourished  through  the  fostering  care  of  the  Rev.  John 
W.  Norton,  a  local  elder  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
who  fixed  his  permanent  home  at  that  place  in  1835,  and  who 
died  there  March  15,  1862.  He  was  born  January  22, 1794,  and 
was  received  on  trial  in  the  South  Carolina  Conference  in  De- 
cember, 1814,  and  finally  located  in  January,  1826.  His  sons 
and  grandsons  have  made  efiicient  traveling  preachers.  He  was 
dignified,  genial,  generous,  conservative,  and  wise;  he  wrought 
constantly  for  the  promotion  of  Society  and  the  Church. 

The  Rev.  James  Elizabeth  Glenn,  a  native  of  Franklin 
County,  North  Carolina,  and  who  attained  justification  and  re- 
generation, in  his  nineteenth  year,  at  a  Camp-meeting  at  Goose 
Creek  Camp-grouud,  in  his  native  State,  and  who  was  licensed 
to  preach  at  Plank  Chapel,  in  his  native  county,  and  who  was 
two  years,  beginning  in  February,  1806,  in  the  traveling  connec- 
tion in  the  Virginia  Conference,  and  for  six  years,  closing  in 
January,  1814,  a  member  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  and 
who  was  a  citizen  of  Abbeville  District,  South  Carolina,  from 
1814  till  1832,  and  who  had  a  temporary  home  in  Randolph 
County,  Georgia,  for  three  years,  settled  himself,  while  yet  the 
savages  roamed  the  forest  thereabout,  in  1835,  on  the  eastern 
line  of  Township  thirteen,  and  Range  twenty-eight,  in  Barbour 
County,  Alabama.  Soon  the  place  assumed  the  proportions  of 
a  village,  and  was  called  Glennville,  in  honor  of  the  noted 
settler.  From  1836  preaching  has  been  kept  up  at  Glennville, 
and  since  1838  a  flourishing  Methodist  organization  has  been 
maintained  at  that  place. 

The  headwaters  of  Cowikee,  Upintolocco,  and  Big  Uchee 
Creeks  are  close  together,  and  thereabout  is  a  most  beautiful 


498 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


region  of  country.  A  settlement  was  attempted  there  by  ad- 
venturous white  men,  while  yet  the  savage  roamed  and  hunted 
in  that  region.  The  very  year  of  the  savage  outbreak,  the  year 
1S3G,  John  McTyeire,  of  Barnwell  District,  South  Carolina, 
sought  him  out  a  possession  in  that  lonely  land,  and  by  the  year 
1838  he,  with  his  household,  was  domiciled  beside  his  own  dead- 
ening and  clearing.  Others  were  there  as  soon,  and  a  commu- 
nity at  once  existed.  A  preaching  place  was  established  by  the 
Methodists  and  a  Methodist  Society  was  organized  there  at  the 
beginning,  and,  in  the  on-going  of  things,  Uchee  Chapel  was 
built;  and  there  a  Methodist  Church  has  flourished  since.  John 
McTyeire,  the  father  of  Bishop  Holland  N.  McTyeire,  John  B. 
Tate,  Joel  Hurt,  Henry  Hurt,  William  Threadgill,  and  their 
families,  and  others  constituted  that  flourishing  Methodist  So- 
ciety. The  little  village  of  Uchee  is  ono  of  the  loveliest  spots 
in  the  original  County  of  Russell.  There,  in  the  early  spring  of 
1857,  at  the  house  of  one  Dr.  Green,  the  author  of  these  pages 
drank  his  last  cup  of  coffee. 

Sixteen  miles  west  of  the  Chattahoochee  Eiver,  on  an  air  line, 
in  the  County  of  Russell,  in  the  year  1837,  Daniel  Bullard  built, 
of  split  logs  and  boards,  a  house  of  worship,  twenty-four  by 
twenty-two  feet,  at  a  cost  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  dollars, 
and  the  place  was  called  Lebanon;  it  was  in  a  mile  or  two  of  the 
present  town  of  Opelika;  and  the  Society  there  at  that  time 
consisted  of  twenty-two  members.  That  church  was  kept  up  in 
a  flourishing  condition  till  the  close  of  1857,  when  the  member- 
ship moved  to  the  town  of  Opelika.  The  church  at  Lebanon  was 
girded  with  strength  and  adorned  with  grace.  In  1839  there 
was  a  permanent  revival  there,  and  a  substantial  ingathering. 

In  1838  a  Society  was  organized,  and  a  house  of  worship,  in 
keeping  with  the  times  and  state  of  the  country,  was  erected  in 
Township  eighteen,  Range  twenty-nine,  and  named  Mount  Zion. 
In  1844  a  new  house  of  worship  was  erected,  which  stands  to 
this  day.  That  Mount  Zion  is  on  an  elevated  plot  of  ground 
near  the  Railroad,  seven  or  eight  miles  north-west  of  Columbus, 
Georgia.  The  church  at  Mount  Zion  has  ever  been  one  of 
worth  and  influence,  noted  for  intelligence,  liberality,  and  piety. 

By  1841  the  Russell  Circuit  was  formed  and  in  full  working 
order,  and  consisted  of  the  following  Societies:  Crawford,  Glenn 
Chapel,  five  miles  from  the  present  town  of  Seale,  Girard,  Leb- 


FurtJier  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      499 


anon,  Mount  Zion,  Salem,  Shady  Grove,  south  of  Opelika  ten  or 
twelve  miles,  Soule  Chapel,  six  miles  from  Columbus,  Georgia, 
Uchee  Chapel,  Wacoochee,  Watoola,  (Capps,)  White's,  Wesley 
Chapel,  between  Big  Uchee  and  thi  town  of  Crawford,  and  Un- 
ion, between  Lebanon  and  the  town   of  Auburn.     Among  the 
prominent  and  faithful  men  who  labored  at  these  several  Soci- 
eties in  the  early  day  may  be  mentioned:  Rev.  John  C.  Ardis, 
Rev    Charles  A.  Brown,  Rev.  John  Crowell,  Rev.  James  W. 
Capps,  Rev.  Isaac  Faulkenberry,  Rev.  Luke  T.  Mizell,  local 
preachers,  Daniel  Bullard,  William  Barnett,  H.  M.  Crowder,  S. 
R.  Boykin,  W.  Dunlap,  James  Allen,  John  W.  Allen,  Washing- 
ton Burt,  Young  Edwards,  Daniel  Johnson,  R.  P.  Laney,  F. 
Morton,  R.  S.  Hardaway,  Joel  Hurt,  Benjamin  Borum,  W.  J. 
Gibson,  John  McTyeire,  Mark  McCutchen,  Theophilus  White, 
and  John  B.  Tate.     In  1843  the  Russell  Circuit  suffered  a  great 
loss  in  the  death  of  Hartwell  Bass,  a  man  of  strength,  piety, 

and  influence. 

While  yet  the  Indian,  in  contemplation  of  his  final  exodus 
from  his  own  country,  in  dejected  solitude,  tread  his  native  soil 
and  listened  to  the  plaintive  dirges  sung  by  the  gentle  winds 
amid  the  tree-tops  of  his  native  land,  a  number  of  Methodists, 
who  were  afterward  distinguished  for  zeal  and  piety,  as  if  they 
came  just  in  time  to  introduce  innovations  upon  the  long-estab- 
lished customs  of  the  savage,  moved  into  Macon  County.  That 
immigration  created  a  demand  for  ministerial  services  in  that 
region.  That  demand  was  met  as  best  it  could  be  under  the  dis- 
abtlities  of  the  limited  supply  of  preachers  and  the  rude  condi- 
tion of  the  country.  ^       ^    ^     a     -  t      f 

It  is  said  by  those  esteemed  good  authority  that  a  bociety  of 
Methodists  was  organized  at  Tuskegee  in  1835,  consisting  of 
Joseph  Cameron  and  his  wife,  and  Mrs.  James  Dent,  and  Mrs. 
Thomas  S.  Woodward.  Cameron  was  a  mechanic,  illiterate,  and 
poor-  as  a  member  of  the  Church  he  was,  for  a  while,  punctual, 
pious,  and  profitable,  but  he  finally  died  a  drunkard.  The  court- 
house a  little  log  building  with  a  dirt  floor,  was  used  by  that 
Society  as  a  preaching  place.  About  1836  a  School-house  was 
built  and  was  used  as  a  place  for  preaching  by  all  who  came 
that  way  and  engaged  in  that  kind  of  services.  The  first  house 
of  worship  for  the  Methodists  at  Tuskegee  was  completed  in 
1841.     The  membership  of  that  Society  during  the  time  worship 


500 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


was  held  in  the  School-house,  in  addition  to  the  members  already 
named,  consisted  of  the  Eev.  Kobert  Adams,  once  a  member  of 
the  South  Carolina  Conference,  the  Eev.  John  Chappell,  Charles 
George  Eush,  James  Nicho!son,  Alfred  Hardy,  Samuel  P.  Bas- 
comb.  Dr.  E.  H.  Howard,  George  Menifee,  William  H.  Stand- 
ford,  and  some  of  the  members  of  the  families  of  some  of  these 
mentioned  here.  John  B.  Bilbro  became  a  citizen  of  Tuskegee 
and  a  member  of  the  Society  at  that  place  in  1841.  He  joined 
the  Church  in  1833  at  Columbus,  Georgia. 

Traditio]!  says  that  the  Eev.  John  Boswell,  he  then  being 
presiding  elder  of  the  Chattahoochee  District,  organized  a  So- 
ciety, in  1834,  in  the  house  of  James  Howard,  at  Cross  Keys, 
about  sixteen  miles  west  of  Tuskegee,  and  that  a  log  house  was 
built  soon  after  the  organization  of  that  Society  for  a  place  of 
worship.  James  Howard  and  his  wife,  Tabitha,  and  his  daugh- 
ter, Sarah,  and  Joseph  H.  Howard  and  his  wife  and  his  daugh- 
ter, and  others  were  members  at  Cross  Keys  at  the  first. 

In  1835  a  Society  was  organized  six  miles  west  of  Tuskegee, 
and  was  known  as  Clanton's.  Its  members  at  the  organization 
were  Nathaniel  H.  Clanton,  John  A.  Green,  Anson  Davis,  Ben- 
jamin Motley,  and  others.  The  house  of  worship  at  that  place 
was  a  log  cabin.  That  log  cabin  was  superseded  in  1842  by  Mc- 
Kendree  Chapel,  which  was  built  one  half  mile  nearer  Tuskegee. 
In  after  years  all  the  little  Societies  in  that  region  were  united 
in  Union  Church,  which  was  eight  miles  west  of  Tuskegee. 

Tuskegee  Camp-ground,  four  miles  west  of  Tuskegee,  was  es- 
tablished in  1838,  and  the  tenters  there  at  that  date  were  Col. 
Nathaniel  H.  Clanton,  James  Nicholson,  Charles  G.  Eush,  Lew- 
is Hoffman,  Jacob  Hoffman,  Alfred  Hardy,  A.  Chappell,  the 
Eev.  John  Chappell,  the  Eev.  Eobert  Adams,  and  James  How- 
ard. The  Eev.  John  Chappell  was  once  a  member  of  the  Geor- 
gia Conference.     He  was  good  natured  and  true. 

As  early  as  1837  there  was  a  large  Society  at  Auburn  with 
Thomas  H.  Harper  as  class  leader.  The  Harper  family  was 
large,  and  many  of  them  belonged  to  the  Society  at  the  town  of 
Auburn. 

The  Methodist  preachers  went  into  that  newly  settled  region 
unencumbered  with  assumptions  of  sacerdotal  dignities, *and 
functions,  and  paraphernalia,  and  entirely  removed  from  the 
distractions  engendered  of  conflicting  edicts  issued  by  opposing 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      501 

councils  and  rival  pontiffs,  and  they  applied  themselves  with 
diligeuce  to  the  one  work  of  gathering  the  population  into  the 
fold  of  the  great  Shepherd,  and  by  1839  they  had  a  well  organ- 
ized Circuit,  which  bore  the  name  of  Tuskegee,  and  which  lay 
round  about  from  that  place,  and  extended  over  much  of  the 
County  of  Macon.  In  the  Societies  which  constituted  that  Cir- 
cuit were  men  and  women,  not  a  few,  of  personal  piety  and 
power. 

There  was  one  who  apprehended  that  for  which  he  was  ap- 
prehended by  Christ  Jesus,  and  who,  having  his  name  in  the 
book  of  life,  attained  unto  distinction  among  his  fellows,  who 
may  be  properly  noticed  here.  So  far  as  his  person  and  posi- 
tion were  to  be  implicated  there  was  to  him  no  meaning  in  the 
claim  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  pontiff.  He  was  simply  a  lay- 
man, and  he  was  Charles  George  Eush.  He  came  from  South 
Carolina  to  Alabama  in  1818,  and  from  then  till  his  death  in 
1858,  a  period  of  forty  years,  he  allied  himself  with  the  Metho- 
dism of  Alabama.  He  lived  a  dozen  years  at  Washington,  Au- 
tauga County,  Alabama,  and  was  there  when  the  innovators  cre- 
ated a  revolt  against  and  led  a  secession  from  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  While  Mr.  Eush,  in  common  with  all  good 
men,  deplored  the  ecclesiastical  discord  created  by  the  innova- 
tors he  could  not  be  neutral  in  the  contest,  and,  adhering  through 
all  the  controversy  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  he  led 
an  active  campaign  in  defense  of  the  established  usages  of  Meth- 
odism, and  he  exerted  a  strong  influence  in  impeding  the  prog- 
ress and  in  suppressing  the  work  of  the  secessionists. 

He  was  of  German  descent,  and  was  of  sturdy  mold  of  char- 
acter. In  literary  attainments  he  was  limited,  but  in  habits  of 
industry  he  was  thoroughly  trained,  having  been  brought  up  at 
a  trade,  that  of  a  blacksmith.  W^hen  he  had  nearly  reached  his 
majority  he  hired  himself,  or  was  hired  by  his  father,  to  a  neigh- 
bor to  superintend  a  distillery  through  the  brandy  making  sea- 
son: and  while  he  was  engaged  in  that  business  he  was  convict- 
ed and  regenerated,  and  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church,  the 
Church  of  his  ancestors,  and  he  continued  in  the  business  of 
distillation  until  his  contract  expired.  He  never  for  a  moment 
considered  the  business  derogatory  to  Christian  character,  or 
destructive  to  moral  integrity. 

For  a  time  he  resided  in  Montgomery  County.     While  resid- 


UUtoi'ij  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


iiig  in  tliat  County  ho  held  his  membership  at  the  city  of  Mont- 
gomery. That  noted  event,  the  Falling  of  the  Stars,  which  oc- 
curred on  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  November  13,  1833, 
marked  the  beginning  of  an  exalted  state  of  religious  experience 
in  the  case  of  Brother  Rush.  He  was  asleep  at  his  home.  In 
the  midst  of  the  phenomenon  he  was  awakened  by  the  screams 
of  frightened  persons^,  white  and  black,  whose  fears  had  been 
aroused,  and  who,  in  the  dreadful  extremity  of  the  hour,  were 
exclaiming  that  the  day  of  Judgment  had  come.  He  dressed 
in  haste,  and,  with  much  foreboding,  looked  out  upon  the  dis- 
play in  the  heavens  above.  When  he  saw  the  multitude  of 
shooting  stars  and  falling  meteors  his  anticipations  of  dreadful 
catastrophe  were  contirmed,  and  he  accepted  it  as  a  fact  that 
the  day  of  Judgment  had  really  come.  Whereupon  he  commit- 
ted himself  and  his  cause  to  God  who  was  to  be  on  the  throne 
of  that  day.  He  was,  at  once,  in  a  state  of  confidence  and  calm- 
ness. In  the  infallible  judgment  of  God  he  reposed,  and  ho 
awaited  in  peace  the  opening  of  the  books,  the  revelation  of  the 
accounts,  and  the  final  award.  When  the  day  dawned,  the  sun 
arose,  and  the  stars  quit  falling,  he  was  greatly  disappointed, 
and  did  truly  regret  that  the  phenomenon  had  terminated  with- 
out the  anticipated  Judgment.  Though  his  faith  in  Christ  was 
tested  on  a  false  issue,  it  was  nevertheless  really  tested.  From 
that  day  forth  he  was  not  afraid  of  the  issues  of  death.  The 
mythology  of  the  ancients  treats  much  of  astronomy,  and  many 
of  the  superstitions  of  mankind  are  associated  with  the  stars. 
The  stars  have  been  conspicuous  in  the  records  of  human  events. 
"The  astrologers,  the  star-gazers,  and  the  monthly  prognostica- 
tors'*  have  ever  been  associates.  The  holy  Scriptures  make 
constant  allusion  to  "  the  stars  of  heaven  and  the  constellations 
thereof."  The  author  of  the  book  of  Job  swelled  the  profound 
strains  and  added  to  the  sublime  imagery  of  his  inimitable  po- 
etry by  allusions  to  "Arcturus,  Orion,  and  the  Pleiades,"  and  by 
allusions  to  the  ancient  time  when  in  the  survey  of  the  founda- 
tions of  the  earth  "  the  morning  stars  sang  together."  In  their 
lofty  song  of  praise  to  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  a  song  rich  in 
poetic  measure,  Deborah  and  Barak  make  reference  to  the  fact 
that  "the  stars  in  their  courses  fought  against"  the  oppressors 
of  Israel.  With  the  imagery  of  "wandering  stars"  have  been 
described  apostates  from  the  Christian  faith.     The  Star  seen  iu 


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the  East  by  the  wise  men  guided  to  the  babe  born  at  Bethle- 
hem, who  was  Christ,  the  Lord.  It  is  true,  therefore,  that 
Brother  Bush  was  not  the  only  one  whose  Christian  life  has  had 
to  do  with  the  fancies  and  freaks  of  astronomy,  and  has  been 
affected  by  the  stars  and  their  appearances. 

About  1836  Mr.  Bush  moved  to  Macon  County,  and  estab- 
lished his  home  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Tuskegee.     He 
was  of  even  temper,  truthful,  honest,  dignified,  serious,  cheer- 
ful, proper,  of  steady  habits,  industrious,  attentive  to  affairs, 
economical,   possessing    sound   judgment,  and    great    wisdom. 
Though  he  eschewed  politics,  he  was  a  useful  citizen  and  a  ben- 
efactor.    His  influence  in  the  Church  to  which  he  belonged  and 
the  circle  in  which  he  moved  was  unbounded.     He  made  money 
rapidly,  and  ho  used  it  profusely  in  benevolence.     He  helped  to 
build  School-houses,  churches,   and  Colleges,   and  to  support 
preachers,  missionaries,  orphans,  paupers,  and  strangers.     He 
responded  promptly  to  every  benevolent  claim  brought  to  his 
attention,  and  he  usually  responded  in  the  amount  solicited. 
He  was  not  only  wise  in  counsel,  abundant  in  alms  and  benevo- 
lence, but  he  was  a  man  of  prayer  and  of  piety.     He  had  his 
times  and   places  for  secret  devotion.     He  furnished  himself 
with  a  Bible,  the  Life,  Sermons,  and  Writings  of  Wesley,  the 
Lives  of  Benson,  Clark,  Carvarso,  and  others  of  the  Wesleyan 
Methodists,  the  Southern  Christian  Advocate,  and  the  Secular  Pa- 
pers of  his  section  of  the  country.     These  furnished  the  staple 
of  what  he  read.     As  regularly  as  he  had  his  meals,  night  and 
morning  he  had  worship  with  the  family.     With  unsurpassed 
punctuality  and  regularity  he  filled  his  place  at  the  house  of 
God     It  is  said  that  the  horse  which  he  used  in  going  to  and 
from  the  church  became  so  accustomed  to  going  that  of  his  own 
accord  he  would  leave  the  street  at  the  right  place  to  reach  the 
hitching  post,  and  on  reaching  the  post  would  turn  the  buggy 
wheel  to  the  proper  position  to  make  it  easy  to  dismount  from 
the  buggy,  and  he  would  stand  at  the  post,  without  hitching, 
until  his'^master  returned  to  the  buggy  after  the  close  of  divine 
service.      Brother  Bush  was  at  church,  day  and  night,  whenever 
there  was  religious  service  in  any  form.     In  his  second  wife,  Sa- 
rah  as  in  his  first  wife,  Elizabeth,  he  had  proper  encourage- 
ment and  efficient  help  in  every  good  word  and  work.     She  was 
a  woman  of  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  and  of  great  benevolence. 


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She  kept  a  regular  outfit  of  bedding  in  her  house  for  the  use  of 
poor  wanderers  who  might  come  that  way.  Often  did  she,  with 
tears  in  her  eyes,  as  she  would  bid  the  preacher  farewell  on  the 
threshold,  put  into  the  hands  of  the  departing  man  of  God  five, 
ten,  or  more  dollars.  Often  did  she  furnish  the  preacher's  fam- 
ily clothing,  and  more  than  once  did  she  turn  over  her  own  bed 
and  servant  to  the  use  of  the  preacher's  wife.  AVith  the  sincer- 
ity and  fidelity  of  plighted  promise,  with  fealty  as  sacred  as  an 
oatli,  with  the  ambition  peculiar  to  a  mother,  with  supplications, 
which  catalogued  items  which  may  not  be  recorded  in  this  con- 
nection, and  with  a  faith  as  sublime  as  that  of  Hannah,  of  old, 
she,  from  before  his  birth,  consecrated  to  the  Christian  ministry 
her  son,  John  Wesley  Eush.  Through  all  his  infancy,  child- 
hood, youth,  and  profligacy  her  faith  never  wavered.  Tiie  God 
of  Israel  granted  her  the  petition  that  she  had  asked  of  him, 
and  she  lived  to  see  the  desire  of  her  heart,  and  the  confirma- 
tion of  her  faith.  She  lived  to  see  her  son  initiated  into  the 
Christian  ministry,  and  to  hear  his  voice  as  from  the  walls  of 
Zion  he  repeated  the  divine  amnesty  to  a  rebellious  race. 

But  the  record  of  Charles  George  Eush  is  not  yet  complete. 
For  a  half  century,  including  the  period  from  the  time  of  his 
majority  to  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  the  owner  of  slaves. 
Shall  he  be  anathematized,  for  this?  Shall  it  be  said  of  him, 
because  he  owned  slaves,  that  his  hands,  his  bed,  liis  furniture, 
his  house,  and  his  lands  were  stained  with  blood  ?  and  that  he 
was  more  savage  than  lions  and  bears?  First  of  all  he  erected 
a  Chapel  on  his  plantation  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  Ne- 
groes. There  they  were  preached  to  and  there  the  negro  chil- 
dren were  catechised  and  instructed  regularly.  The  great  ma- 
jority of  the  Negroes  on  the  plantation  were  religious,  and  cases 
of  adultery,  lying,  and  stealing  among  them  were  rare.  Under 
the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  preachers  appointed  from  time  to 
time  to  serve  them  the  Negroes  engaged  in  prayer  and  praise 
and  reached  a  high  state  of  enjoyment.  In  the  government  of 
his  slaves  Mr.  Eush  was  controlled  by  the  same  sense  of  justice 
and  mercy  which  controlled  him  in  the  government  of  the  other 
persons  under  his  authority.  He  considered  himself  responsi- 
ble to  God,  who  made  all  men,  for  the  well-being,  in  this  and 
the  life  to  come,  of  the  slaves  under  his  control.  He,  therefore, 
discouraged  every  form  of  cruelty  and  of  vice  on  the  part  of 


those  who  managed  his  slaves,  and  on  the  part  of  the  slaves 
themselves.     He  enforced  morality  upon  all  concerned  for  the 
reasons  that  vicious  acts  were  injurious  to  character  and  offen- 
sive to  God.     In  the  contracts  made  with  his  Overseers  he  stip- 
ulated that  said  Overseers  should  abstain  from  intoxicants  and 
from  profane  and  obscene  language,  and  that  they  should,  with 
their  Sunday  clothes  on,  attend  preaching  with  the  Negroes  at 
the  plantation  Chapel,  and  that  they  should  require  the  Ne- 
groes to  have  on  their  Sunday  clothes.     He  also  stipulated  that 
in  the  correction  of  the  slaves  cruel  punishment  should  not  be 
indulged.     On  his  tombstone  are  engraved  these  words:  *'The 
Orphan's  Friend."     After  serving  his  generation  by  the  will  of 
God,  Charles  George  Eush  fell  on  sleep,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in 
the  family  burying  ground,  near  Tuskegee,  Alabama. 

In  1835  there  came  and  settled  near  the  place  now  called  Sa- 
lem, in  Eussell  County,  Alabama,  one  who,  at  the  Crawford 
Camp-ground,  in  the  State  of  Georgia,  in  1830,  and  about  the 
time  he  had  reached  his  majority,  had  experienced  that  remark- 
able change  which  made  him  a  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus, 
and  gave  him  the  Spirit  of  adoption.     He  afterwards  lived  near 
the  town  of  Auburn,  in  the  county  of  Macon,  Alabama.     That 
one  was  Isaac  Hill,  than  whom  a  more  unselfish  man  never 
came  to  Alabama.     He  was  a  plain  man,  without  genius,  with- 
out brilliancy  of  intellect,  without  great  learning,  but  possessed 
of  Christian  sentiments,   steady  purposes,  generous  impulses, 
meekness,  and  humility.     He  was  an  humble  layman,  who  found 
in  that  position  ample  verge  for  the  employment  and  use  of  all 
his  gifts  and  graces,  and  who  never  had  anything  to  lavish  on 
splendor,  pomp,  and  folly,  but  who  expended  much  in  benevo- 
lence and  charity,  and,  in  many  ways,  rendered  solid  service  to 
mankind.     His  alms,  like  streams  from  living  fountains,  flowed 
steadily  and  constantly.     He  gave  alms  and  contributed  to  be- 
nevolent objects  as  he  prayed,  without  ceasing.     He  did  large 
things  in  building  churches,  in  supporting  Camp-meetings,  and 
in  educating  the  indigent.     Many  visitors  at  the  Camp-meetings 
were  lodged  and  fed  at  his  hospitable  tent.     He  gave  liberal 
sums  to  the  College  built  at  Auburn  by  the  Methodists.     He 
filled  efficiently  the  offices  of  class  leader  and  steward.      He 
honored  his  Church,  and  was  honored  by  her.     In  all  things 
requisite  or  necessary  to  salvation  the  Bible  was  his  guide,  and 


506 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


the  book  of  Discipline  was  liis  ecclesiastical  code.  He  fell  on 
sleep  at  Notasulga,  Alabama,  April  23,  1886,  and  his  body  was 
committed  to  the  ground  with  Christian  ceremonies  at  Auburn, 
Alabama. 

By  1837  the  La  Fayette  Circuit,  extending  over  a  large  scope  of 
country,  was  thoroughly  organized.  The  largest  official  gathering 
on  that  Circuit  for  that  year  was  at  the  Third  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence and  the  record  of  that  Quarterly  Conference  contains  the 
names  of  the  appointments  on  the  Circuit  at  that  date.  That  Quar- 
terly Conference  was  held  at  Oak  Bowery  Camp-ground,  Septem- 
ber 25,  1837,  Ebenezer  Hearn,  presiding  elder  of  the  Irwintou 
District,  in  the  chair.  The  Rev.  John  Hunter,  preacher  in 
charge  of  the  Circuit,  was  present,  and  also  the  following  official 
members:  John  B.  Chappell,  local  elder,  Evan  G.  Eichards, 
local  deacon,  William  Menifee,  John  E.  Starr,  and  Jonathan 
Morris,  local  preachers,  Eobert  Boren,  John  E.  Gilbert,  and 
William  Waldrop,  exhorters,  David  Boren,  Nathaniel  Grady, 
George  Menifee,  stewards,  John  Trammell,  Gideon  Eix,  Jesse 
Garrett,  William  W.  Harper,  Lemuel  Jackson,  John  E.  Page, 
Elijah  C.  Hunter,  and  William  E.  Miller,  class  leaders.  Na- 
thaniel Grady  was  Secretary  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  and 
also  Eecording  Steward.  The  appointments  on  the  Circuit  that 
day  were:  Oak  Bowery,  La  Fayette,  Kemp's,  McGilFs,  Clement's, 
Piney  Grove,  Allen's,  Pisgah,  Bonner's,  Fredonia,  Mount  Zion, 
Grear's,  Tallasee,  Mount  J<jfferson,  Cusseta,  Eady's,  Webb's, 
Day's  Camp-ground. 

According  to  data  in  hand  McGill's  Church,  located  in  Ran- 
dolph County,  near,  and  on  the  west  side  of,  the  Tallapoosa  Elv- 
er, a  little  north  of  Hutton's  Ford,  now  Louina,  was  organized, 
by^  the  Eev.  John  Hunter,  on  a  week  day,  in  the  summer  of 
1837.  The  principal  members  who  constituted  that  Society 
were  the  Hardys,  Harrises,  McGills,  and  Smiths.  Spencer 
Smith,  who  had  just  settled  a  home  at  the  place  where  Daviston 
has  recently  sprung  up,  was  appointed  class  leader  at  McGill's 
Society  upon  its  organization.  The  house  built  there  for  wor- 
ship was  made  of  split  logs,  and  was  eighteen  by  twenty  feet, 
covered  with  rough  boards,  held  on  with  what  was  called  weight- 
poles,  and  had  a  dirt  floor  covered  with  pine-straw,  and  seats, 
without  backs,  made  of  puncheons.  Spencer  Smith,  in  after 
years,  became  a  local  preacher,  and  was  useful  in  that  country. 


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He  died  at  Eockford,  Coosa  County,  Alabama,  in  1883,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  one  hundred  years,  his  wife,  who  was  one  of  the 
charter  members  at  McGill's,  having  preceded  him  to  the  Bet- 
ter Land  a  few  months.  In  1838  two  men,  who  held  member- 
ship at  McGill's,  were  licensed  to  exhort,  who  were  afterward 
licensed  to  preach.  Mr.  Harris,  the  elder  of  the  two,  made  a 
useful  local  preacher.  The  other,  George  E.  AV.  Smith,  the  son 
of  the  class  leader,  was  adopted  into  the  heavenly  family  when 
twelve  years  old,  was  at  a  Quarterly  ConCerence  held  for  La 
Fayette  Circuit  at  Day's  Camp-ground,  October  15,  1838,  as  an 
exhorter,  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1839,  being  then  nineteen 
years  of  age,  and  was  received  on  trial  in  the  Alabama  Confer- 
ence in  January,  1840,  and  appointed  for  that  year  junior 
preacher  on  the  Tombecbee  Circuit;  for  1841  was  in  charge  of 
the  Coosa  Circuit;  for  1842  he  was  at  Pensacola,  Florida;  and 
for  1843  he  was  appointed  in  charge  of  Apalachicola,  Florida. 
He  died,  in  the  midst  of  an  effort  to  build  a  house  of  worship, 
at  Apalachicola,  Florida,  April  16,  1843.  He  was  useful  in  life, 
and  the  peace  of  God  sustained  him  in  death.  He  was  small  in 
stature,  and  was  but  a  youth  when  he  died,  but  he  was  grave, 
and  solemn,  and  had  the  weight  and  influence  of  a  messenger 
from  God.  Endowed  with  talents  of  high  order,  he  had  the 
prospect  of  attaining  distinction  in  the  ministry.  He  rose  a])ove 
the  disadvantages  of  adverse  environments.  Having  a  thirst 
and  capacity  for  knowledge,  he  attained  it,  notwithstanding 
School  facilities  were  lacking  in  the  wilderness  where  was  cast 

his  lot  in  his  youth. 

Day's  Camp-ground  was  near  the  line  between  Tallapoosa  and 
Chambers  Counties,  and  just  east  of  the  present  town  of  Dud- 
leyville.     It  is  of  record,  as  named,  as  early  as  September  25, 

1837.  At  a  Camp-meeting  held  there  the  middle  of  October, 

1838,  at  which  Ebenezer  Hearn,  presiding  elder,  William  C. 
Eobinson,  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Circuit,  and  Thomas  H. 
Capers,  McCarter  Oliver,  Samuel  C.  Daily,  J.  E.  Starr,  Green 
Cousins,  J.  E.  Gilbert,  and  William  Menifee,  local  preachers 
then  belonging  to  the  Circuit,  and  eight  exhorters,  and  sixteen 
class  leaders  were  present.  Ethelbert  S.  Smith,  the  brother  of 
George  E.  W.  Smith,  then  a  boy  ten  years  old,  while  pressing 
his  way  to  the  altar,  and  McCarter  Oliver  putting  his  hand  on 
his  head,  and  saying:  "God  bless  this  little  boy,"  was  instantly 


508 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alahama. 


renewed  in  nature  and  plenteously  endued  with  divine  grace. 
For  many  years  Ethelbert  S.  Smith  has  been  an  itinerant 
preacher.  At  this  time,  1892,  he  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  Con- 
ferences in  Texas. 

A  Camp-ground  was  established  as  early  as  1837  at  Oak  Bow- 
ery, as  early  as  1838  at  Fredonia,  as  early  as  1843  at  Bethlehem, 
and  all  these  Camp-grounds  named  were  kept  up  for  a  number 
of  years. 

A  house  of  worship  was  built  at  La  Fayette  in  1837.  The 
Deed  to  the  lot  on  which  the  Church  was  built  bears  date  June 
3,  1837,  and  the  Trustees  named  in  the  Deed  were:  Alsee  Holi- 
field,  John  Trammell,  Beverly  Walker,  Elliotte  H.  Muse,  Sam- 
uel B.  Turner,  Evan  G.  Kichards,  and  Bartholomew  B.  Moore. 

The  blunders,  foibles,  and  atrocities  of  mankind  are  very 
great,  even  under  the  administrations  of  religion.  Many  things 
are  done  even  in  the  Councils  of  the  Church  which  lack  com- 
pleteness, and  never  attain  thereto.  The  demonstration  of  the 
truth  of  these  assertions  is  found  in  the  history  of  the  m*en  who 
sought  imluction  into  the  offices  of  the  ministry  through  the 
Quarterly  Conferences  of  the  La  Fayette  Circuit,  and  of  the 
several  transactions  of  the  Quarterly  Conferences  of  that  Cir- 
cuit entered  from  time  to  time.  The  feats  accomplished  in  the 
enactment?  and  the  administrations  of  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ences of  that  Circuit  at  that  early  day  were  not  often  surpassed. 
They  indicated  instability  and  indifference  to  the  principles  of 
justice  and  the  standards  of  moral  rectitude.  There  was  varie- 
ty and  there  was  conflict  of  action.  The  work  was  done  and  un- 
done with  facility.  Men  were  inducted  into  the  ministry  and 
deposed  therefrom  with  a  facility  indicative  of  anything  other 
than  adherence  to  sound  doctrine.  No  doubt  the  members  of 
the  Quarterly  Conferences  of  that  Circuit  made  fallibility  a 
virtue,  and  acknowledged  adherence  to  the  saying  of  Pope,  "To 
err  is  human." 

James  K.  Starr  was,  by  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Cir- 
cuit, licensed  to  preach  April  22,  1837,  and  on  September  25, 
following,  there  being  proof  that  he  had  been  engaged  in  some 
fraudulent  transactions,  the  Quarterly  Conference  decided  that 
he  be  deprived  of  his  official  standing  in  the  Church;  and  then 
at  the  Quarterly  Conference  March  31,  1838,  he  applied  for  a 
license  to  preach,  which,  after  examination,  was  granted.    Less 


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than  one  year  was  consumed  in  said  transactions.  Other  Church 
trials,  involving  men  of  prominence,  grew  out  of  that  case;  un- 
rest, and  great  excitement  ensued,  and  yet,  as  though  nothing 
was  ever  to  be  settled,  a  vacillating  administration  was  adhered 
to.  At  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Day's  Camp-ground, 
October  15,  1838,  James  K.  Starr  was  recommended  to  th©  Ala- 
bama Conference  as  a  suitable  person  to  be  admitted  on  trial. 
The  Annual  Conference  did  not  admit  him. 

At  that  same  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Day's  Camp- 
ground, October  15,  1838,  Thomas  P.  C.  Shelman,  formerly  an 
elder  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  having  with- 
drawn from  said  Church,  applied  to  be  re-admitted  as  a  local 
preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and,  after  thor- 
ough examination  of  the  whole  matter,  he  was  unanimously  re- 
ceived; and  it  was  Resolved  that  the  Quarterly  Conference 
unanimously  recommend  to  the  Georgia  Annual  Conference  the 
restoration  of  Brother  T.  P.  C.  Shelman's  credentials  as  a  dea- 
con and  elder.  Thomas  P.  C.  Shelman,  recommended  from  the 
Augusta  District,  was  admitted  on  trial  by  the  South  Carolina 
Conference,  at  Columbia,  Tuesday  evening,  February  2,  1830; 
and  in  the  Journal  of  the  Georgia  Conference  for  January  14, 
1835,  it  is  recorded:  "Thomas  P.  C.  Shelman  was  next  called, 
and  on  motion.  It  was  resolved  that  it  be  entered  on  the  Minutes 
that  he  has  withdraw^n  from  the  Church."  In  the  Journal  of 
that  Conference  for  December  15,  1838,  is  this  entry:  "The 
Bishop  presented  a  communication  from  Brother  Ebenezer 
Hearn,  a  presiding  elder  in  the  Alabama  Conference,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  restoring  the  credentials  of  Thomas  P.  C.  Shelman,  late 
a  traveling  preacher  in  this  Conference  who  withdrew  from  the- 
Church;  said  communication  was  accompanied  by  certificates^ 
and  on  motion.  It  was  ordered  that  his  Parchments  be  restored, 
and  the  Secretary  was  directed  to  send  a  certificate  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Conference  to  Brother  Hearn,  of  the  Alabama 
Conferen-ce."  T.  P.  C.  Shelman  was  recommended  to  the  Ala- 
bama Annual  Conference  for  an  appointment  by  the  Quarterly 
Conference  held  at  Fredonia  Camp-ground,  August  14, 1841,  but 
he  did  not  get  the  appointment.  In  1846  Shelman  was  admit- 
ted on  trial  in  the  Alabama  Conference,  and  located  at  the  close 
of  1851.     Some  men  are  uncertain. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Fredonia,  November  15, 
33 


510 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


1842,  licensed  Toliver  Spaiin  to  preach,  and  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference held  at  Bethlehem  Camp-ground,  September  1(),  184IJ,  a 
period  of  time  less  than  a  year,  expelled  him  from  the  Church 
because  he  had  run  away  and  d«^fraudeil  his  creditors. 

At  the  same  Quarterly  Conference  at  which  Toliver  Spann 
was  exi)elled  from  the  Church  Mark  \V(»stmor(^land  was  licensed 
to  ])reach.  He  was  a  man  with  a  history.  Mark  Westmoreland 
was  recommended  by  the  Athens  District  Conference,  Decem- 
ber 4,  1821,  and  was  admitted  on  trial  by  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  February  2(),  1822.  The  record 
made  at  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  for  February  19,  1825, 
says:  "Mark  Westmoreland  was  not  present.  The  following 
motion  was  submitted  and  carried.  Moved,  That  whereas  M. 
Westmoreland  has  been  neglectful  of  his  appointments  on  his 
Circuit  the  past  year,  and  prematurely  made  efforts  to  marry, 
that  a  letter  of  reproof  be  written  to  him  by  the  Secretary,  after 
which  his  character  passed."  The  record  made  at  Milledgeville, 
Georgia,  for  Friday  morning,  January  13,  1826,  says:  "Mark 
Westmoreland  was  examined  and  there  appearing  to  have  been 
imprudences  in  his  conduct  he  was  not  elected  to  elder's  office." 
The  record  for  January  20,  1826,  says:  "Mark  Westmoreland, 
through  Brother  Hodges,  requested  a  location,  which  was 
granted."  In  December,  1829,  Mark  Westmoreland  was  re-ad- 
mitted into  the  traveling  connection  by  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence, and  in  January,  1837,  he  again,  and  for  the  last  time,  lo- 
cated. By  a  process,  not  now  known,  he  lost  his  place  in  the 
ministry,  and  in  1843  he  is  licensed  to  preach  de  novo  by  the 
Quarterly  Conference  of  the  La  Fayette  Circuit.  He  was  pres- 
ent as  a  local  preacher  in  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  La 
Fayette  Circuit  at  Emory  Chapel,  December  21,  1844.  There 
charges  were  brought  against  him  by  John  Hunter.  The 
charge  was  seeming  discrepancy  in  written  statements  which 
he  had  made.  A  Committee  investigated  the  charge,  and  ac- 
quitted Westmoreland.  He  disappeared  from  Methodist  rec- 
ords. He  joined  the  Baptists.  He  was  a  man  of  intellect,  but 
unstable  and  unwise;  he  was  destitute  of  caution  and  pru- 
dence; he  was  selfish  and  inert. 

James  H.  Laney  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Alabama  Con- 
ference, and  for  1843  appointed  junior  preacher  on  the  La  Fay- 
ette Circuit,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  he  was  discontinued  by 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      511 


the  Conference,  and  became  a  local  preacher  on  the  La  Fayette 
Circuit.  He  was  charged  with  discrepancy,  a  mild  way  of  stat- 
ing the  case,  in  three  specifications:  1.  In  regard  to  having  bor- 
rowed a  cloak  from  Brother  Joel  Hurt.  2.  In  regard  to  boot 
in  swapping  horses  with  Brother  Joel  Hurt.  3.  In  regard  to 
entering  into  business  with  J.  A.  Hurst.  The  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence held  at  La  Fayette,  June  8,  1844,  found  him  guilty  of  the 
threfe  specifications  herein  set  forth,  and  expelled  him  from  the 

!  Church. 

The  low  estimate  placed  upon  the  sacred  work  of  the  Chris- 
tian ministry  by  the  leaders  of  the  La  Fayette  Circuit  is  indi- 
cated by  the  facility  with  which  the  Quarterly  Conferences  of 
that  Circuit  recommended  preachers  as  suitable  persons  to  be 
admitted  to  the  traveling  connection.  AVithin  the  short  space 
of  six  years,  beginning  in  1839,  the  Quarterly  Conferences  of 
that  Circuit  had  recommended,  more  than  once,  five  different 
preachers  to  the  Alabama  Conference  for  the  high  calling  of 
the  itinerant  ministry  which  the  Annual  Conference  rejected. 
These  preachers  so  repeatedly  recommended  and  so  uniformly 
rejected  were  James K.  Starr,  William  B.  Barnett,  Harris  Stearns, 
William  A.  Smith,  and  Nathaniel  C.  Barber.  Some  of  these 
men  were  doubtless  true  Christians,  but  their  environments 
disqualified    them    for    the    intricate    work    of    the    itinerant 

ministry. 

Henry  Starr,  Joel  D.  Trammell,  William  W.  Waldrop,  Samuel 
G.  Jones,  and  Basil  E.  Lucas  were  severally  licensed  to  preach 
by  the  Quarterly  Conferences  of  the  La  Fayette  Circuit  held  in 
1839.  Hilliard  J.  Hunter  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Quar- 
terly Conference  held  for  La  Fayette  Circuit  at  Mount  Jeffer- 
son, April  3,  1841;  and  Urban  C.  Tigner,  Alexander  McBride, 
and  John  M.  Tatum  were  each  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Quar- 
terly Conference  for  that  Circuit  at  Oak  Bowery,  November  13, 
1841.  At  a  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  Circuit  at  Oak  Bowery, 
in  1844,  John  S.  Sappington  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  at  a 
Quarterly  Conference  held  for  La  Fayette  Circuit  at  Harmony 
Church,  December  6,  1845,  Daniel  Duncan,  John  C.  L.  Aikin, 
and  Humphrey  Gilmore  were  each  licensed  to  preach.  Hunter, 
McBride,  and  Duncan  made  successful  itinerant  preachers. 
Aikin  was  on  trial  in  the  Alabama  Conference  two  years. 

McCarter  Oliver  and  Green  Cousins  were  for  many  years  lo- 


512 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


cal  preachers  on  the  La  Fayette  Circuit.  They  were  local 
preachers  before  they  moved  into  the  bounds  of  that  work.  To 
say  that  they  were  true  Christian  men,  representative  and  use- 
ful, is  saying  much  to  their  praise,  and  just  as  little  as  should 
be  said  of  them.  Lemuel  Jackson  was  for  long  years  a  member 
of  the  Church  in  the  bounds  of  that  Circuit,  filling  the  office  of 
class  leader.  No  better  man  ever  lived  in  any  country,  or  be- 
longed to  any  Church.     He  was  without  guile. 

Nathaniel  Grady  was  a  member  of  the  Quarterly  Conference 
of  the  La  Fayette  Circuit  for  more  than  twenty  years,  death 
terminating  his  membership  therewith.  He  was  a  class  leader, 
and  Secretary  of  most  of  the  Quarterly  Conferences  held  through 
all  the  years  he  was  connected  with  the  work,  and  a  steward 
most  of  the  time.  He  died  Friday  morning,  November  27, 1846. 
He  was  well  known  and  highly  esteemed.  He  was  a  worthy 
citizen,  a  faithful  steward,  and  a  pious  Christian. 

This  closes  the  notice  of  La  Fayette  Circuit  for  the  present. 
It  was  a  noted  Circuit  at  that  date  at  which  it  has  now  passed 
under  review. 

Emuckfau  Creek  became  historic  through  a  desperate  battle 
fought  on  or  near  it  between  the  forces  under  General  Andrew 
Jackson  and  the  Creek  warriors,  January  23,  1814  On  or  near 
that  creek,  and  near  the  line  of  Randolph  and  Tallapoosa  Coun- 
ties, the  Methodists  established  Emuckfau  Camp-ground,  as 
early,  perhaps,  as  1842,  and  for  many  long  years  Camp-meetings 
were  held  at  that  place  which  were  attended  with  supreme  de- 
light and  with  divine  results. 

Tn  1836  Glover  McCain,  a  local  preacher  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  Seaborn  McCain,  his  brother,  moving 
from  Tennessee,  settled  west  of  where  the  present  town  of  Line- 
ville  is  situate,  and  soon  a  Society  was  organized  at  Morton's 
School-house,  which  was  between  the  sites  of  the  present  towns 
of  Lineville  and  Ashland.  By  the  close  of  the  next  two  years 
Joseph  D.  McCann  and  James  G.  McCain  had  pitched  their 
tents  in  the  same  vicinity.  Barr,  Kilpatrick,  and  others  were 
there  about  the  same  time,  adding  numbers  and  strength  to  the 
Methodist  forces.  In  the  course  of  time  a  Church  was  built  and 
named  Smyrna,  and  Morton's  School-house  abandoned.  Joseph 
D.  McCann  and  Glover  McCain  were  leaders  in  hospitality  and 
in  the  financial  support  of  the  Society  at  Smyrna.     Edward  W. 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      513 

Bar,  who  joined  the  Alabama  Conference  on  trial  at  its  session 
beginning  December  30,  1840,  and  who  broke  down  and  died  in 
about  two  years,  and  John  W.  McCann,  who  was  received  on 
trial  by  the  Alabama  Conference  in  the  first  part  of  1846,  and 
who  continued  a  member  of  that  Conference  for  more  than  for- 
ty years,  were  members  of  the  Church  at  Smyrna  when  and  be- 
fore they  commenced  their  ministry. 

A  Quarterly  Conference  for  Randolph  Mission,  Montgomery 
District,  Alabama  Annual  Conference,  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  was  held  at  Cahulga  Camp-ground,  October  30, 1837, 
Greenberry  Garrett,  presiding  elder,  in  the  chair.  John  How- 
ell applied  to  that  Quarterly  Conference  for  liberty  to  preach  as 
a  local  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and,  after 
due  inquiry  concerning  his  gifts,  grace,  and  usefulness,  he  was 
judged  to  be  a  suitable  person  to  be  endowed  with  the  liberty 
sought,  and  he  was  authorized  to  preach,  and  a  license  certify- 
ing to  the  fact  was  given  him.  He  died  in  1854.  His  descend- 
ants still  live,  and  many  of  them  are  Methodists,  some  of  them 
are  Methodist  preachers.  Cahulga  Camp-ground  was  in  Town- 
ship sixteen.  Range  twenty-four,  east,  and  in  about  one  mile  of 
the  present  town  of  Heflin,  in  the  present  County  of  Cleburne, 
Alabama.  Cahulga  has  been  a  preaching  place  from  the  time 
of  that  Quarterly  Conference  in  1837  till  now,  1892.  There  is  a 
house  of  worship  there  now,  though  dilapidated  and  neglected. 

In  1844  in  Randolph  Circuit  there  was  a  sweeping  religious 
influence.  There  were  near  four  hundred  converts,  and  between 
three  and  four  hundred  were  added  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

In  Township  fourteen  and  Range  twenty-six,  and  in  what  was 
once  the  south-east  corner  of  Macon  County,  are  outlying  sandy 
ridges  and  gently  rising  hills  and  intervening  depressions. 
From  out  the  sides  of  these  ridges  and  hills  issue  springs  of 
water,  and  adown  these  depressions,  in  various  directions,  run 
limpid  streams.  At  an  early  day  the  Rev.  James  E.  Glenn  vis- 
ited that  region,  and,  charmed  with  the  gushing  fountains  and 
lucid  streams,  and  reminded  by  the  same  of  the  statement  that 
John  baptized  in  Enon,  near  to  Salim,  because  there  were  many 
springs  and  rivulets  there,  he  named  the  place  Enon.  It  was 
rightly  named,  and  that  has  been  the  name  thereof. 

Tradition  says  that  in  the  early  Spring-time  of  1840,  the  Rev. 


514 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Thompson  Glenn,  a  local  preacher,  preached  a  sermon  at  Enon. 
That  was  the  first  sermon  ever  delivered  at  the  place.  The  ser- 
mon was  preached  in  the  woods,  under  the  boughs  of  the  majes- 
tic trees,  for  at  that  time  "  no  temple  stood,  or  altar  smoked  "  in 
that  region.  Soon  after  that  first  sermon  was  preached  the 
Kev.  John  W.  Talley,  Jr.,  organized  a  Society  there.  Talley  was 
then  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Clayton  Circuit.  It  is  re- 
ported upon  reliable  authority  that  Granville  White,  William 
Pitts,  John  Cleckley,  Samuel  Harwell,  Howell  Peebles,  Wesley 
McGehee,  W.  E.  Dubose,  Jasper  Banks,  and  Jabez  Banks  were 
among  the  first  members  at  Enon.  That  Society,  organized  in 
the  woods  where  so  many  beautiful  rivulets  run  among  the  hills, 
did  not  build  a  temple  of  worship  adorned  with  "  Doric  pillars 
overlaid  with  golden  architrave,"  and  lighted  with  "starry 
lamps  and  blazing  cressets,  fed  with  naptha  and  asphaltus." 
Granville  White  had  opened  a  shop,  in  which  he  worked  as  a 
blacksmith,  just  a  few  months  previous  to  the  formation  of  that 
Society,  and  that  shop  was  used  as  a  preaching  place,  and  the 
anvil  therein  served  as  a  pulpit  on  which  the  Bible  and  Hymn 
Book,  used  by  the  preacher,  lay.  There  was  naught  to  inspire 
pride,  and  at  the  same  time,  as  it  was  the  best  which  could  be 
done,  there  was  naught  repulsive  in  the  surroundings.  About 
the  time  the  Methodists  organized  at  Enon  two  local  preachers, 
the  Kev.  Thomas  Lancaster  and  the  Kev.  Appleton  Haygood, 
took  up  abode  there.  In  the  latter  half  of  1840  a  log  School- 
house  was  built,  which  was  used  for  a  time  as  a  preaching  place 
by  both  Methodists  and  Baptists.  In  the  latter  part  of  1841 
the  Methodists  built  for  themselves  a  Church  out  of  logs,  in 
which  they  worshiped  till  1845.  The  house  of  worship  there 
now,  1892,  was  built  in  1845.  The  Kev.  John  J.  Groves,  a  local 
preacher,  and  a  teacher,  became  a  citizen  of  Enon  in  1843.  He 
taught  in  the  week  and  preached  on  Sunday.  He  was  industri- 
ous, and  pious,  and  a  preacher  of  good  ability. 

In  the  autumn  of  1843  James  J.  Banks  left  his  habitation  at 
Cullodenville,  Georgia,  and  established  his  home  at  Enon,  Al- 
abama. Not  a  spirit  more  noble  ever  came  to  that  place  of 
springs  and  rivulets.  He  was  truly  an  acquisition,  would  have 
been  to  any  place.  He  was  a  lovely  character  in  whom  com- 
bined dignity,  grace,  composure,  and  sweetness.  He  was  gift- 
ed and  pious;   his  conceptions  were   large,  his  aims  high,  his 


JAMES  J.  BANKS. 


(514) 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advayicement  of  the  Work,      515 

deeds  generous  and  noble.  To  truth  and  honesty  he  held  te- 
naciously, ever  abhorring  that  which  was  false  and  hollow.  No 
attractions  whatever  could  induce  him  to  deviate  from  the  right 
line.  He  accepted  the  sacred  teachings,  the  divine  behest 
obeyed,  and  was  himself  a  factor  in  society.  To  religion  and 
ecclesiastical  affairs  he  gave  constant  attention.  The  welfare 
of  society  he  apprehended,  and  he  projected  and  executed  in 
behalf  of  the  same.  On  taking  up  his  abode  at  Enon  he  insti- 
tuted plans  and  devised  ways  for  building  a  new  house  of  wor- 
ship at  that  place,  one  suited  to  the  necessities  of  a  growing  and 
prosperous  community;  and,  as  a  result,  in  1845,  a  new  house 
was  dedicated  to  divine  service.  James  J.  Banks  was  the 
friend  of  the  preacher.  His  own  personal  supervision  he  gave 
to  the  interests  of  the  preacher's  family.  He  took  care  that 
meal  and  meat,  wood  and  water  were  not  lacking  at  the  preach- 
er's home.  His  children  have  been  Methodists,  and  have  been 
an  honor  to  him.  They  have  supported  Methodism  by  their 
morals  and  their  means,  and  Methodism  has  honored  them. 

When  organized,  the  Society  at  Enon  was  under  the  preacher 
on  the  Clayton  Circuit;  for  the  next  three  years  Enon  was  one 
of  the  appointments  in  the  Glennville  Circuit;  then  for  one  year 
it  was  in  the  Aberfoil  Circuit;  for  a  number  of  years  then  there 
was  an  Enon  Circuit;  then  Enon  and  Chunnenuggee  were 
together. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


The  Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the 
Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 

BY  a  Treaty  made  December  29,  1835,  the  Cherokee  Indians 
ceded  to  the  United,  States  the  last  of  their  lands  east  of 
the  Mississippi  River.  That  part  of  the  Territory  in  Alabama 
owned  by  the  Cherokees  and  ceded  by  the  stipulations  of  that 
Treaty  was  embraced  within  the  following  lines:  The  Tennessee 
River  from  where  the  north  line  of  Alabama  crossed  it  down  to 
Chickasaw  Island,  a  line  from  Chickasaw  Island  a  due  south 
course  to  the  top  of  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  waters  of 
the  Tennessee  and  Tombigbee  Rivers,  thence  eastwardly  along 
said  ridge  leaving  the  head  waters  of  the  Black  Warrior  to  the 
right  hand,  to  the  western  Bank  of  Wills  Creek,  thence  down 
the  said  bank  of  said  creek  to  its  junction  with  the  Coosa  River, 
thence  a  line  in  a  south-east  course  to  the  east  line  of  Alabama 
about  one  mile  above  the  north  line  of  Township  fourteen,  thence 
the  east  line  of  Alabama  to  the  north-east  corner  of  the  State, 
thence  the  north  line  of  the  State  to  the  Tennessee  River  at  the 
beginning  point.  The  Cherokee  Indians,  like  the  Creek  Tribe, 
resisted  to  the  last  expulsion  from  the  land  of  their  fathers  and 
the  place  of  their  nativity.  From  1828  there  was  made  persist- 
ent effort  to  extinguish  the  title  of  the  Cherokees  to  all  lands 
east  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  there  was  constant  expecta- 
tion that  the  consummation  so  devoutly  wished  would  be  reached 
immediately.  For  seven  long  years  the  Cherokees  baffled  those 
who  would  supplant  them  and  defeated  all  efforts  to  dispossess 
them  by  negotiations.  They  opposed  all  Treaties  for  ceding 
their  lands,  and  they  were  the  last  of  the  Indian  tribes  to  leave 
their  long-cherished  country.  By  September,  1838,  fourteen 
thousand  and  the  last  of  them  were  on  the  march  for  the  lands 
allotted  them  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  The  constant  ex- 
pectation of  a  Treaty  of  cession  and  the  departure  of  the  last 
of  the  tribe  to  the  distant  West  induced  the  white  people  to 
pour  into  the  country  long  before  the  Treaty  stipulations  and 
(516) 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      517 

removal  were  effected,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
took  steps  to  preach  to  the  new  settlers  in  that  region  of  Ala- 
bama at  least  a  year  before  the  Treaty  ceding  the  country  was 
made. 

The  Alabama  Conference  at  its  session  at  Greenesborough, 
Alabama,  December,  1834,  put  in  its  list  of  appointments  Wills 
Creek  Mission,  and  assigned  to  it,  for  1835,  the  Rev.  Jesse  Ellis. 
At  the  close  of  that  first  year  there  were  reported  on  the  work 
one  hundred  and  eighteen  white  and  four  colored  members. 
For  the  next  year  the  appointment  was  put  down  as  Wills  Val- 
ley Mission,  and  two  preachers,  the  Rev.  Zaccheus  Dowling  and 
the  Rev.  Edward  Graves,  were  sent  to  it.  At  the  end  of  that 
year  there  were,  in  connection  with  the  Mission,  four  hundred 
and  ten  white,  twenty-four  colored,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty 
Indian  members.  No  doubt  the  Indian  members  were,  some  of 
them  at  least,  those  who  had  been  brought  into  the  Church  dur- 
ing the  Mission  work,  by  the  Tennessee  Conference,  among  the 
Cherokee  Indians.  The  Tennessee  Conference  had  a  Missionary 
to  the  Cherokees  there  up  to  that  time.  That  appointment  was 
continued  as  Wills  Valley  until  the  close  of  1846,  when  it  was 
changed  to  the  name  of  Lebanon.  The  preachers  on  Wills  Val- 
ley were:  for  1837,  the  Rev.  John  Foust  and  the  Rev.  James 
W.  Brown;  for  1838,  the  Rev.  John  Foust;  for  1839,  the  Rev. 
Jeremiah  Williams,  who  was  a  twin  brother  of  the  Rev.  Uriah 
Williams;  for  1840,  the  Rev.  H.  Bailey;  for  1841,  the  Rev. 
Thomas  D.  Barr;  for  1842,  the  Rev.  William  Rhodes;  for  1843, 
the  Rev.  William  Rhodes;  for  1844,  the  Rev.  James  P.  McGebee; 
for  1845,  the  Rev.  William  Rhodes. 

The  leading  men  in  the  Wills  Valley  charge  in  the  early  years 
of  its  existence  were:  Warwick  Bristow,  Thomas  F.  Lamar, 
Jesse  Wellborn,  Benjamin  Peyton,  Nathan  Lamar,  David  Sibert, 
Samuel  B.  Watts,  Thomas  J.  Rogers,  Jacob  Gillespie,  William 
R.  Nicholson,  L.  W.  Nicholson,  Jeremiah  Cox,  Israel  Cox,  An- 
drew Igou,  W.  H.  Holloman,  S.  Chasteen,  Sampson  Clayton, 
Gilbert  Simms,  Hezekiah  Austin,  B.  Wright,  Joseph  Davenport, 
Richard  Roberts,  Morris  Castell,  William  Pankey,  Samuel  D. 
Warren,  George  W.  Hayes,  Jesse  Samples,  T.  K.  B.  McSpadden, 
and  S.  C.  Smith. 

The  Rev.  Warwick  Bristow,  a  local  preacher,  came  to  Alaba- 
ma some  time  previous  to  the  spring  of  1818,  and  settled  in  a 


^518 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


cove  which  has  since  borne  his  name,  Bristow's  Cove.  In  1834 
he  moved  into  the  bounds  of  the  Cherokee  country,  and  settled 
in  Wills  Valley.  There  he  retained  his  home  till  he  died  in 
1854,  giving  twenty  years  of  his  useful  life  to  that  section. 
While  he  was  more  noted  for  his  piety  than  his  talents,  he  pos- 
sessed great  power  as  a  preacher.  He  was  a  great  revivalist, 
so-called,  possessing  great  faith,  and  giving  himself  much  to 
prayer.  He  ever  maintained  a  Christian  character.  The  last 
week  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage  he  attended  a  series  of  religious 
meetings  at  one  of  the  Churches  of  the  Circuit.  At  the  last 
service  of  the  meetings,  "  in  age  and  feebleness  extreme  "  though 
he  was,  he  gave  to  persons  present  an  opportunity  to  join  the 
Church.  He  said:  "During  my  ministry  of  about  sixty  years  I 
have  received  many  into  the  Church.  I  have  received  the  white 
man,  the  red  man,  and  the  black  man.  I  come  once  more,  my 
last  time  before  quitting  the  field,  as  a  recruiting  officer,  to  en- 
list soldiers  under  the  banner  of  Him  who  has  established  his 
throne  by  his  cross."  More  than  a  dozen  persons  went  forward 
and  united  with  the  Church.  He  then,  standing  before  the  au- 
dience with  trembling  limbs  and  whitened  locks,  a  patriarch  on 
the  verge  of  the  grave,  and  on  the  verge  of  heaven,  made  his 
farewell  talk.  He  said:  "This  is  the  last  time  I  will  ever  meet 
you  at  Church,  I  have  very  few  more  days  to  live,  my  work  is 
done,  my  sufferings  are  over.  I  shall  go  to  my  home,  and  I 
shall  die  without  a  pain  or  a  struggle."  At  the  close  of  his 
talk  nearly  every  person  in  the  congregation  advanced  to  the 
altar,  shook  his  hand,  and  received  his  benediction.  The  scene 
was  most  affecting.  That  was  on  Tuesday.  Wednesday  he  vis- 
ited a  house,  talked  and  prayed  with  the  inmates,  some  of  whom 
were  sick.  Thursday  he  went  home.  Friday,  "  without  a  pain 
or  a  struggle,"  he  died.  On  the  occasion  of  his  funeral  a  ser- 
mon was  preached  by  Dr.  J.  C.  Stewart,  from  the  Text:  "Lord, 
now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  according  to  thy 
word:  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation."  At  the  Church, 
near  his  home  where  he  had  held  his  membership,  were  his  re- 
mains buried  to  await  the  day  when  Christ  shall  conduct  the 
armies  of  the  righteous  to  the  land  of  glory. 

William  R.  Nicholson,  who  was  born  in  South  Carolina,  July 
10,  1800,  moved  into  the  bounds  of  the  Cherokee  Nation  and 
settled  in  Wills  Valley,  Alabama,  as  early  as  1834,  where  he  re- 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      519' 


mained  until  his  death,  June  25,  1869.  He  was  a  worthy  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  a  decade  and  a  half  be- 
fore he  immigrated  to  Alabama,  and  he  was  in  Wills  Valley 
before  the  beginning  of  the  organization  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  there  among  the  white  population.  He  had  fifteen 
children  born  to  him,  all  of  whom  lived  to  mature  years,  and 
made  useful  members  of  the  Church  and  Methodists.  Five  of 
the  sons  entered  the  ministry,  and  made  efficient  preachers. 
Propagation  and  ecclesiastical  aggressions  for  the  growth  of  the 
Church  are  at  agreement.  Both  conduce  to  the  ends  desired. 
Brother  Nicholson  was  prudent  in  conversation,  just  in  business 
transactions,  liberal,  as  liberality  was  accounted  in  his  section 
of  the  Church,  in  his  contributions  and  public  benefactions. 
He  was  beneficent  to  the  extent  of  his  ability.  He  lived  a  good 
life.  The  blessing  of  God  was  in  his  house.  He  died  well. 
His  memory  is  a  benediction. 

In  1834,  the  Rev.  Edmund  Pearson,  then  the  Superintendent 
of  the  Cherokee  Mission  under  the  appointment  of  the  Tennes- 
see Conference,  organized  a  Society  in  the  house  of  William  R. 
Nicholson,  at  the  foot  of  Sand  Mountain,  in  Wills  Valley.  The 
mention  of  this  incident  leads  to  the  further  remark  that  in  the 
obituary  of  the  Rev.  Edmund  Pearson  published  in  the  General 
Minutes,  there  are  two  or  more  statements  which  are  incorrect, 
and  which,  by  suppression,  deny  some  important  facts  in  his  life. 
The  statements  here  alluded  to  set  out  that  Pearson  was  for  a 
number  of  years  a  member  of  the  Holston  Conference,  and  for 
three  years  a  presiding  elder  therein,  and  that  he  was  for  a  time 
a  local  preacher  in  Talladega  County,  Alabama.  Whereas,  he  was 
never  a  presiding  elder  in  the  Holston  Conference,  and  he  was 
never  a  local  preacher  in  Talladega  County.  From  the  end  of  1821 
to  the  end  of  1825  he  was  connected  with  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence as  a  traveling  preacher.  He  was  for  one  year,  the  year  1829, 
a  member  of  the  Holston  Conference,  From  the  latter  part  of 
1832  to  the  latter  part  of  1837  he  was  a  member  of  the  Tennes- 
see Conference,  and  for  the  years  1833  and  1834  he  was  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Cherokee  Mission,  in  the  latter  year  of  which  he 
organized  that  Society  in  the  house  of  Nicholson.  For  about 
four  years,  or  from  1838  to  the  close  of  1841,  he  was  a  local 
preacher  in  the  Wills  Valley  Circuit,  and  did  more  to  improve^ 
and  elevate  the  style  of  work  and  the  sentiment  of  the  Church. 


520 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


in  that  Circuit  than  any  man  in  the  bounds  thereof.  As  an  il- 
lustration of  his  apprehension  of  the  things  which  pertained  to 
the  work,  and  his  activity  in  setting  forward  the  same,  it  may 
be  stated  that  at  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Wills  Valley 
Circuit,  at  Bethel  Meeting  House,  April  13,  1839,  of  which  he 
was  a  member  as  a  local  preacher,  on  his  motion,  and  through 
his  good  offices  in  behalf  thereof,  there  was  passed  a  Kesolution 
that  some  efficient  means  be  adopted  by  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence for  the  erection  of  good  and  comfortable  Houses  of  wor- 
ship for  the  various  Societies  constituting  that  pastoral  charge. 
At  the  end  of  1841  he  was  re-admitted  iuto  the  traveling  connec- 
tion in  the  Alabama  Conference,  and  he  was  for  the  next  four 
years  presiding  elder  of  the  Talladega  District,  w^ith  Wills  Valley 
Circuit  as  one  of  the  appointments  belonging  to  it.  For  the  three 
years  next  succeeding  his  term  on  the  Talladega  District  he  was 
appointed  presiding  elder  of  the  Tuskaloosa  District,  and  he 
died  September  23,  1848,  being  about  fifty  years  old. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  began  among  the  white 
population  of  Wills  Valley  with  the  organization  of  that  Society 
in  the  house  of  Nicholson.  Some  time  before  1839  a  Meeting 
House  was  built,  and  the  place  was  called  Bethel,  which  means 
the  house  of  God,  and  Bethel  continues  till  this  day,  1892. 
The  membership  at  Bethel  in  its  infancy  were  William  K 
Nicholson  and  his  wife,  William  Landers  and  his  wife  and 
children,  Thomas  F.  Lamar,  Kobert  Gains,  Thomas  Capehart, 
and  their  wives,  and  others  whose  names  are  not  at  hand. 
More  than  fifteen  men  have  gone  into  the  ministry  from  the 
membership  of  that  Church;  among  them,  Warren  D.  Nich- 
olson, Charles  D.  Nicholson,  Evan  Nicholson,  Eufus  Nichol- 
son, and  Priestly  E.  Nicholson.  These  five  brothers,  the  sons 
of  William  K.  and  Jane  Nicholson,  have  been  itinerant  preach- 


ers. 


The  preaching  places  on  the  Wills  Valley  Circuit,  which  were 
established  in  the  beginning  of  the  work  in  that  section,  and  at 
which  Churches  continued  to  thrive,  were,  in  addition  to  Bethel 
already  named,  Bristow's,  Camden,  Sulphur  Spring,  Salem,  Shi- 
loh.  Muddy  Pond,  Mount  Zion,  Union  Meeting  House,  and  Leb- 
anon. Eden  Camp-ground  and  Harmony  Camp-ground  were 
popular  places  there  in  the  very  beginning. 

Bristow's,  in  Big  Wills  Valley,  was  established  in  1835.     The 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      521 


Eev.  Warwick  Bristow  and  his  family,  and  David  Sibert  and 
his  family  were  the  leading  members  there  at  the  first. 

Muddy  Pond  was  near  what  is  now  called  Brandon's  Station, 
and  was  organized  as  early  as  1836.  Sampson  Clayton,  Solo- 
mon Clayton  and  their  wives,  Anna  Clayton,  Samuel  D.  War- 
ren, and  his  family,  and  Kichard  Koberts  were  members  at  that 

place. 

Camden  was  about  two  miles  west  of  what  is  now  Portersville, 

and  in  Big  Wills  Valley. 

Sulphur  Spring  was  near  Nathan  Lamar's,  near  Holloman's, 
and  down  the  Valley  about  six  miles  from  Valley  Head. 

Union  Meeting  House  was  in  Lookout  Valley,  above  Valley 

Head. 

In  that  section  of  country  occupied  by  Wills  Valley  Circuit 
the  rustic  style  was  marked  and  prevalent.  The  crude  and  the 
rude  prevailed  in  the  architecture,  customs,  and  manners  of  the 
people.  That  there  is  nothing  to  do  but  to  save  souls  was  a  fas- 
cinating and  popular  sentiment  in  that  Circuit,  and  in  that 
work,  as  popularly  understood,  the  members  of  the  Church 
thereabout  were  earnest,  active,  and  zealous,  but  liberal  enter- 
prises were  not  instituted,  and  generous  financial  expenditures 
were  not  made.  The  sums  contributed  for  the  support  of  the 
Christian  ministry  and  Christian  agencies  were  meager,  indeed. 


The  Growth  of  Methodism  throughout  Alabama.  523 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Growth  of  Methodism  throughout  Alabama. 

DURING  the  period  included  in  the  years  from  1832  to 
1845  the  Methodists  in  that  part  of  Alabama  included  in  . 
the  Tennessee  Conference  were  generally  zealous  in  behalf  of 
Christianity  under  the  auspices  of  the  Church  to  which  they  be- 
longed, and  during  those  years  there  was  progress  made  in 
most  places.  During  that  period  there  was  a  gain  of  about 
twenty-five  hundred  members,  including  white  and  colored. 
At  Tuscumbia,  Florence,  and  La  Grange  there  was  vacillation 
d urines  all  the  period  now  under  consideration.  Tuscumbia, 
which  was  put  in  the  list  of  Stations  at  the  close  of  1827,  had 
accessions  and  depletions,  the  depletions  occurring  more  fre- 
quently than  the  accessions,  and  finally,  at  the  close  of  1840, 
the  place  was  relegated  to  the  Circuit.  Florence  did  not  suc- 
ceed so  well  as  Tuscumbia.  Florence  would  rally  and  as  quick- 
ly decline,  would  attempt  to  be  a  Station,  and  then  would  fall 
back  into  the  adjoining  Circuit.  At  the  close  of  1844  Florence 
and  Tuscumbia  together,  then  trying  to  sustain  a  pastoral 
charge,  had  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  white  and  one  hun- 
dred  and  five  colored  members.  At  that  same  time  La  Grange 
had  sixty-three  white  members,  and  having  tried  to  be  a  Station 
one  year,  dropped  back  into  a  Circuit  which  offered  aid  and 
comfort.  Decatur  was  first  made  a  Station  in  October,  1841, 
with  the  Piev.  Joshua  Boucher  as  the  preacher,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  first  year  there  were  reported  sixty  white  r.nd  seven  col- 
ored members  belonging  thereto.  The  Church  there  advanced 
and  retrograded  by  turns,  and  was  only  uniform  in  being  feeble, 
but  never  went  back  into  a  Circuit  until  after  the  war  between 
the  States,  and  then  only  for  a  year  or  two. 

The  Rev.  Joshua  Boucher,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Madden,  the  Rev. 
Ambrose  F.  Driskill,  the  Rev.  Justinian  Williams,  the  Rev. 
Dawson  Phelps,  the  Rev.  R.  L.  Andrews,  the  Rev.  Elias  Tidwell, 
the  Rev.  Frederick  G.  Ferguson,  the  Rev.  Pleasant  B.  Robin- 
Bon,  the  Rev.  A.  T.  Scruggs,  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Holland,  and  the  Rev. 
(522)  • 


Gilbert  D.  Taylor  were  among  the  principal  preachers  who  dis- 
pensed the  gospel  and  administered  ecclesiastical  affairs  in  that 
part  of  the  State  included  in  the  Tennessee  Conference  during 
the  period  now  under  review.  The  Rev.  James  McFerrin,  the 
Rev.  William  M.  McFerrin,  and  the  Rev.  John  B.  McFerrin  had 
each  his  last  appointment  in  Alabama  during  that  period. 

The  Rev.  John  B.  McFerrin,  who  attained  to  great  eminence, 
and  whose  life  has  been  written,  and  who  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  Alabama,  and  whose  first  Circuits  were  in  Alabama,  did  his 
last  work  in  Alabama,  in  the  capacity  of  presiding  elder  of  the 
Florence  District,  and  in  the  year  1837.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
personal  power.  He  was  rough  and  rugged,  sturdy  and  strong, 
strategic  and  stable.  He  was  an  honor  to  the  State  where  he 
commenced  preaching,  and  to  the  Church  of  which  he  was  so 
long  a  member.  He  was  long  an  Editor  of  a  Church  organ,  and 
at  the  head  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  his  Church,  and  in 
charge  of  the  Publishing  House  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  His  preaching  was  plain, 
simple,  direct,  and  attended  by  divine  power.  He  died  at  his 
home  near  Nashville,  Tennessee,  May  10, 1887,  lacking  only  one 
short  month  and  five  days  of  being  eighty  years  old.  A  great 
concourse  attended  his  funeral,  which  was  conducted  with  the 
simplicity  so  congenial  to  him. 

The  year  1833  closed  the  ministry  in  Alabama  of  the  Rev. 
William  M.  McFerrin.  He  was  recommended  to  the  District 
Conference  as  a  suitable  person  to  obtain  license  to  preach  and 
also  to  be  recommended  to  the  Annual  Conference  as  a  suitable 
person  for  the  itinerancy  by  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  for 
Franklin  Circuit,  at  Spring  Creek  Camp-ground,  October  25, 
1828.  There  were  twenty-six  members  present  in  that  Quarter- 
ly Conference.  William  M.  McFerrin  was  himself  a  member  of 
that  Quarterly  Conference,  being  at  the  time  a  class  leader. 
His  father,  the  Rev.  James  McFerrin,  was  the  preacher  in 
charge  of  the  Circuit,  and  the  Rev.  William  McMahon  was  the 
presiding  elder.  The  District  Conference  which  was  held  a 
short  while  after  the  Quarterly  Conference  making  the  recom- 
mendations licensed  him  to  preach,  and  recommended  him  to 
the  Annual  Conference,  and  at  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Con- 
ference which  convened  at  Murf reesborough,  December  4, 1828, 
he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Conference.  He  had  not  yet 
34 


Hi 

I 


524 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


reached  his  majority.  After  long  and  laborious  service,  in  va- 
rious places  and  in  different  positions,  sometimes  on  Circuits, 
sometimes  on  Missions,  sometimes  on  Districts,  in  Alabama  and 
Tennessee,  he,  at  last,  on  September  29,  1886,  fell  to  rest  and 
went  to  his  last  reward.  He  was  a  model  man.  Useful  and 
happy  to  the  last.  He  was  hardly  twenty-five  years  old  when 
he  did  his  last  work  in  Alabama. 

The  Kev.  James  McFerrin,  who  was  in  all  that  makes  a  man, 
a  Christian,  and  a  preacher,  the  equal  of  his  sons,  commenced 
his  itinerant  ministry  in  Alabama,  where  he  was  living,  in  the 
end  of  1823,  and  closed  his  ministerial  work  in  the  State  in  the 
capacity  of  presiding  elder  in  the  end  of  1833.  His  last  appoint- 
ment as  an  itinerant  was  the  Wesley  Circuit  in  West  Tennessee. 
He  was  a  local  preacher  at  ihe  time  of  his  death.  He  died 
September  4,  1840.  He  did  great  work  in  Alabama  in  revivals 
and  in  accessions  to  the  Church.     He  had  the  martial  fire  and 

the  military  spirit. 

The  Eev.  Gilbert  D.  Taylor,  a  man  of  good  literary  attain- 
ments, and  of  high  rank,  and  of  deep  piety,  did  valuable  work 
in  Alabama.  He  was  Missionary  to  the  people  of  color,  and 
presiding  elder  on  Districts.  On  August  6, 1870,  in  his  seventy- 
ninth  year,  from  his  residence  in  Pulaski,  Tennessee,  he  took  his 
exit  to  the  Better  Land. 

The  Rev.  Justinian  Williams  entered  the  itinerant  ministry 
in  the  Missouri  Conference,  but  closed  his  life  and  his  work  in 
the  Tennessee  Conference.  He  did  efficient  work  in  Alabama; 
one  year  on  Franklin  Circuit,  two  years  at  Tuscumbia  and  Flor- 
ence, and  one  year  at  Decatur.  He  was  a  man  of  great  energy, 
and  a  preacher  of  fine  ability.  He  maintained  mercy,  justice, 
and  humility.  He  died  in  February,  1859,  having  passed  his 
three  score  and  ten.  On  his  death  bed  he  sang  lines  which 
were  suggested  by  anticipations  of  home  and  treasure  in  the  city 

of  the  skies. 

The  Rev.  Joshua  Boucher  was  licensed  to  preach  in  Madison 
County,  Alabama,  as  early  as  1811,  and  more  than  twenty  years 
of  his  ministry  were  given  to  that  part  of  Alabama  watered  by 
the  streams  flowing  into  the  Tennessee  River.  Than  he  a  more 
indefatigable  and  impressive  worker  was  never  in  that  part  of 
the  State.  He  was  appointed  to  Circuits,  Stations,  and  Dis- 
tricts, and  he  preached  to  vast  audiences  all  through  that  sec- 


» 


f 


The  Growth  of  Methodism  throughout  Alabama,  525 

tion.  While  he  was  not  acquainted  with  the  subtilties  of  the 
schools,  nor  deep-versed  in  belles-lettres,  he  was  an  original 
thinker  and  an  animated  and  entertaining  speaker.  When  he 
was  an  infant  his  father  was  killed  by  Indians,  and  he  was 
brought  up  under  the  disabilities  of  orphanage.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  but  grew  to  manhood  in  Kentucky.  He  was  a 
pious  man  and  a  diligent  preacher.  He  was  generous  and  harm- 
less. Just  there  was  his  weakness.  His  generous  and  inoffen- 
sive nature  so  dominated  him  that  his  administration  was  not  as 
vigorous  as  it  should  have  been,  as  was  especially  disclosed  in 
his  household.  His  children  were  not  worthy  to  be  numbered 
with  the  honorable.  No  doubt  the  characteristic  qualities  trans- 
mitted by  descent  instigated  the  untoward  course  which  fixed 
an  unenviable  reputation,  but  an  inefficient  home  government 
had  much  to  do  in  the  matter.  He  was  presiding  elder  of  the 
Huntsville  District  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  died  at  Ath- 
ens, Alabama,  August  23,  1845.  His  end  was  peace  and  assur- 
ance.    His  body  was  deposited  in  the  cemetery  at  Athens. 

There  were  laymen,  including  local  preachers,  in  that  period 
who  maintained  good  works  for  necessary  uses,  and  were  fruit- 
ful in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  were  then 
worthy  of  salutation,  and  are  now  worthy  of  mention ;  and  there 
were  events  which  marked  progress,  and  may  not  be  left  out  of 
history. 

The  Rev.  John  M.  Cherry,  a  man  of  meekness,  integrity,  and 
piety,  was  a  local  preacher  in  Limestone  County  for  twenty 
years.  He  died  in  that  County  in  1839.  During  those  years 
he  preached,  as  opportunity  offered,  at  the  various  Societies  in 
the  County,  and  he  was  a  great  help  at  the  Camp-meetings.  He 
preached  often  to  the  Negroes,  and  he  had  many  fast  friends 
among  them.  He  sang  sweetly,  prayed  eloquently,  and  preached 
efficiently.  He  was  without  reproach.  After  he  was  gone  to 
his  home  in  the  great  beyond,  his  children  shared  the  sympathy 
and  received  the  benevolence  of  those  who  knew  him,  and,  no 
doubt,  for  his  sake  as  much  as  for  their  own.  His  sons  became 
ministers  of  the  gospel.  Two,  the  Rev.  W.  D.  Cherry  and  the 
Rev.  S.  M.  Cherry,  who  have  wrought  well  in  the  itinerant  min- 
istry, are  here  named. 

In  1818,  the  Rev.  John  Moore,  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
then  about  sixty  years  old,  moved  to  Limestone  County,  Alaba- 


Ill 


526 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Growth  of  Methodism  throughout  Alabama.  527 


ma,  where  he  lived  thirty-four  years,  dying  April  28, 1852.  He 
was  for  seventy-eight  years  a  Methodist  and  for  sixty-eight  a 
Methodist  preacher.  He  was  ordained  to  the  offices  of  the  min- 
istry by  Bishop  Asbury.  He  was  a  holy  man  and  a  useful 
preacher  and  admirable  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  He  was  lib- 
eral and  hospitable.  His  home  gave  shelter  and  entertainment 
to  weary  itinerant  preachers.  In  his  will  he  gave  Fifty  dollars 
to  Foreign  Missions,  Fifty  to  the  American  Bible  Society,  and 
Nine  hundred  to  the  Preachers'  Belief  Fund  of  the  Tennessee 

Conference. 

Previous  to  1836  the  Methodists  of  the  town  of  Athens,  in 
Limestone  County,  worshiped  in  the  School-house  of  the  town 
and  in  the  basement  room  connected  with  the  Masonic  Hall. 
That  year  the  Eev.  Joshua  Boucher  being  presiding  elder  and 
the  Eev.  F.  G.  Ferguson  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Station,  a 
house  of  worship  was  built  for  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
The  Trustees  named  in  the  Deed  to  the  Lot  on  which  the  Church 
was  erected  were:  Samuel  Dewoody,  J.  W.  Lane,  Daniel  Cole- 
man, Thomas  C.  Malone,  and  W.  Keyes.     That  house  is  still  in 

use. 

Honorable  Daniel  Coleman,  one  of  the  Trustees  named  in 
that  Deed,  moved  to  Limestone  County,  Alabama,  in  1819,  and 
upward  of  thirty-five  years  afterward  died  at  Athens.  He  was 
made  Judge  of  the  County  Court  by  the  Legislature  of  Alaba- 
ma when  he  was  only  nineteen  years  old,  and  was  finally  ap- 
pointed Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State.  He  espoused 
the  cause  of  Christianity,  and  was  ardently  attached  to  the  doc- 
trines and  usages  of  Methodism.  He  admired  and  enjoyed  the 
lovefeasts  and  class-meetings,  and  was  a  superior  Sunday- 
school  teacher.  He  filled  efficiently  the  office  of  President  of 
the  Trustees  of  the  Female  Institute  of  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence at  Athens,  Alabama,  from  the  founding  of  that  School  till 
his  death,  a  period  of  nearly  fifteen  years.  He  was  tall  and 
slender  in  person,  and  in  complexion  fair.  He  was  grave,  even 
when  a  boy,  in  bearing  he  was  austere.  He  was  a  man  of  parts, 
position,  and  piety,  and  his  influence  was  wide  and  wholesome. 
He  was  a  factor  in  the  Church  as  well  as  in  the  country.  His 
life  and  labors  gave  character  to  the  Church  of  his  choice.  Jus- 
tice and  piety  were  well  defined  in  his  character.  Dr.  K.  H. 
Kivers,  who  knew  him  well,  says:  "One  of  the  most  affecting 


scenes  I  ever  witnessed  was  when  his  slaves  came  in  from  the 
plantation  to  bid  him  farewell  before  he  should  go  hence.  He 
made  them  a  loving,  tender  talk,  and  bid  them  his  last  farewell. 
In  a  few  days  he  was  gone  to  his  eternal  reward."  A  letter 
w^ritten  with  his  own  hand  in  prospect  of  immediate  death,  a 
last  testament  to  his  loved  ones,  is  given  here,  copied  from  the 

document  itself: 

**  Athens,  August  8,  1856. 

*'My  Dear  Wife  and  Children:    I  am  about  to  die,  and  it  will 

probably  be  a  long  time  before  I  will  see  you , all  again.     I 

want  to  tell  you  how  very  much  I  love  you,  and  how  much  I 

shall   desire    to    meet   you    again.     I    trust   to  meet   you    in 

Heaven.     You  must  try  and  practice  all  I  have  told  you  about 

being  good    and  pious,  truthful  and  loving.      The    children 

must  be  obedient  to  their  Mother,  and  loving  and  kind  to  their 

brothers    and    sisters,    kind    to    the    servants,    and    just    to 

everybody.     Give  your  hearts  to  Jesus,  and  pray  to  him  to 

help  you  to  live,  as  I  have  told  you,  and  we  will  meet  in 

Heaven,  where  parting  will  be  no  more.     I  expect  my  older 

children,  by  their  example  and  instruction,  to  endeavor  to  train 

the  younger  children  to  become  what  I  trust  by  God's  help  I 

have  endeavored  to  make  them.     Early  in  life  I  adopted  the 

maxim:  *Be  just,  and  fear  not,'  bat  I  could  not  live  up  to  the 

maxim  without  the  aid  of  the  religion  of  Jesus.     I  rely  alone 

on  the  atonement  made  by  the  Saviour.     'For  I  know  that  my 

Eedeemer  liveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon 

the  earth,  and  though  after  my  skin,  worms  destroy  this  body, 

yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God.'     My  heart  is  very  full,  and  I 

have  much  more  to  say  to  you,  but  my  strength  fails,  and  I 

must  close.     May  Almighty  God  bless  you,  and  save  you,  and 

bring  us  all,  without  the  loss  of  one,  to  meet  in  Heaven,  is  my 

prayer." 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Peterson  Coleman,  the  wife  of  Judge  Daniel 
Coleman,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  May  22,  1811,  was  mar- 
ried to  Judge  Coleman  when  she  was  sixteen,  in  the  blush  of 
her  youth  and  in  the  bloom  of  her  beauty,  and  died  at  Athens, 
Alabama,  February  15, 1885.  Some  time  before  1835  she  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  for  more  than  a  half 
century  she  adhered  to  her  Church  and  religion,  and  contributed 
her  measure  of  service  to  the  great  cause.     She  was  a  brilliant 


528 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


woman,  stood  in  the  high  ranks  of  society,  and  maintained  her 
position  in  the  house  of  her  honored  husband  with  propriety 
and  satisfaction. 

The  children  of  these  noble  parents  have  maintained  a  good 
position,  a  number  of  them  are  religious,  and  one  of  the  sous 
has  long  been  an  active  and  pious  minister  of  the  gospel  in  con- 
nection with  Methodism.  The  Kev.  James  L.  Coleman  gradu- 
ated at  La  Grange  College,  and  has  honored  his  natural  ances- 
try and  his  Alma  Mater. 

Thomas  C.  Malone,  George  Malone,  Stith  Malone,  and  John 
N.  Malone  were  all  closely  related  by  blood,  and  were  all  promi- 
nent and  useful  Methodists  in  Limestone  County  during  the 
period  now  under  notice.  Thomas  C.  Malone,  mentioned  as 
one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  house  of  worship  at  Athens,  was  the 
father  of  Stith  Malone,  and  George  Malone  was  the  father  of 
John  N.  Malone.  Stith  Malone  was  an  M.D.,  and  eminent  in 
his  profession.  Honorable  John  N.  Malone  filled  many  pub- 
lic Stations  in  the  State  of  Alabama  with  credit  to  himself 
and  profit  to  the  public.  These  men  all  did  much  for  Meth- 
odism. 

The  Eev.  Simpson  Shepherd  was  a  local  preacher  living  at 
Athens,  a  part  of  the  time  at  least,  during  the  period  from  1835 
to  1845.  He  was  a  power  in  the  land.  Being  a  man  of  com- 
manding presence,  of  fine  native  talents,  and  superior  literary 
attainments,  there  were  few  who  surpassed  him.  He  was  born 
and  brought  up  in  the  Emerald  Isle,  and  was  both  witty  and 
eloquent.  Though  only  a  local  preacher,  except  for  two  years, 
he  preached  extensively  through  the  country.  He  also  deliv- 
ered lectures  on  various  subjects.  He  delivered  addresses  on 
Temperance  and  Literary  themes.  He  had  two  excellent  daugh- 
ters, Martha  and  Mary,  who  were  intelligent,  and  were  devoted 
Methodists;  and,  assisted  by  these  two  daughters,  he  taught  a 
Female  School  at  Athens,  prior  to  the  founding  of  the  Insti- 
tute of  the  Tennessee  Conference  at  that  place.  He  left  Athens 
and,  with  his  daughters,  went  to  Louisiana.  He  died  suddenly 
about  1850.  He  made  a  brief  journey  of  about  forty  miles  on 
horseback  to  visit  one  of  his  daughters,  and  on  reaching  her 
premises  he  dismounted  and  proceeded  to  the  residence,  but 
died  before  he  reached  the  door. 

Samuel  Dewoody,  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Church,  was 


The  Growth  of  Methodism  throughout  Alabama.  529* 

sound  in  doctrine,  and  always  zealous  in  life,  and  earnest  in  an 
effort  at  saving  others. 

William  Eichardson,  an  attorney  of  distinction,  a  man  of 
rigid  morals,  was  a  Methodist  at  Athens,  and  served  his  gen- 
eration with  great  fidelity  and  usefulness. 

Thomas  Bass  was  there  in  that  day,  than  whom  there  was  not 
a  better  man  anywhere.     He  was  loved  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Dr.  Jonathan  McDonald,  a  successful  physician  and  farmer, 
who  amassed  a  large  fortune  for  his  time,  was  a  Methodist  who 
contributed  liberally  to  the  support  of  the  Church  and  her 
institutions. 

Ira  Ellis  Hobbs,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  named  for  a  no- 
ted Methodist  preacher  of  his  father's  day,  was  a  model  Chris- 
tian and  class  leader.  He  gave  his  time,  labor,  and  means  to 
the  Church  and  the  support  of  her  enterprises. 

Dr.  B.  W.  Maclin,  the  son  of  Thomas  Maclin,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  was  for  about  half  a  century  one  of  the  pillars  of 
the  Church  at  Athens,  and  made  larger  contributions  to  the 
institutions  of  the  Church  thereabout  than,  perhaps,  any  one 
else. 

Of  women  at  Athens  in  that  day  who  attained  the  redemp- 
tion that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  sustained  the  righteousness 
which  is  by  the  law  of  faith,  may  be  mentioned  Mrs.  Polly 
Malone  and  her  daughters,  Mrs.  McDonald  and  Mrs.  Eeese. 
They  were  holy  women  and  trusted  in  God.  They  did  much 
to  keep  the  fires  burning  on  the  altars  of  the  Church.  In  in- 
structing and  assisting  penitents  in  the  great  struggle  for  jus- 
tification they  were  not  a  whit  behind  the  foremost.  They  were 
active,  not  only  in  the  works  of  piety,  but  in  benevolence  and 
sympathy.  They  ministered  to  the  poor,  the  sick,  and  the 
griefful.     Their  works  praise  them. 

Mrs.  Kebecca  Hobbs,  a  native  of  Virginia,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Maclin,  wife  of  Ira  Ellis  Hobbs,  and  a  Methodist,  lived  more 
than  half  a  century  in  Limestone  County,  Alabama,  being  at 
least  fourscore  years  old  at  the  time  of  her  death.  She  was 
one  of  the  active  agents  and  liberal  contributors  in  erecting 
the  house  of  worship  for  the  Methodists  at  Athens  in  1836. 
She  was  distinguished  among  the  refined,  intelligent,  and  noble 
citizens  of  the  lovely  town  of  Athens.  She  was  richly  endowed 
and  was  cultured,  refined,  and  elegant.     She  was  chaste  and 


.!' 


5'60 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


holy,  and  walked  the  flowery  paths  of   peace.     She  pursued 

that  course  which  guarantees  purer  joys  than  sordid  elements 

can  give.     She  was  a  woman  of  deeds  and  piety,  and  did  not 

seek  distinction  in  dress  and  drollery.     She  adorned  herself  in 

modest  apparel,  tasty,  neat,  and  nice.     Her  constant  language 

was: 

**  Jesus,  thy  blood  and  righteousness 
My  beauty  are,  my  glorious  dress: 
'Midst  flaming  worlds,  in  these  arrayed, 
With  joy  shall  I  lift  up  my  head." 

She  was  educated,  and  she  devoted  her  energies  to  teach- 
ing. She  taught  at  Athens  many  years  before  the  Institute  of 
the  Tennessee  Conference  was  established  at  that  place,  and 
afterward  she  taught  in  that  School.  She  taught  the  poor  for 
nothing,  and  devoted  much  of  her  earnings  to  Church  inter- 
ests. 

In  the  year  1844  there  was  in  the  town  of  Athens  a  work  of 
grace  in  which  there  were  marvelous  effects  and  wonderful  re- 
sults. The  Rev.  Ethelbert  H.  Hatcher,  then  in  the  twenty-sev- 
enth year  of  his  age,  a  man  of  extraordinary  endowments,  and  of 
liberal  culture,  and  of  exemplary  life,  a  Poet  and  an  Orator,  was 
in  charge  of  the  Church  at  Athens,  and  the  Eev.  R.  H.  Rivers 
and  the  Rev.  R  G.  Ferguson,  men  of  gifts  and  grace,  were  con- 
nected with  the  Female  Institute  of  the  Tennessee  Conference 
at  that  place.  These  preachers,  with  the  Rev.  W.  D.  F.  Sawrie, 
then  Agent  of  the  La  Grange  College,  did  the  preaching  on  that 
grand  occasion.  That  special  manifestation  of  saving  power 
commenced  in  the  Female  Institute.  The  first  day  there  was  a 
Pentecostal  day  on  which  more  than  a  dozen  girls  professed  the 
attainment  of  saving  grace,  and  before  the  work  culminated  in 
the  community  at  least  one  hundred  persons  made  the  same  pro- 
fession. The  anointings  of  the  Holy  Ghost  were  upon  the  peo- 
ple. One  man  fifty  years  old,  Robert  C.  David,  was  regenerated, 
and  one  little  girl,  Sallie  B.  Richardson,  was  renewed  by  grace 
divine.  On  one  day  more  than  half  a  hundred  received  baptism, 
and  a  larger  number  formally  assumed  membership  in  the 
Church.  Old  feuds  were  settled,  enmities  were  reconciled,  and 
neighbors  long  estranged  cherished  each  the  other  with  affec- 
tion. The  children  of  God  were  filled  with  ecstasies,  raptures 
akin  to  the  bliss  of  angels.     The  man  regenerated  at  fiity  years 


The  Growth  of  Methodism  throughout  Alabama.  531 


of  age  and  the  child  renewed  at  eight  lived  upright  and  beau- 
tiful lives  till  they  were  transported  to  the  paradise  of  God. 

During  the  period  now  under  consideration  James  K.  March, 
William  S.  Kittrell,  Samuel  T.  Crenshaw,  and  John  Fraser  were 
official  members  in  tlie  Athens  Station,  and  were  men  of  note 
and  worth.  John  Fraser  was  not  a  whit  behind  the  foremost  of 
his  brethren. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


The  Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the 
Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 

THE  Town  of  Marion,  in  Perry  County,  never  appeared  in 
name  in  the  list  of  appointments  until  the  close  of  1832, 
at  which  time  Greenesborough  and  Marion  were  named  togeth- 
er, and  the  Rev.  Robert  L.  Kennon  appointed  thereto.  For  the 
next  year  Marion  and  Selma  were  named  together  as  an  appoint- 
ment, apparently  merely  nominal,  and  the  Rev.  T.  S.  Abernathy, 
a  supernumerary,  put  in  charge.  At  the  end  of  that  year  Mar- 
ion and  Selma  disappeared,  both  places  falling  back  into  adja- 
cent Circuits  bearing  other  names.  Not  till  the  close  of  1838 
did  Marion  again  appear;  then  it  was  named  in  the  list  of  ap- 
pointments, being  the  name  of  the  Circuit  to  which  it  belonged, 
and  the  Rev.  James  M.  Boatwright  and  the  Rev.  Norman  Mc- 
Leod  were  appointed  to  serve  the  same  for  the  year  1839.  It 
was  the  Marion  Circuit  again  for  1840,  with  the  Rev.  Walter  H. 
McDaniel  preacher  in  charge.  At  the  end  of  that  year  Marion 
was  taken  out  of  the  Circuit  and  made  a  Station,  and  the  Rev. 
Moses  Morris  was  appointed  to  superintend  its  interests.  At 
the  end  of  its  first  year  as  an  independent  Station  its  entire 
membership  numbered  thirty-seven  white  persons.  The  preach- 
er who  had  served  it  for  the  year  located  at  that  time.  That 
was  a  small  membership  and  a  feeble  Station.  For  1842  it  was 
served  by  the  Rev.  Wiley  W.  Thomas,  and  the  membership  in- 
creased to  eighty-nine  white  and  thirteen  colored  persons.  The 
preachers  for  Marion  in  the  succeeding  years  were:  1843,  the 
Rev.  William  Moores;  for  1844,  the  Rev.  Jesse  P.  Parham;  1845, 
1846,  the  Rev.  Thomas  H.  P.  Scales.  At  the  close  of  1845  there 
were  in  that  Station  one  hundred  and  fifteen  white  and  seventy- 
two  colored  members. 

The  Methodists  built  a  house  of  worship  there  in  connection 

with  the  Hall  of  the  Masonic  Lodge.     That  house  served  them 

for  many  long  years.     Elisha  F.  King,  one  of  the  old  citizens  of 

Perry  County,  and  a  wealthy  farmer  four  or  five  miles  south  of 

(532) 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      533 

Marion,  was  a  Methodist  at  the  town  of  Marion,  bat  it  is  not 
now  known  how  early  he  was  a  member  there. 

John  Patrick  gave  up  his  native  land,  and  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  of  North  America,  and  about  the  last  part  of  1836, 
or  the  very  first  of  1837,  took  up  abode  at  Marion,  Perry  Coun- 
ty, Alabama,  where  he  resided  for  thirty  years,  and  where  he 
died  the  first  part  of  1867.  He  was  born  in  1809,  or  the  very 
first  part  of  1810,  at  a  place  which  had  been  the  home  of  his  an- 
cestors for  seven  generations,  five  miles  from  Londonderry,  in 
the  County  of  Tyrone,  Ireland.  For  generations  his  ancestors 
were  Presbyterians,  and  he  was  trained  in  the  faith  of  his  fa- 
thers, but,  in  his  native  land  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  the 
Methodists,  attended  their  meetings,  and  attached  himself  to  a 
Methodist  Society.  Through  a  period  of  thirty  years  at  his 
adopted  home  he  was  a  steadfast  member  of  his  adopted  Church, 
much  of  the  time  a  steward,  class  leader,  and  Sunday-school  su- 
perintendent therein,  and  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  pillar 
thereof  through  all  these  years.  He  was  inestimable.  He  was 
rather  under  medium  size,  and  of  feeble  body,  with  florid  com- 
plexion, blue  eyes,  brown  hair  and  whiskers,  and  good  Irish 
features.  He  was  a  saddler  by  trade,  possessed  good  means, 
and  never  married.  His  life  was  without  blemish  and  his  char- 
acter without  spot.  Though  at  times  but  few  stood  with  him 
and  Zion  languished,  he  never  failed  in  the  distinct  utterance  of 
his  faith  and  the  regular  perforraance  of  his  Christian  work. 
He  wrought  well,  and  everywhere  made  a  good  impression. 
The  good  loved  him,  the  scoffers,  who  walked  after  their  own 
lusts,  respected  him,  the  poor,  the  widow,  and  the  orphan  shared 
and  rejoiced  in  his  benefaction,  and  mourned  his  loss  when 
dead.     His  good  name  and  his  good  deeds  live  after  him. 

At  Mount  Zion,  eight  miles  from  Marion,  a  place  mentioned  in 
a  former  chapter,  there  was,  in  1837,  an  extraordinary  meeting  of 
twelve  days'  continuance  under  the  oversight  of  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam B.  Neal  and  the  Rev.  Richard  M.  Crowson,  assisted  by  the 
Rev.  Edward  H.  Moore.  It  was  an  occasion  of  great  joy  to  the 
members  of  the  Church,  and  there  were  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  professed  to  be  justified,  and  nearly  as  many  were  received 
into  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  under  the  system  of  pro- 
bation. At  the  close  of  the  sermon  at  the  last  service  of  the 
occasion,  a  prominent  citizen  by  the  name  of  Boyd,  who  had 


h 


534 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Worh      535 


been  attending  regularly  through  all  the  meeting,  but  who  had 
given  no  other  sign  of  special  interest,  upon  an  invitation  to 
join  the  Church  being  given,  arose  from  his  seat,  and  fell  to  the 
floor,  and  was  instantly  transformed  in  nature,  and  adopted 
into  the  divine  family.  He  arose  in  his  ecstasy,  and  joined  the 
Church  as  a  probationer.  All  through  his  after  life  he  was  an 
active  member,  and  a  pious  Christian.  He  died  in  the  faith,  and 
went  to  the  land  of  glory. 

August  15,  1831,  George  Phillips,  William  K.  King,  and  Ca- 
leb Tate,  Agents  and  Commissioners  of  the  Selma  Town  Com- 
pany, conveyed  to  the  town  Council  of  Selma,  a  Lot  of  land  in 
Selma,  "for  the  promotion  of  Christianity,"  "to  have  and  to 
hold  the  said  Lot  of  land  to  the  said  Town  Council  of  Selma, 
their  assigns  and  successors  forever,  and  for  the  uses  and  trusts 
following:  that  is  to  say,  for  the  erection  of  a  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  to  be  under  the  government,  management,  and 
control  of  the  Methodist  denomination  of  Christians,  and  such 
rules  and  regulations  as  the  Methodist  or  the  Church  to  be  es- 
tablished may  prescribe;  and  it  is  understood  that  the  same  is 
to  remain  a  Church  Lot  for  the  uses  aforesaid  forever." 

From  that  document  it  would  appear  that  by  the  foresight  of 
a  Town  Company,  organized  for  trade  and  trajBfic  in  lands,  pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  introduction  and  perpetuation  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  town  of  Selma,  Alabama. 
At  the  time  that  Deed  was  made  there  were  no  Methodists  at 
Selma  to  constitute  a  Board  of  Trustees,  and  the  Lot  was  deeded 
to  the  Town  Council,  and  it  was  held  for  the  use  of  the  Metho- 
dists by  said  Council  until  March,  1878,  when  the  City  conveyed 
it  to  a  Board  of  Trustees,  named  in  the  conveyance,  as  a  place 
of  worship  for  the  use  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South.  That  last  Deed  was  made  at  the  instance  of  Chancellor 
John,  himself  a  Methodist,  to  remove  all  question  as  to  the  per- 
fection of  title. 

The  town  of  Selma  did  not  grow  rapidly.  Twenty  years  after 
it  was  incorporated  it  had  only  four  hundred  and  thirty-one 
white  population  and  six  hundred  and  twenty-two  Negroes. 
Jockey  Clubs  were  better  supported  than  Churches,  and  more 
appreciated  than  religion.  Many  years  elapsed  before  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  recognized  at  the  place.  It  is 
probable  that  different  Methodist  preachers  had  occasional  ap- 


pointments there  before  any  Society  was  organized  at  the  place. 
In  1827  the  Eev.  Joseph  Walker,  a  local  preacher,  and  an  inno- 
vator of  extreme  temper,  had  at  least  one  appointment  to  preach 
at  Selma.     For  1834  the  Rev.  T.  S.  Abenathy,  a  supernumerary 
preacher,  was  appointed  to  Marion  and  Selma,  an  appointment 
merely  nominal,  and  at  which  nothing  was  accomplished.     The 
appointment  was  discontinued  at  the  end  of  the  year.     It  is  said, 
but  it  is  by  no  means  certain,  that  in  the  first  part  of  1835  J.  L. 
Claughton  erected  a  wooden  building  on  the  lot  given  by  the 
Town  Company  already  recited,  and  that  in  the  next  year,  1836, 
the  Eev.  Daniel  H.  Norwood  organized  a  Society  in  that  build- 
ing, and  that  Norwood  preached  there  regularly  until  the  An- 
nuli'l  Conference  put  a  preacher  in  charge  of  the  affairs  of  the 
Society.     It  is  clearly  indicated  that  the  first  Methodist  Society  . 
at  the  town  of  Selma  was  organized  in  1837.     The  first  Society 
consisted  of  eleven  members,  among  whom  are  recollected  the 
following:  J.  L.  Claughton,  Mrs.  Sarah  Maples,  Josiah  Hinds 
and  wife,  James  Adams  and  wife,  Mrs.  Nolly,  and  Miss  Eliza 
Nolly.     For  1838  Selma  and  Valley  Creek  were  made  an  ap- 
pointment, and  the  Rev.  AVilliam  A.  Smith  put  in  charge  of  it. 
For  1839  the  appointment  was  continued,  and  the  Rev.  Asbury 
H.  Shanks  served  it.     During  that  year  William  J.  Norris,  and 
his  brother,  James  A.  Norris,  and  Thomas  W.  Street,  and  others, 
were  added  to  the  Society  at  Selma.     It  is  said  that  for  many 
years  William  J.  and  James  A.  Norris  constituted  about  the 
strength  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Selma.     The 
Sunday-school  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  Selma  in  1837.     Selma  was  made  a  Station  at  the  be- 
ginning of  1840,  and  at  the  end  of  that  year  the  Annual  Con- 
ference was  held  there,  and  after  all  that,  there  were  only  fifty- 
five  white  and  sixty-seven  colored  members  at  the  place.     In  a 
sort  of  heroic  effort,  the  place  was  continued  as  a  Station  for 
1841,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  there  had  been  a  decline  of 
ten  white  and  fifty  colored  members.     Then  the  place  was  rele- 
gated to  a  Circuit,  where  it  remained  for  three  years,  and  was  then 
again  set  off  as  a  Station,  though  it  was  left  to  be  supplied,  be- 
cause the  pay  had  to  be  supplemented.     At  the  end  of  1845, 
after  supplying  and  supplementing,  there  were  forty  white  and 
one  hundred  colored  members.     Through  the  years  here  enu- 
merated such  men  as  the  Rev.  William  Moores,  the  Rev.  Wiley 


536 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


W.  Thomas,  the  Rev.  AVilliara  W.  Bell,  and  the  Rev.  James 
Young  dispensed  the  gospel  to  that  people.  For  many  years 
the  Brothers  Norris,  above  mentioned,  bore  tha  financial  bur- 
den of  the  Church  at  Selma.  There  was  a  struggle  there 
against  general  feebleness,  against  fluctuations,  backslidings,  and 
apostasies.  In  1845,  on  account  of  the  feeble  state  of  atfairs, 
the  presiding  elder  of  the  District  in  which  the  charge  was  sit- 
uated, the  Rev.  Greenberry  Garrett,  supplied  the  Selma  Station. 

While  the  progress  of  Methodism  at  some  points  in  Dallas 
County,  Alabama,  was  not  as  rapid  as  could  have  been  desired, 
yet  the  adherents  thereof  wrought  in  all  parts  of  the  County, 
and  the  Societies  organized  therein  at  an  early  date,  under  the 
commendable  efforts  of  the  members  constituting  them,  attained 
a  measure  of  success;  and  other  Societies  were  organized  in  the 
County  as  time  went  on,  and  the  several  Societies  built  for 
themselves  houses  of  worship  suited  to  their  circumstances  and 
necessities. 

Some  of  the  work  which  was  done  during  the  period  now  un- 
der review,  the  particular  locality  of  the  several  Societies,  and 
who  were  some  of  the  leading  Methodists  in  different  sections 
of  the  County  may  be  learned  from  the  statements  herein  im- 
mediately following. 

August  4,  1835,  James  Brown  made  a  Deed  to  a  Lot,  four 
miles  west  of  Selma,  in  Section  thirty-two,  Township  seventeen, 
Range  ten,  on  which  to  erect  a  house  of  worship  for  the  use 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  Trustees  named  in 
that  Deed  were  John  Merideth,  Malachi  Scarborough,  Noah 
Williams,  Andrew  Yost,  and  James  Russum. 

Edward  Murphy,  on  December  7,  1836,  made  a  Deed  to  a  Lot 
for  the  Church  known  as  County  Line  Church,  four  miles  north 
of  Yalley  Creek,  in  Section  two.  Township  eighteen.  Range  ten 
The  Trustees  named  were   Isaac  Rich,  David  Cumming,  An- 
drew Wood,  and  James  McGaugh. 

September  16,  1839,  William  P.  Molett  made  a  Deed  to  a 
Lot  at  the  town  of  Warrenton,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  Trustees  were  Abner  M. 
Coleman,  Abner  T.  Howell,  Samuel  Mays,  Edward  Dudley,  and 
A.  C.  Ramsey. 

November  1,  1842,  Thomas  B.  Goldsby,  for  the  use  and  bene- 
fit of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  made  a  Deed  to  a  Lot, 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      537 

three  or  four  miles  west  of  what  is  now  known  as  Marion 
Junction,  in  Section  seventeen.  Township  seventeen.  Range 
eight.  The  Trustees  were  Richard  Spencer,  William  B.  Mc- 
Henry,  Elijah  J.  Boothe,  William  M.  Boothe,  William  Smith, 
George  AV.  Thach,  and  Thomas  E.  B.  Pigues. 

October  23,  1844,  a  contract  was  made  to  build  Yalley  Creek 
Church.  Thomas  B.  Goldsby,  John  Paulling,  George  A.  B. 
W^alker,  A.  H.  Mitchell,  and  Greenberry  Garrett,  were  the 
members  of  the  Building  Committee.  The  last  member  here 
named  did  most  of  the  w^ork  of  the  Committee.  The  builders 
were  Samuel  H.  Wallace  and  Amos  White.  The  house  was  to 
be  sixty-one  feet  and  four  inches  in  length,  and  forty-one  feet 
in  width,  and  was  to  cost  thirty-five  hundred  dollars,  and  it  was 
built  according  to  contract.  The  Deed  thereto  was  made  July 
10,  1845,  and  the  Trustees  were  George  Childers,  Noel  Pitts, 
John  Paulling;  and  David  Mims.  The  house  was  dedicated  to 
divine  service,  Sunday,  October  5,  1845,  in  connection  with  a 
Quarterly  Conference  occasion.     Yalley  Creek  is  Summerfield. 

Dallas  and  Wilcox  Counties  join,  and  as  has  been  related  in 
another  place,  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit  took  in,  back  in  the 
time  now  under  consideration,  a  part  of  both  Counties,  as  well 
as  a  part  of  other  Counties.  In  1834,  two  houses  of  worship, 
which  may  be  mentioned  here,  were  built,  in  Wilcox  County, 
which  were  in  use  a  great  many  years.  One  was  in  Black's 
Bend,  near  Black's  Bluff,  and  called  Tait's  Chapel.  The  other 
was  six  miles  north-east  from  Camden,  and  called  Society  Hill. 

Before  Tait's  Chapel  was  built  the  Methodists  held  their  serv- 
ices and  had  their  preaching  in  the  residence  of  a  Mr.  McPher- 
son  near  where  the  Chapel  was  erected.  The  year  Tait's  Chapel 
was  built  there  was  a  Camp-meeting  held  there  which  was  at- 
tended with  w^onderf  ul  manifestations  and  great  results.  There 
were  forty-five  added  to  the  Church.  'Among  those  justified 
at  that  meeting  were  Theophilus  Williams  and  his  charm- 
ing wife.  They  were  the  very  salt  of  the  earth,  and  through 
many  years  they  were  the  pillars  of  the  Church  where  they  lived 
in  Monroe  County.  The  Rev.  Richard  Pipkin  did  his  last 
preaching  at  that  Camp-meeting.  From  thence  he  returned 
home,  sickened  and  died,  and  was  buried  at  Oak  Hill,  near  Al- 
lenton.  James  Tait,  Walter  Ross,  A.  K.  Smith,  Abram  God- 
bold,  Reuben  Muldrow,  Josiah  Garlington,  Peter  McArthur, 


538 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


John  P.  Davis,  Henry  Spencer,  the  wives  of  these  men,  Mrs. 
Ann  McCants,  and  others,  were  members  at  Tait's  Chapel  in 
that  time.  A  noble  band  they  were,  fit  "  to  hold  communion 
with  the  heavens  above," 

The  Society  at  Society  Hill  was  organized  through  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Kev.  James  Thompson,  who  established  himself  a 
home  in  that  neighborhood,  and  the  house  of  worship  there 
was  built,  in  great  part,  by  his  labor,  and  the  interests  of  that 
Church  were  fostered  with  watchful  care  and  unremitting  toil 
by  him  through  the  remaining  years  of  his  life.  The  McNiels 
and  the  Campbells  were  also  strong  members  at  that  place,  and 
did  much  in  support  of  the  good  cause. 

The  Kev.  James  Thompson  was  never  an  itinerant  preacher, 
but  he  preached  through  a  wide  region  of  country  round  about 
from  Society  Hill,  reaching  out  in  Butler,  Conecuh,  Clarke,  Dal- 
las, Lowndes,  Monroe,  and   Wilcox   Counties,  and  within  the 
ample  range  of  his  ministry  he  exerted  a  commanding  influence. 
He  was  sedate  and  dignified,  a  righteous  man  and  an  honest 
seer.     He  exercised  good  judgment  in  the  selection  of  subjects 
for  the  pulpit,  and  he   succeeded  in  admirable  degree  in  the 
preparation    and  delivery   of    sermons.     Unction,  pathos,  and 
mellow  voice  were  his,  and  he  put  his  thoughts  in  logical  form, 
and  his  audiences  were  often  entranced,  melted  to  tears,  and 
moved  to  action.     He  was  solid  in  character  and  sound  in  doc- 
trine.    Philosophical  investigations  were,  perhaps,  good  enough 
for  those  inclined  to  them,  but  he  took  the  Scriptures  as  of  di- 
vine origin,  and  the  truth  of  God,  which  he  accepted  upon  sim- 
ple faith,  illumined  all  about  him,  and  gave  him  immunity  from 
the  uncertain  and  the  visionary.     That   the   Holy  Ghost  im- 
plants in  the  human  heart  a  virtuous  impulse,  and  imparts  life 
to  dead  faculties,  and  that  faith  is  the  power  which  overcomes  the 
evil  one  he  accepted  As  wholesome  and  comforting  doctrines. 
Pantheistic  dogmas,  and  extramundane  deities  he  scouted  as 
unworthy  of  confidence.     He  believed  in  a  God  separate  from 
all  things,  and  yet  omnipresent,  and  ever  present  with  his  saints. 
To  him  Christ  was  not  merely  an  ideal  man  in  whom  pure  mo- 
rality was  realized,  but  he  was  the  Lord  and  Euler  of  all  things, 
and  the  administrator  of  grace,  a  real  Saviour,  entitled  to  confi- 
dence, honor,  and  worship.     With  him  religion  was  sine  qua  non. 
He  never  gave  credence  to  the  heretical  idea  that  he  needed  re- 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      539 

ligion  only  for  a  time,  and  then  only  as  a  bolster,  and  that  he 
would  eventually  outgrow  it,  rise  above  it,  and  be  independent 
of  it.  He  regarded  the  Sabbath  with  strictest  observance,  and 
kept  up  an  altar  of  prayer  in  his  house. 

He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  the  mother  of  all  his 
children,  six  in  number,  and  a  good  woman  and  true,  died  in 
1835,  and  was  buried  at  Society  Hill.  In  1836  he  married  a 
Mrs.  Mason,  one  of  the  best  women  who  ever  lived  anywhere,  in 
any  age.  She  was  not  a  strong-minded  woman,  she  was  not  en- 
dowed with  the  talents  of  statesmanship,  or  the  gifts  of  oratory. 
She  was  not  thorough  in  the  classics  of  antiquity,  she  knew, 
perhaps,  nothing  of  the  hexameters  of  Homer  and  Virgil,  but 
she  had  the  power  of  a  steady  purpose,  and  the  inspiration  of 
Christian  obligation  and  integrity.  She  was  neat,  and  lady- 
like, perfectly  free  from  all  arrogance,  overweening,  and  over- 
bearing. She  was  gentle,  meek,  and  kind.  She  had  fair  com- 
plexion, and  blue  eyes,  and  her  face  beamed  with  kindness  and 
sweetness.  She  sought  neither  fame  nor  wealth,  and  in  the 
generous  impulses  of  her  nature  she  dispensed  hospitality  and 
charity  in  no  mean  degree.  She  confided  in  God  with  the  sim- 
plicity of  a  little  child,  and  if  she  was  not  perfectly  innocent  it 
was  because  it  is  impossible  so  to  be  in  this  present  state.  She 
outlived  her  husband  a  number  of  years.  The  Kev.  James 
Thompson  and  most  of  his  children  rest  in  the  grave-yard  at 
Society  Hill.  Dr.  Benjamin  D.  Thompson,  one  of  the  sons,  was 
a  strong  pillar  of  the  Church  in  his  day.  Miss  Margaret  Jane 
Thompson,  one  of  the  daughters,  joined  the  Church  at  Society- 
Hill  in  1837,  was  married  to  the  Kev.  Alexander  McBride,  a 
member  of  the  Alabama  Conference,  August  20,  1846,  and  died 
in  Autauga  County,  Alabama,  March  31,  1848,  and  she  was  in- 
terred at  her  request  at  Society  Hill,  beside  her  mother.  All 
the  daughters  died  in  young  womanhood,  and,  all  joining  the 
Church  when  girls,  were  model  Christians. 

The  Kev.  Frederic  P.  Norsworthy,  a  man  of  rare  gifts,  com- 
manding powers,  and  noted  personality,  touched  the  Church  in 
a  prominent  manner  in  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit.  He  attained 
a  place  among  the  itinerant  preachers  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  in  January,  1826.  By  some  channel  not  now  known 
he  had  attained  deacon's  orders  prior  to  his  entering  the  itiner- 
ant work.  He  was  admitted  to  the  South  Carolina  Conference 
35  ' 


540 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


and  ordained  elder  in  that  Conference,  and  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the   Georgia  Conference  at  its   organization.     He  had 
good  appointments,  and  for  about  six  years  did  well,  but  at  last 
fell  into  evil  and  brought  a  burden  upon  the  Church.     At  a  ses- 
sion of  the  Georgia  Conference  held  at  La  Grange,  Georgia,  his 
case  was  referred  to  a  Committee  for  investigation,  and  the 
Committee  made  a  report  of  the  case  to  the  Conference  on  Jan- 
uary 7,  1833.     The   finding  of   the  Committee  was   that  three 
charges  were  suggested  against  him.     1.  Adultery  committed  or 
attempted.     2.  Imprudence    with    females.     3.  Slander    in    a 
charge  made  and  not  proved  against  a  female.     The  Commit- 
tee further  reported  that  on  a  careful  examination  of  all  the  tes- 
timony and  statements  which  go  to  prove  the  first  charge  they 
find  him  not  Guilty.     On  the  second  charge  compelled  to  believe 
him  Guilty.     On  the  third   charge   are  of   opinion   that   there 
were  injudicious   and  improper  expressions   used  by  Brother 
Norsworthy,  are  not  prepared  to  pronounce  him  guilty  of  will- 
ful slander.     The  Committee  presented  with  the  above  the  fol- 
lowing  resolution    for   adoption:    ''Resolved:    That  in   conse- 
quence of   the   imprudence   of  which  Brother  Norsworthy  is 
found  guilty  that  he  be  suspended  from  all  official  services  in 
the  Church  for  one  year."     On  the  next  day  the  report  of  the 
Committee  was  called  up,  and  the  following  action  had:  "The 
motion  for  adopting  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  the  first 
charge  was  put  and  carried.     Their  decision  on  the   second 
charge  in  the  report,  was  also  on  motion  adopted.     On  the  third 
cliarge  the  report  of  the  Committee  was  set  aside.     It  was  re- 
solved that  the  accused  be  found  guilty  of  slander  by  a  vote  of 
twenty-nine  to  twenty-eight.     The  Resolution  closing  the  re- 
port of  the  Committee  was  read,  and  on  motion  it  was  so  amend- 
ed as  to  read:  Resolved,  That  in  consequence  of  the  imprudence 
of  which  Brother  Norsworthy  is  found  guilty,  and  especially 
under  the  solemn  admonition  given  him  on  a  former  occasion, 
that  he  be  divested  of  his  ministerial  character."     The  next  day 
Ignatius  A.  Few,  one  of  the  members  of  the  Conference,  en- 
tered the  following  protest: 

*'I  protest  against  the  decision  of  this  Conference  in  finding 
F.  P.  Norsworthy  guilty  of  slander,  1.  Because  he  never  has 
been  either  before  this  Conference  or  a  Committee  acting  under 
its  direction  put  on  his  trial  for  slander,  he  never  has  been  ac- 


Furiher  Efdargement  and  Advancement  qf  the  Work.      541 

<5used  of  speaking  false  words  injurious  to  the  character  of  an- 
other, and  invited  and  allowed  to  prove  his  innocence,  and  the 
decision  of  the  Conference,  he  was  guilty  of  slander,  was  upon 
a  gratuitous  supposition  in  which  he  was  neither  invited  nor  al- 
lowed to  defend  himself.  2.  I  protest  against  the  decision  of 
the  Conference  in  this  case  because  having  found  him  guilty  of 
slander,  they  have  refused  to  expel  him  from  the  Church  with- 
out any  confession  of  his  guilt  or  avowal  of  penitence  or  prom- 
ise of  amendment  affording  the  dangerous  example  of  retaining 
a  member  convicted  of  a  crime  which  excludes  him  from  the 
kingdom  of  grace  and  glory  without  penitence,  confession,  or 
promise  of  reformation.  I.  A.  Few." 

"  La  Grange,  Georgia,  January  9,  1833." 

After  that  expulsion  from  the  ministry  Mr.  Norsworthy  made 
his  home  at  or  near  Pleasant  Hill,  Dallas  County,  Alabama,  in 
the  bounds  of  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit.  In  the  year  1837,  un- 
der the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Ramsey  and  the  Rev.  S.  F. 
Pilley,  Norsworthy  professed  to  be  reclaimed  from  his  base  de- 
clension, and  at  the  last  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  Circuit 
for  that  year  he  applied  for  a  license  to  preach,  but  the  Quar- 
terly Conference,  controlled  by  such  local  preachers  as  Peavy, 
Stearues,  and  Thomi)son,  declined  to  grant  him  a  license.  He, 
however,  had  the  gift  of  perseverance,  and  at  a  Quarterly  Con- 
ference held  the  next  year  for  the  Circuit  at  Pleasant  Hill, 
where  he  held  his  membership,  he  renewed  his  application  for 
license  to  preach,  and  that  Quarterly  Conference  gave  him  the 
authority  he  asked.  He  then  went  forth  in  the  capacity  of  a 
local  preacher  in  the  Circuits  adjacent  to  him,  and  he  stirred  the 
Church  apd  the  country  as  no  other  preacher  in  that  section  was 
able  to  do.  The  very  elements  of  his  nature  which  made  him 
erratic  and  unreliable  were  the  elements  in  which  inhered  the 
passion  and  pathos,  fire  and  fervor,  by  which  he  controlled  and 
moved  an  audience. 

In  1839,  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Ram- 
sey, a  supernumerary  preacher  on  the  Circuit  for  the  year,  a 
Camp-ground  was  established  at  Ebenezer,  called  Oak  Hill,  in 
Wilcox  County,  at  which  a  Camp-meeting  was  held  that  year, 
and  at  which  Camp-meetings  were  held  in  subsequent  years. 
Frederic  P.  Norsworthy,  then  a  local  preacher,  attended  that 
Camp-meeting  in  1839.     Ramsey  was  a  tenter  and  helped  to  en- 


542 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


tertain  the  people.     The  Rev.  Asbnry  H.  Shanks,  who  then  had 
charge  of  Selma  and  Valley  Creek,  and  who  was  a  member  of 
the  Georgia  Conference  at  the  time  Norsworthy  was  deposed 
from  the  ministry,  and  was  transferred  to  the  Alabama  Confer- 
ence at  the  very  session  of  the  Georgia  Conference  at  which 
Norsworthy  was  deposed,  was  at  the  Camp-meeting  at  Ebenezer 
in  1839,  as  were  also  a  number  of  men  and  women  from  Selma. 
The  life  and  official  death  of  Norsworthy  was  well  known.    The 
Rev.  L.  B.  McDonald  was  in  charge  of  the  meeting,  but  for 
some  reason  he  had  relegated  to  the  Rev.  James  King,  a  local 
preacher,  the  duty  of  appointing  the  preachers  to  occupy  the 
pulpit  at  the  different  hours  of  service.    On  the  part  of  the  masses 
on  the  Campus  there  was  a  great  clamor  for  Norsworthy  to 
preach,  but  on  the  part  of  some,  there  was  a  stubborn  opposi- 
tion to  his  preaching.     Those  from  Selma  declared  they  would 
not  hear  him.     Father  King  heard  the  clamor  for  Norsworthy 
and  the  opposition  to  him,  and  was  in  a  dilemma.     Finally,  after 
consultation,  King  decided  to  have  Norsworthy  preach  at  the 
afternoon   service   on  Sunday,  and  the  appointment  was  am- 
nounced.     Many  were  delighted,  some  were  displeased.     The 
hour  came,  the  congregation  assembled.     The  Rev.  Mr.  Shanks 
took  his  seat  in  the  altar  just  in  front  of  the  preacher.     The 
people  from  Selma  declined  to  take  seats  with  the  congregation, 
but  seated  themselves  about  the  tents  in  sufficient  proximity  to 
hear  distinctly  what  was  said.     The  issues  of  the  hour  were  con- 
tingent, and  what  they  would  be  was  of  deepest  concern.     Nors- 
worthy felt  that  the  vindication  of  himself  and  the  cause  of  God 
depended  upon  his  effort  at  that  hour,  and  he  proceeded  with 
the  services  determined  to  acquit  himself  well.     His  opening 
prayer  was  full  of  meekness  and  dependence,  and  there  was  in 
it  the  glow  of  piety  and  the  language  of  faith.     In  profound 
utterance  he  invoked  the  divine  aid  in  the  adventure  of  the  hour. 
There  were  deep  prejudices  which  he  had  to  meet.     He  an- 
nounced his  text,  an  appropriate  text,  one  full  of  warning,  sym- 
pathy, and  consolation;  one  indicating  the  mission  of  the  disci- 
ples of  Christ  in  the  world,  their  danger  and  their  aid.     "I 
pray  not  that  thou  shouldest  take  them  out  of  the  world,  but 
that  thou  shouldest  keep  them  from  the  evil."     (John  xvii.  15.) 
In  the  exposition  of  the  text  he  portrayed  the  evil  which  is  in 
the  world,  and  which  is  encountered  by  Christians.     He  en- 


FiirtJier  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      543 


larged  upon  the  different  phases  thereof.  As  he  moved  out 
from  point  to  point  he  caught  the  tenderness,  pathos,  and  conso- 
lation which  are  in  the  text,  and  he  threw  all  the  emotion  of  his 
nature  into  his  arguments.  His  theme  opened  out  to  him  sub- 
limely, and  he  became  grandly  eloquent.  He  seemed  borne  "  on 
wings  of  holy  ardor  strong,"  and  he  appeared  in  holy  rapture, 
as  though  he  "  stood  on  the  mount  of  God."  His  very  gestures 
seemed  under  the  control  of  the  divine  Spirit,  and  his  utterances 
were  as  sublime  as  inspiration.  The  Rev.  Asbury  H.  Shanks 
could  not  suppress  his  emotions,  and  while  the  preacher  dis- 
cussed the  great  theme  in  hand  Shanks  responded  audibly. 
Those  who  refused  to  join  the  congregation,  and  seated  them- 
selves about  the  tents  where  they  could  hear,  began  to  move 
toward  the  congregation  when  the  eloquence  of  the  preacher 
began  to  peal  afar,  and  before  he  closed  they  were  in  the  crowd, 
and  as  near  to  him  as  they  could  get.  When  Norsworthy  closed 
his  sermon  the  congregation  was  participating  in  one  general 
shout,  and  many  penitents  were  at  the  altar,  a  large  number  of 
whom  found  the  peace  of  God  before  the  evening  was  gone. 
Such  an  excitement  had  not  been  witnessed  at  any  time  dur- 
ing the  meeting  before.  Such  excitement  was  not  often  had 
anywhere.  The  good  sisters  who  had  persistently  refused 
to  consent  to  his  being  permitted  to  preach  changed  their 
minds,  and  said:  "He  certainly  must  be  a  good  man,  he 
certainly  is  persecuted;  and  whether  he  be  a  sinner  or  not,  he 
•can  preach."  He  moved  from  Dallas  County  to  Tallapoosa 
County,  Alabama,  where  he  died.  It  was  said  that  he  gave  evi- 
dence in  his  last  sickness,  and  on  his  dying  bed,  that  God  was 
with  him  in  forgiving  mercy,  and  that  he  was  prepared  to  go 
hence.     The  foibles  of  his  life  terminated. 

The  Hayneville  Circuit  was  first  made  for  1835,  and  it  about 
continued  in  statu  qitOf  averaging  about  two  hundred  white  mem- 
bers, and  larger  colored  membership.  A  prosperous  year  on 
that  Circuit  was  1843,  eighty-four  white  and  sixty-five  colored 
members  joining  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  Hayneville 
having  protracted  services,  and  Lowndesborough  Ridge,  four 
miles  from  Hayneville,  having  a  Camp-meeting  with  good  re- 
sults. At  the  end  of  that  year  Hayneville  and  Lowndesborough 
were  united  in  an  appointment  and  constituted  a  pastoral  charge. 

The  Cahawba  Circuit  made  in  1818,  and  which  extended  more 


5U 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      545 


than  the  length  of  the  Cahawba  Kiver,  was,  at  the  close  of  1833,. 
re-arranged,  and  the  name  disappeared,  the  upper  part  of  it  be- 
ing in  the  Ashville  Circuit,  which  then  for  the  first  time  ap- 
peared in  the  Minutes. 

The  Marengo  Circuit  was  named  at  the  close  of  1825,  and  con- 
tinued on  the  list  of  appointments  until  January,  1840,  when  it 
disappeared.  The  Cahawba,  Linden,  and  Gaston  Circuits  were 
made  at  that  time,  the  Linden  Circuit  embracing,  no  doubt,  the 
majority  of  the  appointments  which  had  been  in  the  Marengo 
Circuit. 

The  new  Cahawba  Circuit  made  at  the  time  the  Marengo  Cir- 
cuit disappeared  was  kept  up  by  that  name  for  at  least  ten  years, 
and  had  in  it  most  of  that  time  the  town  of  Cahawba,  and  ex- 
tended over  a  large  region  of  country,  and  had  a  large  member- 
ship. At  the  town  of  Cahawba  there  was  scarcely  anything  dis- 
tinctively religious  for  many  years.  Though  it  was  one  of  the 
oldest  towns  in  Alabama,  and  was  once  the  Capital  of  the  State, 
no  denomination  was  strong  enough  to  build  a  house  of  worship 
there  until  after  1848.  About  the  time  that  last  Cahawba  Circuit 
was  made  a  house  for  the  use  of  all  denominations  was  built  by 
the  citizens  of  the  town,  and  the  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  and 
Episcopalians  used  it  as  opportunity  offered. 

Woodville,  the  same  as  Uniontown,  in  Perry  County,  was  for 
many  years  one  of  the  appointments  of  the  Caliawba  Circuit, 
though  as  late  as  1843  there  was  no  organized  body  of  Chris- 
tians at  that  place,  except  an  exceedingly  small  and  feeble  class 
of  Methodists,  served  by  a  passing  preacher  once  a  month. 
The  citizens  of  "Woodville,  before  there  was  any  religious  Soci- 
ety of  any  sort  organized  at  the  place,  built  a  house  for  the  use 
of  all  denominations.  The  Methodists  had  a  grand  ingathering 
there  of  members  in  1843,  though  they  had  no  house  of  wor- 
ship of  their  own  at  that  place  till  1849.  They  had  at  the  in- 
gathering here  alluded  to  about  one  hundred  accessions.  That 
gave  religion  an  impetus,  and  from  that  time  several  of  the  de- 
nominations made  good  progress. 

Two  preachers,  the  Rev.  Peter  Hasskew  and  the  Rev.  Alonzo 
J.  Kean,  were  appointed  to  the  Linden  Circuit  for  1842.  Kean 
had  just  been  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Conference,  and  early  in 
the  year  he  proved  himself  deficient  in  virtue  and  integrity,, 
and  left  to  religion  a  reproach  and  to  the  Circuit  a  vacaHcy.. 


John  Christian  Keener  had  just  come  to  Alabama  on  a  mission 
romantic  and  religious.  He  came  in  pursuance  of  plighted  faith 
to  consummate  vows  of  matrimony.  He  entered  matrimony  and 
the  ministry.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  the  first  half  of  the 
year  by  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  the  Linden  Circuit  at 
Rehobeth,  Wilcox  County,  Alabama.  He  was  immediately  put 
in  the  place  vacated  by  the  downfall  of  Kean,  and  filled  out  the 
year  as  junior  preacher  on  that  Circuit.  The  Circuit  had  then 
only  twenty-four  appointments.  Dayton,  Demopolis,  Linden, 
Spring  Hill,  and  Rehoboth  were  of  the  number.  Demopolis 
had  been  for  two  years  associated  with  Livingston,  but  that  year 
it  was  in  the  Linden  Circuit. 

The  newly  married  and  newly  licensed  preacher  was  full  of 
zeal  and  ecstacy,  and  he  moved  around  and  through  the  Linden 
Circuit  as  a  divine  messenger,  and,  at  most  of  the  centers  of  op- 
eration, he  had  good  success  in  the  evangelizing  work  in  which 
he  was  engaged.     He  held  his  first  meeting  at  Dayton,  at  which 
he  witnessed  sixty  or  seventy  conversions.     His  compensation 
was  in  doing  the  work  and  in  gaining  adherents  to  Christ.     On 
commercial  account,  in  commodities  and  bills  of  exchange,  he 
received  next  to  nothing.     It  is  altogether  possible  that  that 
very  Linden  Circuit  on  which  he  commenced  his  ministry,  and 
on  which  he  was  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  itinerant  life, 
was  the  original  from  which  was  drawn  that  graphic  represen- 
tation given  in  that  unique  book,  '*  Post-Oak  Circuit."     The  Lin- 
den Circuit  was,  no  doubt,  a  good  Circuit  for  its  day.     "  Post- 
Oak  Circuit,"  as  a  book,  is  inimitable.     In  every  element  of  mer- 
it it  surpasses  "  The  Georgia  Scenes,"  and  "  Simon  Suggs." 

At  the  session  of  the  Annual  Conference  which  convened  De- 
cember 28, 1842,  the  Spring  Hill  Circuit  was  made,  and  the  Rev. 
Jesse  P.  Perham  was  appointed  to  serve  it  the  ensuing  year. 
He  was  then  nearly  twenty-seven  years  old,  and  had  been  mar- 
ried about  one  year,  having  married  Mrs.  Jeannette  A.  McAl- 
pine,  and  had  just  been  received  into  full  connection  in  the 
Conference  and  ordained  a  deacon.  He  was  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  was  by  trade  an  engineer  and  a  machinist.  He  was 
a  citizen  of  Livingston,  Alabama,  when,  in  the  latter  part  of  1839, 
he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  At  the  town  of 
Demopolis,  July  4,  1840,  he  was  licensed  to  preach.  He  locat- 
ed at  the  close  of  1845. 


546 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Notwithstanding  Demopolis  was  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in 
Alabama,  and  there  was  much  wealth  about  the  place,  there  had 
not  been  built  a  house  of  worship  of  any  sort  there  up  to  1843, 
nor  had  a  religious  Society  of  any  name  existed  at  that  place  up 
to  that  time.  The  Methodists  had  made  repeated  efforts  to  es- 
tablish themselves  there,  but  without  success.  The  Eev.  An- 
drew Jackson  Crawford,  once  a  member  of  the  Tennessee  Con- 
ference, and  who  at  the  time  now  under  review  was  a  local 
preacher,  and  was  in  charge  of  the  United  States  Land  Office  at 
Demopolis,  and  was  afterward  a  member  of  the  Alabama  Con- 
ference, began  a  house  of  worship  at  Demopolis  for  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  about  the  beginning  of  1840,  but  it  was 
many  years  before  it  was  finished.  Without  seats,  without 
plastering,  and  only  partly  weather-boarded,  that  structure 
stood  a  constant  declaration  and  public  reminder  that  the  peo- 
ple of  the  place  were  irreligious.  For  1840  and  1841,  Demopo- 
lis was  attached  to  Livingston,  and  various  efforts  made  to  es- 
tablish a  Christian  Society  at  the  place,  even  a  Quarterly  Con- 
ference was  held  there,  but  no  success  was  attained.  There 
were  two  women,  Mrs.  Glover  and  Mrs.  Taliaferro,  living  at  the 
place,  who  were  Methodists,  but  they  had  their  membership  at 
some  other  point.  Demopolis  was  a  side  appointment  on  the 
Linden  Circuit  for  1842,  and  was  given  an  occasional  night  serv- 
ice. At  the  end  of  that  year  it  was  recognized  in  the  Spring 
Hill  Circuit,  entitled  to  the  same  measure  of  service  which  it 
had  been  receiving.  The  Spring  Hill  Circuit,  for  1843,  was  in 
the  Mobile  District,  the  Kev.  Jesse  Boring,  presiding  elder. 
At  the  first  Quarterly  Conference  of  that  year  for  the  Spring 
Hill  Circuit  there  were  more  than  one  hundred  persons  who  at- 
tained justification,  and  at  least  one  hundred  probationers  were 
added  to  the  Church.  At  that  Quarterly  Conference  the  presid- 
ing elder  proposed  to  hold  the  next  Quarterly  Conference  at 
Demopolis.  The  members  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  knew 
Demopolis.  They  had  an  experience  in  connection  with  the 
place,  and,  perhaps,  also  a  prejudice  against  it.  They  opposed 
holding  the  Quarterly  Conference  at  that  place.  They  ridi- 
culed the  idea  of  such  a  course.  They  said  the  people  of  De- 
mopolis would  not  extend  to  the  official  members  the  usual  hos- 
pitality of  such  occasions.  The  place,  as  a  field  for  religious 
operation,  was  unpromising.    The  people  were  wholly  irreligious. 


Further  Enlarfjement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      547 

However,  the  presiding  elder,  in  the  face  of  all  the  forbidding 
features  of  the  case,  insisted  on  going  to  Demopolis,  and  his 
wish  in  the  premises  prevailed,  and  in  due  course  the  Quarter- 
terly  Conference  met  at  Demopolis.  It  was  held  in  the  leaf- 
crowned  month  of  June.  The  presiding  elder,  the  Rev.  Jesse 
Boring,  went  to  Demopolis,  and  carried  with  him  the  Bev.  John 
Christian  Keener,  then  in  his  first  year  on  trial  in  the  Alabama 
Conference,  and  junior  preacher  with  the  Bev.  Lovick  Pierce, 
at  Franklin  Street  and  West  Ward,  Mobile.  These  two,  with 
the  preacher  on  the  Circuit,  went  to  work  with  the  earnestness 
born  of  true  faith. 

On  beginning  the  meeting  a  Society  was  organized,  composed 
of  the  following  persons:  Mrs.  Allen  Glover,  Mrs.  Benjamin 
Taliaferro,  and  her  daughter.  Miss  Martha  Taliaferro,  Mrs.  W. 
D.  Lyon,  Mrs.  Gleason,  Thomas  Y.  Bamsey,  and  Lewis  B.  Mc- 
Carty. 

In  a  few  brief  days  after  the  meeting  commenced  the  Bev. 
Thomas  W.  Dorman,  the  Bev.  Joshua  T.  Heard,  and  the  Bev. 
Nohemiah  A.  Cravens  joined  the  forces  concentrated  at  the 
town  designated  the  city  of  the  people.  The  six  preachers  now 
massed  at  the  place  so  long  noted  for  its  wickedness  and  obdu- 
racy were  a  power  within  themselves.  Boring  was  sensitive 
and  eloquent.  Perham  was  gushing  and  enthusiastic.  Keener 
was  sturdy  and  persistent  in  revival  work.  He  never  despaired 
of  the  salvation  of  an  awakened  sinner  who  sought  the  Lord. 
Few  have  excelled  him  in  the  work  at  the  altar.  Dorman  was 
prompt,  systematic,  and  sympathetic.  Heard  was  strong,  and 
in  prayer  he  was  gifted.  Cravens  was  gifted  in  the  work  of  re- 
ligious awakenings.  At  the  time  of  that  meeting  at  Demopolis 
he  was  only  a  local  preacher.  He  had  been  under  disabilities. 
A  number  of  years  previous  to  that  time  he  had  been  expelled 
from  the  ministry  and  the  Church  by  the  Kentucky  Conference. 
He  was  licensed  again  in  Alabama  a  little  more  than  a  year 
previous  to  that  meeting  now  under  consideration,  and  he  was 
afterward  received  again  into  the  itinerant  ministry  by  the  Ala- 
bama Conference,  and  had  a  long  and  useful  career.  He  did 
some  of  the  most  successful  work  of  any  man  in  Alabama. 

The  preachers  were  patient  and  courageous,  and  toiled  hard 
in  the  meeting,  but  for  the  space  of  a  whole  week  there  was  not 
the  slightest  interest  manifested  on  the  part  of  the  masses  of 


548 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


the  people.     Fiually,  redemption's  power  was  wonderfully  dis- 
played in  the  audience,  and  the  little  band  of  Christians  pres- 
ent, consisting,  principally,  of  the  preachers  and  the  newly  or- 
ganized Society  of  seven,  sat  on  the  mount  of  vision  encircled 
with  the  divine  effulgence.     The  influence  was  irresistible;  the 
meeting  went  on  for  a  month  from  the  time  of  its  beginning, 
and  at  the  close  it  was  estimated  that  over  one  hundred  persons 
had  experienced  a  change  of  heart.     At  once  three  Churches 
bounded  forth  with  life  and  zeal,  and  in  a  short  while  three 
houses  of  worship  were  finished  in  the  place;  one  by  the  Meth- 
odists, one  by  the  Presbyterians,  and  one  by  the  Episcopalians. 
At  the  close  of  the  meeting,  the  presiding  elder  took  the  Eev. 
John  Christian  Keener  from  Mobile,  and  put  him  in  charge  of 
Demopolis  for  the  remainder  of  the  year.     Keener  was  also  the 
preaclier  on  that  Station  for  the  next  year.     From  that  time 
till  the  present  the  Methodists  have  had  a  preacher  stationed  at 
Demopolis.     The  first  statistics  shown  for  the  place  were  re- 
ported at  the  close  of  1844,  when  there  were  sixty-eight  white 
and  one  hundred  and  fifteen  colored  members. 

Two  of  the  preachers  who  served  the  Demopolis  Station,  the 
Eev.  John  Christian  Keener  and  the  Rev.  Holland  Nimmons 
McTyeire,  were  afterward  inducted  into  the  Episcopal  oflice. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work 

OF  Methodism  in  Alabama. 

THE  first  item  of  Methodist  history  in  Walker  County,  Ala- 
bama, which  the  Kecords  have  preserved  is  that  a  Quar- 
terly Conference  for  the  Blount  Circuit  convened  at  the  house 
of  John  Keys,  in  that  county,  June  14,  1833.  The  Kev.  An- 
thony S.  Dickinson,  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Circuit,  pre- 
sided. Theophilus  Moody,  junior  preacher  on  the  Circuit, 
John  Turner,  E.  G.  Musgrove,  I.  G.  Deskin,  Eobert  Williams, 
local  preachers,  Alfred  Lane,  John  Gurganus,  exhorters,  Jesse 
Harbin,  Joseph  Ricliey,  James  M.  Patton,  and  David  Blanton, 
class  leaders,  were  present  as  members  of  that  body.  E.  G. 
Musgrove  was  the  Secretary.  The  amount  of  money  reported 
to  that  Quarterly  Conference  received  from  the  Circuit  for  the 
Quarter  for  the  support  of  the  ministry  was  thirty-four  dollars 
and  eighty-seven  and  one-half  cents. 

At  the  time  now  under  review  Walker  County  was  a  very 
large  county,  including  within  its  limits  what  was  afterward 
constituted  and  named  Hancock  County,  subsequently  changed 
in  name  to  Winston. 

At  the  Annual  Conference  in  December,  1833,  Walker  Mis- 
sion was  made  and  put  in  the  list  of  appointments,  and  was  con- 
tinued under  that  classification  and  title  until  the  close  of  1835, 
when  the  name  was  changed  to  that  of  Jasper.  By  the  name 
of  Jasper  it  was  called  till  the  close  of  1842,  when  the  name 
was  changed  to  New  Lexington,  after  which  the  name  of  Jasper 
did  not  appear  for  ten  years.  To  fully  understand  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  work  it  is  necessary  to  state  that  through  the  years, 
beginning  with  1838,  in  which  the  charge  first  called  Jasper  and 
then  New  Lexington  existed,  there  was  also  a  Walker  Mission, 
which  occupied  a  part  of  Walker  County.  The  Walker  Mission 
at  that  time  occupied  the  eastern  half  of  Walker  County,  and  was 
sometimes  associated  with  Blount  Circuit.  The  pastoral  charge 
called  Jasper  and  then  called  New  Lexington  lay  alons:  and  on 

(549) 


^550 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


either  side  of  Bylers  Road,  and  extended  from  North  Port  on 
the  Warrior  River  to  the  northern  boundary  of  Walker  County. 
Parts  of  Fayette,  Marion,  Tuskaloosa,  and  Walker  were  included 
in  that  charge.  No  doubt  some  of  the  preaching  places  on  that 
work  had  previously  belonged  to  other  Circuits.  The  preach- 
ing places  mentioned  in  that  Circuit  in  1842  were:  Bethel, 
Bethlehem,  Blanton's,  Cole's,  Jasper,  New  Lexington,  North 
Port,  Pleasant  Hill,  Pryor's,  Rock  Spring,  Shiloh,  Zion,  Snow's, 
Tubbs's,  Turner's,  Williams's,  Yellow  Creek.  The  Whitsons, 
Freemans,  and  Coles  had  their  membership  at  Zion,  in  the 
south-eastern  part  o^  Fayette  County. 

By  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Shiloh,  April  3,  1837,  one 
of  the  local  preachers  was  tried  for  intemperance  in  the  use  of 
ardent  spirits,  and  for  vending  ardent  spirits,  and  was  convicted, 
and  expelled  from  the  Church.  To  that  same  Quarterly  Con- 
ference it  was  reported  that  Jesse  Harbin,  formerly  a  member 
-of  that  body,  had  withdrawn  from  the  Church  under  charges 
which,  if  true,  would  have  expelled  him  from  the  connection. 

As  late  as  1838  all  the  preaching  houses  occupied  by  the 
Methodists  in  the  bounds  of  the  Jasper  charge  were  on  land 
still  owned  by  the  United  States.  Lands  which  had  not  been 
purchased  from  the  Government.  It  was  also  held  that  in  con- 
sequenee  of  the  unsettled  state  of  affairs  nothing  could  be  done 
in  the  premises.  Here  is  a  clear  indication  of  the  style  and 
standard  in  that  region  at  that  time. 

In  1837  there  was  one  Sunday-school  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Jasper  charge.  The  next  year  there  were  two,  one  at  Pleasant 
Hill  Meeting  House,  and  one  at  McConnel's  School-house. 
That  was  about  the  strength  of  Sunday-schools  for  years  in  that 
work. 

In  March,  1838,  a  Missionary  Society  auxiliary  to  the  Mis- 
■sionary  Society  of  the  Alabama  Annual  Conference  was  organ- 
ized with  a  suitable  Constitution  by  the  Quarterly  Conference, 
and  G.  J.  Isbel  was  appointed  the  Treasurer. 

At  a  Quarterly  Conference  for  Jasper  charge  held  at  Gold 
Mine  Camp-ground,  about  five  or  six  miles  from  the  line  of 
Walker,  and  in  the  County  of  Marion,  September  8,  1838,  the 
Rev.  John  R.  Gamble,  a  local  preacher,  recently  removed  from 
Shelby  County,  Alabama,  to  Walker  County,  made  application 
for  membership  in  that  Quarterly  Conference,  and  was  received, 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      551 


and  his  license  was  renewed.  From  that  time  till  bis  death  in 
1863  he  resided  and  worked  in  Walker  County.  His  descend- 
ants have  been  worthy  Methodists.  Two  sons,  Hon.  Francis 
Asbury  Gamble  and  Dr.  John  W.  Gamble,  are  preachers  in  the 
local  ranks.  Two  daughters,  Mrs.  Foust,  of  Blount  Springs, 
and  Mrs.  Wilson,  of  Leeds,  are  devout  Christians.  The  grand- 
children are  devoted  Methodists. 

At  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Jasper  Circuit,  at  New 
Lexington,  August  3,  1839,  Julius  Nicholson  Glover,  who  was 
an  itinerant  preacher  in  Alabama  from  the  beginning  of  1855 
till  his  death  in  1888,  was  licensed  to  preach. 

There  were  a  number  of  men  in  the  bounds  of  the  Jasper 
charge,  who  from  the  beginning  there  and  for  many  years  gave 
much  time  in  active  and  zealous  service  to  the  Church  under 
the  auspices  of  Methodism.  They  were  generally  men  of  limit- 
ed means  and  meager  attainments.  In  addition  to  those  already 
mentioned  may  be  named  Thomas  Whitson,  William  Cole,  and 
James  H.  Freeman,  who  were  local  preachers  there  previous  to. 
1837.  The  Rev.  James  H.  Freeman  lived  and  worked  in  that 
country  a  long  while,  and  was  one  of  the  very  best  Christians. 
There  were  a  number  who  filled  the  offices  of  class  leader  and 
steward  who  were  men  of  good  influence  in  that  region. 
There  were  a  number  of  exhorters  who  did  good  in  the  divine 
cause.  William  Crump,  Benjamin  Jones,  Jonathan  Sherly, 
Jesse  Freeman  were  all  worthy  of  mention.  Ashley  Aldridge 
and  Robert  Davis,  men  of  but  little  education,  were  long  in 
that  section.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Whitson  was  ordained  deacon 
at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  December  17,  1826,  by  Bishop  R.  R- 
Roberts,  and  elder  at  the  same  place,  December  23,  1835,  by 
Bishop  Joshua  Soule. 

The  first  statistical  report  on  record  for  Walker  Mission 
shows  three  hundred  and  fourteen  white  and  sixteen  colored, 
members.  At  the  beginning  of  1845  the  two  charges  which 
embraced  Walker  County,  and  which,  as  stated  elsewhere,  in-, 
eluded  some  territory  outside  of  Walker,  claimed  seven  hun- 
dred and  eleven  white  and  one  hundred  and  eighteen  colored 

members. 

The  Greene  Circuit,  occupying  the  country  between  the  Tom^ 
bigbee  and  Warrior  Rivers,  continued  to  extend  to  the  head-wa-. 
ters  of  Hubbub  Creek  in  Pickens  County  until  th^  close  of  1834^ 


o52 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


when  the  Pickens  Circuit  was  made.  Then  a  few  of  the  ap- 
pointments went  from  the  Greene  Circuit  to  the  Pickens  Cir- 
cuit. Hargrove's,  which  has  already  been  mentioned,  on  or 
near  Hubbub  Creek,  was  one  of  these.  The  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence held  for  Greene  Circuit,  at  Pleasant  Grove,  September  20, 
1834,  upon  a  recommendation  from  the  Society  at  Hargrove's, 
licensed  J,  A.  Shockley  to  preach  the  gospel.  Hargrove's 
Church  has  had,  through  all  the  years,  even  until  now,  a  noted 
career.  As  early  as  1835  a  Camp-ground  was  established  there, 
at  which,  for  twenty-five  years,  large  and  intelligent  audiences 
gathered  annually  for  divine  worship.  Scores  of  souls  have 
been  born  to  God  there,  and  there  hundreds  have  been  edified. 
The  Eev.  Kichard  Shockley,  the  Rev.  Hiram  M.  Glass,  the 
Rev.  Seth  Byars,  the  Rev.  John  Cameron,  and  Daniel  J.  Har- 
grove, class  leader  and  steward,  were  great  men  there,  and  use- 
ful. It  is  estimated  that  seventeen  preachers,  among  them 
Bishop  R.  K.  Hargrove,  have  gone  out  from  that  Society. 
Daniel  J.  Hargrove  moved  there  in  1821,  and  died  there  June 
17,  1869. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Greene  Circuit  at  Ray's, 
May  20,  1836,  licensed  Robert  S.  Finley  to  preach,  and  the 
Quarterly  Conference  held  for  the  same  Circuit  at  Pleasant 
Grove  Camp-ground,  October  1,  1836,  recommended  him  to  the 
Annual  Conference  to  be  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Conference. 
The  Alabama  Conference  admitted  him,  and  he  traveled  about 
eight  years,  and  located.  The  Quarterly  Conference  for  Greene 
Circuit  at  Gordon's,  July  29,  1837,  licensed  Robert  J.  Gill  to 
preach,  and  the  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  same  Circuit  held 
at  Salem  or  Sadler's,  October  7,  1837,  licensed  Benjamin  R. 
Thompson  to  preach,  and  recommended  him  and  Gill  and  R.  G. 
Hammill  as  suitable  persons  to  be  admitted  on  trial  in  the 
traveling  connection.  Thompson  and  Gill  were  admitted  upon 
that  recommendation  by  the  Alabama  Conference. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Greene  Circuit  at  De 
Graff  en  ried's,  October  27,  1838,  gave  to  Wilson  Moore,  a  native 
of  South  Carolina,  then  about  twenty-three  years  old,  and  just 
regenerated  in  that  very  month,  a  license  to  preach  the  gospel, 
and  also  recommended  him  to  the  Annual  Conference  as  a  suit- 
able person  to  be  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Annual  Conference. 
He  was   admitted  into  the  Alabama   Conference,  and  was  in 


/ 


Farther  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      553 

charge  of  the  Marianna  Station,  Florida,  when  he  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1841. 

Ferdinand  Sealey,  a  man  who  lived  a  long  while  in  that  coun- 
try, was  licensed  to  preach  by  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  for 
Greene  Circuit  at  Pleasant  Grove,  September  7,  1839.  Jesse 
Daniel  was  licensed  to  preach  by  a  Quarterly  Conference  for 
the  same  Circuit  at  Everett's,  November  23,  1839,  and  Isaac 
Gregory  was  recommended  by  the  same  Quarterly  Conference 
to  the  Annual  Conference  for  admission  on  trial.  He  was  ad- 
mitted, but  remained  on  trial  only  one  year. 

John  A.  Spence,  who  appeared  in  1836  as  a  class  leader,  and 
a  year  later  as  an  exhorter,  was  licensed  to  preach  by  a  Quarter- 
ly Conference  for  Greene  Circuit  at  Gordon's,  October  31, 1840, 
and  was  recommended  by  the  same  body  to  the  Annual  Confer- 
ence as  a  proper  person  for  the  traveling  connection.  Upon 
that  recommendation  he  was  admitted  into  the  Alabama  Con- 
ference, and  remained  in  the  itinerant  work  in  Alabama  in  con- 
nection with  Episcopal  Methodism  until  1874,  when  he  with- 
drew from  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church.  He  proved  to  be  a  man  of  good  ability  and  of  more 
than  ordinary  attainments,  but  a  man  of  sour  temper,  always 
dissatisfied,  always  complaining,  always  engaged  in  adverse 
criticism. 

William  O.  Williams  and  William  J.  Ledford  were  licensed 
to  preach  and  recommended  for  admission  to  the  traveling  con- 
nection by  the  Quarterly  Conferences  of  the  Greene  Circuit,  one 
in  1843  and  the  other  in  1844,  and  both  were  admitted  by  the 
Alabama  Conference.  Williams  traveled  one  year,  and  Ledford 
three  years. 

As  late  as  1838  the  Church  property  in  Greene  Circuit  was, 
for  want  of  Trustees,  held  with  uncertain  tenure  when  an  effort 
was  made  to  supply  the  lack  and  remedy  the  evil.  That  same 
year  an  effort  was  made  to  establish  in  the  bounds  of  that  Cir- 
cuit a  Circuit  School,  btit  the  enterprise  failed. 

At  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Ebenezer,  July  6,  1839, 
"on  motion  of  Rev.  J.  R.  Lambuth,  seconded  by  R.  J.  Gill, 
Brothers  James  Kirkpatrick,  C.  C.  Jordan,  and  Allen  Moore 
were  elected  Building  Committee  for  building  a  new  Church  at 
Ebenezer."     Ebenezer  was   one  of  the  leading  places  on    the 


654 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Circuit,  ami  the  Rov.  J.  R  Lamlmth,  who  lived  there  and  had 
hekl  his  memberfc^hip  there  for  many  years,  and  who  has  been 
mentioned  on  former  pages  as  once  a  member  of  the  Alabama 
Conference,  was  an  active  local  preacher  in  the  Greene  Circuit, 
and  exerted  an  extensive  inHuence. 

A  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Greene  Circuit  at  Eay's 
Meetin-  House,  May  20,  183(;,  appointed  Trustees,  consisting 
of   Henry   Cleveland,  J.   N.   Thompson,   W.   Daniel,    William 
Scarbinovv,  and  Young  Kirksy,  to  build  a  Methodist  Church  at 
or  near  Mesopotamia.     In  Aju-il,  18:^8,  Mesopotamia  appears  on 
the  record  with  a  contribution  of  seven  cbllars  and  a  half  for 
the  support  of  the  ministry,  and  again  in  October  of  that  same 
year  with  a  contribution  of  tive  dollars  for  the  same  benevo- 
lence.    That  is  all  that  ever  ap])ears  on  record  concerning  Mes- 
opotamia.    Mesopotamia  was  a  straggling  settlement  in  sight 
of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Eutaw,  and  about  three  miles  west 
of  the  Warrior  River.     The  presumption  is  well  sustained  that 
the   house  contemplated   at  or  near   Mesopotamia  was   never 
built  until  another  provision  was  made.     On  May  30,  1840,  a 
Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Greene  Circuit,  at  New  Hope, 
appointed    William   Murphy,   James   Snedecor,    and    William' 
Daniel  a  Committee  to  superintend  the  building  of  a  Church  at 
Eutaw.     That  is    the   first    mention   of  Eutaw   in   Methodist 
records.     At  that  time  Eutaw  presented  a  contribution  of  nine 
dollars  for  the  support  of  the  ministry,  and  the  next  Quarterly 
Conference  for  Greene  Circuit  was  held  at  that  place,  August 
15,  1840,  and  four  dollars  were  contributed  for  the  ministry. 
The  members  present  in  that  first  Quarterly  Conference  ever 
held  in  Eutaw  were:  Elisha  Calloway,  P.  E.,  R.  H.  Herbert,  P. 
C,  F.  D.  Poyas,  L.  E.,  A.  Harris,  L.  D.,  R.  J.  Gill,  L.  P.,'  F. 
Sealy,  L.  P.,  and  B.  Williams  and  B.  Crawford,  Stewards. 

Eutaw  and  Ebenezer  were  taken  from  the  Greene  Circuit  and 
made  an  appointment  for  1842,  and  the  Rev.  Jesse  P.  Perham 
put  in  charge  thereof.  At  the  end  of  that  year  Ebenezer  and 
Trinity,  one  of  the  Societies  of  the  Greene  Circuit,  were  put  to- 
gether as  an  appointment,  and  left  to  be  supplied,  but,  for  some 
reason  no  separate  supply  was  furnished,  and  the  two  places 
went  on  for  the  year  as  part  of  the  Greene  Circuit;  while  for 
that  year  and  the  year  following  Eutaw  was  by  itself,  and  the 
Rev  Joshua  T.  Heard  was  in  charge  of  it.     When  first  reported 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      555 

by  itself  Eutaw  had  eighty-seven  white  and  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  colored  members.  For  1845  Pine  Grove  was  detached 
from  the  Greene  Circuit  and  attached  to  Eutaw,  and  the  Rev. 
N.  P.  Scales  was  apiK)inted  to  the  charge  thereof.  Pine  Grove 
and  Eutaw  remained  together  for  three  years,  and  then  sepa- 
rated, and  Springfield  was  attached  to  Eutaw.  For  a  number 
of  years  there  was  fluctuation  in  the  membershii^  at  Eutaw. 
Decrease  and  increase  alternately. 

The  proceedings  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  for  the 
Greenesborough  Station  for  the  first  three  years  of  its  existence 
were  mislaid  and  never  recovered.  It  is  a  matter  of  record, 
however,  that  for  1833  Greenesborough  and  Marion  were  to- 
gether, and  the  Rev.  R.  L.  Keunon  was  the  preacher  in  charge; 
that  Robert  Dickens  and  Franklin  Shaw  were  stewards;  that 
Greenesborough  contributed  for  the  liquidation  of  the  expenses 
of  the  year  four  hundred  and  thirty-four  dollars  and  fifty  cents, 
and  Marion  contributed  forty -seven  dollars  and  thirty-one 
cents. 

Ascending  to  the  sublime  height  of  Christian  duty  as  it  was 
seen  and  provided  for  in  that  day,  Greenesborough  in  1835  paid 
the  Rev.  S.  B.  Sawyer  his  quarterage  and  traveling  expenses  in 
full,  and  paid  the  Rev.  E.  V.  LeVert  his  quarterage  and  family 
expenses  .in  full.  That  was  the  whole  sum  of  three  hundred 
and  forty  dollars.  Joshua,  the  Sexton,  was  paid  for  his  services 
twenty-five  dollars,  and  twenty-five  dollars  were  expended  in 
Sunday-school  Books.  Under  the  impulses  of  a  tender  regard 
for  superannuated  preachers,  widows  and  orphans,  forty-five 
dollars  were  generously  contributed  to  the  Conference  collec- 
tion. A  lively  Sunday-school,  composed  of  sixty-three  scholars 
and  teachers,  and  having  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  volumes 
in  Library,  was  kept  in  existence. 

At  the  first  Quarterly  Conference  for  1836  Robert  Dickens, 
Henry  J.  Garrett,  Andrew  W^alker,  John  M.  Bates,  Green  D. 
Williams,  and  Joseph  B.  Markham  were  elected  stewards. 
Fifty-six  dollars  and  thirteen  cents  were  contributed,  in  a  pub- 
lic collection,  for  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  Delegates  to 
the  General  Conference  which  convened  in  May  of  that  year. 

An  effort  was  made  in  1837,  the  Rev.  Claiborne  Pirtle  in 

charge  of  the  Station,  to  secure  a  Parsonage  and  build  a  new 

Church,  but  neither  enterprise  succeeded.     The  preacher  was 
36 


556 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


absent  on  account  of  sickness  from  August  till  the  close  of  the 
year.  He  was  never  able  to  work  any  more,  and  he  located  at 
the  close  of  1840.  Calamities  came  thick  and  fast.  In  1838 
the  Kev.  E.  V.  LeVert  was  put  in  charge  of  Greenesborough  in 
a  supernumerary  relation,  and  the  Eev.  Francis  H.  Jones  was 
the  presiding  elder.  Jones  fell  into  sin,  and  was  not  at 
Greenesborough  Station  after  May  of  that  year,  and  he  was  ex- 
pelled from  the  connection  at  the  session  of  the  Alabama  Con- 
ference following  the  date  of  his  crime. 

Annoyances  to  the  Church  at  Greenesborough  and  impedi- 
ments to  the  divine  work  there  were  constantly  recurring. 
Earth  has  not  recently  seen  a  state  where  mingles  no  eviL  If 
there  be  those  who  are  in  virtue  complete  and  in  good  confirmed 
they  are  such  a  select  band  as  to  be  conspicuous  only  by  their 
fewness.  Eeligion  is  often  scandalized  at  her  own  altars,  and 
wounded  by  her  own  adherents.  There  are  many  things  every- 
where to  mar  the  peace,  and  disturb  the  equilibrium  of  Chris- 
tians, and  hinder  the  divine  cause  in  spite  of  the  best  intentions 
and  the  best  efforts.  Human  language  to  be  adequate  to  the 
state  of  things  here  below  must  be  replete  with  words  which 
express  censure. 

The  Kev.  Alexander  Winbourn  was  transferred  from  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference,  and  stationed  at  Greenesborough  for  1839. 
The  stewards  at  his  new  field  of  labor  immediately  after  the 
session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  collected  and  advanced  to 
him  forty-five  dollars  for  quarterage  and  part  of  his  expenses 
from  Tennessee  to  Tuskaloosa.  He  entered  upon  his  work 
promptly,  and  was  at  the  first  Quarterly  Conference,  held  March 
16, 1839,  as  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Station.  That  terminated 
his  ministry  at  Greenesborough.  Nevermore  does  he  appear  on 
the  records  at  that  place.  For  some  reason  and  through  some 
process  not  now  known,  he  was  relieved  of  the  pastoral  over- 
sight of  that  charge  between  thp  time  of  the  first  and  the  second 
Quarterly  Conferences.  In  the  absence  of  all  knowledge  on  the 
subject  it  is  useless  to  indulge  conjecture.  At  the  end  of  the 
year  the  Alabama  Conference  placed  him  on  the  superannuated 
list,  and  after  that  his  name  disappears  from  the  roll,  and  it  is 
not  known  how. 

The  Rev.  James  M.  Boatwright,  with  another  preacher,  was 
appointed  to  Marion  Circuit  for  1839.     When  Winbourn  was 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      557 


relieved  of  the  Station  at  Greenesborough,  Boatwright  was  put 
in  charge.  At  the  second  and  all  subsequent  Quarterly  Con- 
ferences  for  Greenesborough  Station  for  that  year  the  Kev. 
James  M.  Boatwright  was  present  as  the  preacher  in  charge, 
and  he  received  quarterage,  and  paid  board  as  the  preacher  of 

that  tiock. 

Soon  after  taking  charge  of  the  Church  at  Greenesborough 
the  Rev.  James  M.  Boatwright,  it  is  said,  gave  great  offense  to 
the  Methodists  and  the  people  of  the  place  generally.  It  was 
after  this  wise:  He  took  board  and  lodging  in  the  house  of 
Robert  Dickens,  who  was,  at  that  time,  the  leading  steward  of 
the  Church  and  the  largest  contributor  to  the  financial  support 
of  the  charge.  Mr.  Dickens,  assisted  by  his  overseer,  on  what 
he  supposed  a  proper  occasion,  took  in  hand  to  correct  and 
punish  one  of  his  slaves,  a  Negro  man  of  great  strength.  The 
Negro  resisted  the  correction  tendered  him,  and  made  some 
demonstrations  of  violence  upon  the  master  and  overseer.  Mr. 
Boatwright  wad  in  his  room  and  in  sufficient  proximity  to  the 
scene  of  contest  to  have  knowledge  of  the  situation  and  to  as- 
sist in  the  suppression  of  the  insubordinate  slave.  Mr.  Boat- 
wright did  not  rush  to  the  scene  of  action.  At  this  distance 
of  time  and  place  it  is  safe  to  say  and  proper  to  assert  that  Mr. 
Boatwright  acted  wisely,  discreetly,  and  righteously  in  leaving 
Mr.  Dickens  and  his  overseer  to  guide  their  own  affairs,  dispose 
of  their  domestics,  and  suppress  those  whose  duty  it  was  to  be 
in  subordination  to  their  authority.  But  the  members  of  the 
Church  and  the  people  generally  had  an  opportunity  to  make  a 
case  against  the  preacher,  and  the  opportunity  was  not  allowed 
to  pass.  He  was  condemned  and  denounced.  "Muttering 
sounds  of  sullen  wrath  "  were  heard  all  around.  Members  of 
the  Church  refused  to  attend  his  ministry,  and  the  congrega- 
tion was  depleted,  the  place  of  worship  was  almost  forsaken. 
The  excitement  was  intense  enough.  The  presiding  elder,  the 
Rev.  E.  V.  LeYert,  advised  Mr.  Boatwright  to  retire  from  the 
charge;  but  the  preacher,  conscious  of  the  correctness  of  his 
course,  declined  to  voluntarily  retire.  The  presiding  elder  did 
not  exercise  his  authority  and  remove  him.  He  stood  to  his 
post,  and'  faithfully  discharged  his  duties.  In  spite  of  all  the 
persecutions  he  endured  he  had  a  good  year.  According  to  the 
records  thirty  persons  were  inducted  into  the  Church  that  year. 


558 


Hisiorij  of  MetJwdism  in  Alabama. 


In  1839  the  Quarterly  Conference  appointed  another  Com- 
mittee to  bnild  a  new  Church,  and  that  time  a  measure  of  suc- 
cess ensued,  and  by  the  first  part  of  April,  1840,  the  new  build- 
ing was  sufficiently  advanced  for  the  congregation  to  occupy  it, 
and  at  that  time,  and  in  that  unfinished  state  it  was  dedicated 
to  divine  worship,  by  the  Rev.  E.  V.  LeYert,  the  presiding 
elder.  Trouble  ensued  also.  In  building  the  house  a  debt  was 
incurred,  or  for  building  it  a  claim  was  set  up  in  the  prosecution 
of  which  damage  was  entailed  upon  the  Society.  The  last 
time  the  once  strong  supporter  of  the  Greenesborough  Station, 
Robert  Dickens,  is  mentioned  in  the  records  of  the  Quarterly 
Conference  of  that  Station  is  March  18,  1843.  In  the  proceed- 
ings of  that  day  it  is  recorded:  "Brother  R.  Dickens  appeared 
before  the  Conference,  and  stated  that  the  Trustees  were  in 
debt  to  him  for  the  building  of  the  Church;  whereupon,  the 
following  Resolution  was  passed:  Resolved,  That  the  Quarterly 
Conference  do  hereby  recommend  to  the  Trustees  on  the  one 
part  and  R.  Dickens  on  the  other  to  refer  the  disputed  matters 
between  them  on  the  subject  of  the  debt  due  him  to  some  per- 
sons selected  by  themselves  in  the  usual  form  of  arbitration, 
and  that  they  meet  on  next  Saturday,  March  25,  and  report  the 
result  to  the  next  Leaders'  Meeting."  The  evil  which  has  fal- 
len upon  the  Church  through  debts  made,  and  then  loosely 
managed,  is  untold.  There  is  not  room  to  relate  what  evils 
have  been  entailed  upon  Christianity,  in  connection  with 
Church-debts,  through  reposed  confidence,  broken  promises, 
partial  payments,  not  exacting  receipts,  and  last,  but  not  least, 
forcing  men,  who  have  been  liberal  to  the  cause,  to  accept  the 
settlement  of  the  debt  in  place  of  its  payment.  These  things 
have  lost  to  the  Church,  in  many  instances,  her  best  friends, 
and  most  pious  members. 

In  those  days  some  strange  ecclesiastical  proceedings  were 
had  in  connection  with  the  Quarterly  Conferences  of  Greenes- 
borough,  and  some  strange  proceedings  without  Quarterly  Con- 
ferences. In  1839  a  man  was  licensed  to  preach  by  a  body 
called  together  at  a  different  time  to  that  of  any  of  the  four 
Quarterly  Conferences  of  the  year.  The  first  Quarterly  Con- 
ference was  held  March  16,  1839,  and  the  second  Quarterly 
Conference  July  6, 1839,  and  the  other  two  at  subsequent  dates; 
and  the  record  contains  the  following:  "At  a  call  of  the  officiary 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      559 

members  of  the  Church  June  2,  1839,  A.  P.  Merrell  was 
licensed  to  preach.  E.  V.  LeVert,  P.  E.;  J.  D.  Moore,  Secre- 
tary."    That  is  given  verbatim. 

In  the  proceedings  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  June  8, 
1844,  is  found  the  following: 

"Any  References?  Yes.  Isaac  Thurmond,  colored  man,  for 
adultery  acquitted  by  Committee,  and  referred  by  preacher 
in  charge;  the  decision  reversed,  and  Isaac  expelled."  Strange 
and  illegal  proceeding  this.  Here  was  a  private  member  of  the 
Church  expelled  who  was  never  convicted  before  the  Society, 
or  a  Committee  of  the  Society,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
Here  was  a  private  member  convicted  and  expelled  from  the 
Church  who  had  been  absolutely  acquitted  by  the  only  body  to 
which  he  was  amenable  for  his  conduct.  The  Quarterly  Con- 
ference had  no  authority  in  that  case  to  convict  and  expel. 
The  Quarterly  Conference  had  authority  to  confirm  or  reverse 
the  verdict  in  the  case  referred  thereto  by  the  preacher  in 
charge,  but  inasmuch  as  it  was  a  verdict  of  acquittal  which  was 
reversed,  the  Quarterly  Conference  only  had  authority  to  re- 
mand or  refer  the  case  to  the  Society  for  a  new  trial.  That 
Quarterly  Conference  which  did  that  strange  work  was  presided 
over  by  the  Rev.  Charles  McLeod,  presiding  elder;  the  preach- 
er in  charge,  who  referred  the  case,  was  the  Rev.  Thomas  H. 
Capers;  and  the  other  members  of  the  body  present  and 
taking  part  were  John  Dubois,  L.  E.,  J.  W.  Houck,  Exh.,  Dr. 
P.  W.  Kittrell,  Dr.  W.  T.  Webb,  R.  S.  Hunt,  Thomas  W.  John- 
ston, stewards,  and  Jesse  Gibson,  C.  L.  These  were  men  of  in- 
telligence and  fidelity.  If  such  administration  prevailed  in  the 
intelligent  centers,  what  was  done  in  the  remote  districts  and 
less  favored  sections? 

Robert  Dickens,  Thomas  W.  Johnston,  stewards,  the  Rev. 
John  Dubois,  a  local  preacher,  and  Joseph  AY.  Houck,  an  ex- 
horter,  Were,  indeed,  pillars  in  the  Church  at  Greenesborough. 
They  were  prompt,  punctual,  and  liberal.  They  gave  ^  their 
time,  energies,  and  means  to  the  interests  of  Christianity.  Du- 
bois was  a  working  member  of  the  Church  in  Alabama  for  sixty 
years  or  more.  Ho  died  January  31,  1884,  in  his  eighty- 
seventh  year. 

From  1832  to  1845,  the  period  now  under  review.  Camp- 
grounds were  established  and  kept  up  by  the  Methodists  in 


560 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


various  places  in  all  sections  of  Alabama,  and  at  most  of  these 
places  Camp-meetings  were  held  annually.  At  a  few  places  in 
a  few  instances  two  meetings  were  held  in  a  year.  Camp- 
grounds and  Camp-meetings  in  that  time  were  everywhere 
much  after  the  same  order,  though  they  differed  in  the  style 
and  extent  of  outfit  accordim^  to  the  condition  and  tastes  of  the 
people  in  the  different  sections  where  they  were  established  and 
held.  The  shed,  the  stand,  the  altar  with  its  straw,  and  the 
group  of  tents  were  common  to  every  Camp-ground,  though  in 
many  places  these  were  made  of  raw  materials,  and  rough-cast. 
In  some  instances  the  shed  was  built  of  the  brush  and  boughs 
of  the  forest;  in  other  instances  boards  were  used,  and  in  some 
cases  planks  were  furnished.  Different  materials  were  utilized 
in  the  construction  of  tents,  such  as  coarse  cloth,  rough  boards, 
and  good  planks.  In  some  instances  wagons  were  utilized  for 
sleeping  apartments.  In  the  wealthy  and  more  advanced  sec- 
tions commodious  tents  were  erected,  and  convenience  and  com- 
fort arranged  for.  Preaching,  exhorting,  praying,  singing,  and 
assembling  penitents  in  the  altar  for  prayer  and  instruction  were 
common  to  all  Camp-meetings.  A  Camp-meeting  meant  preach- 
ing four  times  a  day.  In  the  time  now  under  consideration  Camp- 
meetings  were  popular  and  profitable.  They  were  the  grand  and 
absorbing  occasions  in  the  sections  in  which  they  were  held. 
There  was  one  other  thing  common  to  all  Camp-meotings  of  that 
time:  the  entertainment  was  free.  The  tent-holders  entertained 
without  charge  all  who  attended.  Great  good  was  often  accom- 
plished at  those  meetings.  People  and  preachers  gathered 
from  all  directions  and  from  great  distances.  The  preaching 
was  usually  edifying,  the  exhortations  eloquent  and  rousing, 
the  prayers  earnest  and  fervent,  and  the  singing  inspiring. 
Much  was  usually  anticipated  in  the  preaching  of  the  occasions. 
The  expectation  was  that  the  preaching  would  be  of  a  high 
order. 

An  account  of  one  single  Camp-meeting  in  this  connection 
may  suffice.  'On  or  near  the  highway  leading  from  the  town  of 
Marion  in  the  County  of  Perry  to  the  town  of  Greenesborough 
in  the  then  County  of  Greene,  and  not  far  from  an  equal  dis- 
tance from  these  towns  was  a  Camp-ground  known  as  DeYam- 
pert's.  The  well-built  shed  with  its  grand  stand  and  spacious 
altar,  and  the  commodious  tents  tastefully  grouped  about  the 


Farther  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      561 

beautiful  grounds  gave  an  air  of  neatness,  and  indicated  expen- 
diture  and  aggregation.     A  mile  or  more  away  from  that  en- 
campment in  the  midst  of  beautiful  groves  and  fertde  lands 
stood  the  stately  mansion  of  L.  Q.  C.  DeYampert.     DeYam- 
pert  was  a  local  preacher,  a  man  of  wealth,  and  a  very  prince  m 
Israel.     He  had  once  been  a  member  of   the   South  Carolina 
Conference.     He  was  surrounded  with  many  worthy  associates. 
At  that  magnificent  Camp-ground,  in  the  lovely  autumn  of  1843, 
was  held  a  Camp-meeting  which  made  an  impression  on  the  sur- 
rounding country.     The   occasion  was   magnified.     There  was 
much  outlay  and   much  display.     Many  of  the  preachers  m 
charge  of  affairs  in  the  surrounding  country  were  engaged  to 
attend  the  meeting.     The  great  event  of  the  meeting  was  to  be 
the  presence  of  the  Kcv.  Lovick  Pierce,  then  stationed  m  Mo- 
bile, and  considered  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude  in  the  ecclesi- 
astical firmament.     His  proposed  coming  had  been  heralded  far 
and  near.     The  sensation  was  complete,  the  excitement  was  in- 
tense, all    expectant    were    the    people.     The    great   preacher 
reached  the  Camp-ground  according  to  engagement,  but,  alas! 
he  was  sick,  and  continued  sick  for  many  days,  and  could  not 

preach. 

The  Rev.  Charles  McLeod,  the  presiding  elder,  was  in  charge 
of  the  meeting.     The  Rev.  T.  V/.  Dorman  and  the  preachers  of 
the  work  in  the  midst  of  which  the  Camp-ground  was  located, 
and  others  were  present.     There  was  another  preacher  there,  a 
stranger,  one  who  came  unheralded.     The  Rev.  Thomas  O.  Sum- 
mers was  the  man.     He  was  then  from  the  Republic  of  Texas. 
He  was  making  a  tour  of  Alabama  and  other  States  soliQiting 
funds  to  pay  debts  incurred  in  the  erection  of  houses  of  worship 
for  the  use  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Galveston 
and  Houston,  Texas.     He  was  a  native  of  England,  at  the  time 
herein  mentioned  he  was  about  thirty-one  years  old,  had  been 
in  the  United  States  about  thirteen  years,  had  been  preaching 
nine  years,  and  was  unmarried,  and  was  in  search  of  a  good 
wife.     In  his  manners  in  the  social  circle  he  was  brusque,  in 
ttie  pulpit  he  was  stormy  and  fidgety.     He  exhibited  at  that 
Camp-meeting    at   DeYampert's    Camp-ground    some    horned 
frogs  in  alcohol  preserved,  which   he   had  brought  with  him 
from  Texas.     It  is  quite  easy  to  imagine  the  impression  which 
he  made  on  the  minds  of  the  Camp-meeting  folks  of  Alabama 


562 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      563 


concerning  himself  by  the  exhibition  of  his  frogs,  and  the  inter- 
est which  he  created  thereby  in  the  peculiar  product  of  the  then 
neighboring  Eepublic  of  Texas.     Tradition  says  that  about  the 
second  day  of  that  Camp-meeting  the  Rev.  Mr.  Summers  was 
put  up  to  preach,  and  that  the  effort  of  that  hour  was  unaccepta- 
ble to  the   congregation,  and   to   Brother  DeYampert  it  was 
quite  offensive.     He  was  offended  by  the  matter  of  the  sermon 
and  the  manner  of  the  preacher.     The  other  preachers  filled 
the  pulpit  at  the  different  hours  from  that  on,  leaving  Summers 
to  himself,  his  horned  frogs,  and  his  Agency  for  funds  for  erect- 
ing Churches  in  the  land  from  which  he  had  brought  his  exhib- 
its.    Summers,  true   to   his    business,  solicited  a  contribution 
from  DeYampert  to  assist  his  Churches  in  Texas.     DeYampert 
gruffly  refused  to  make  a  contribution.     The  meeting  went  on, 
Sunday  approached,  Dr.  Pierce   continued  sick.     Hopes  were 
entertained,  so  tradition  says,  that  Dr.  Pierce,  the  great  preach- 
er, would  recover  sufficiently  by  Sunday  to  preach  on  that  day; 
but  on  the  arrival  of  Saturday  evening  the  physician  who  had 
charge   of  the   sick  man   pronounced   against   his   preaching. 
There  was  an  emergency.     The  presiding  elder  called  a  Coun- 
cil, constituted  of  the  home  preachers.     The  business  of  the 
Council  was  to  improvise  and  provide  for  the  services  of  Sun- 
day, the  great  day.     The  Council  met  in  the  capacious  tent  of 
DeYampert.     The  perplexing  question  was:  Who  shall  preach 
at  11  o'clock  A.M.  Sunday?     It  was    first    suggested    that,  of 
course,  the  presiding  elder  was  the  preacher  for  that  hour,  but 
he  humbly  declined  in  favor  of  any  one  who  could  and  would 
meet  the  emergency.     The  home  preachers  were  suggested,  one 
after  another,  until  all  had  declined.     Not  one  was  willing  to 
attempt  to  preach  at  that  hour  in  the  face  of  the  expectation 
created  by  the  trumpeted  fame  of  Dr.  Pierce.     At  last  one  in 
the  Council  moved  that  the  Rev.  Thomas  O.  Summers  be  ap- 
pointed to  preach  at  11  o'clock  a.m.  Sunday.     That  proposition 
stirred  the  indignation  of  Brother  DeYampert,  who  railed  out, 
" He  cannot  preach  the  gospel!     The  poorest  preacher  here  can 
preach  better."     The  council  adjourned  and  dispersed  without 
making  any  appointment  for  the  great  hour,  and  the  presiding 
elder  had  the  responsibility  and  the  prospect  of  occupying  the 
hour  himself.     While  the  preachers  were  engaged  in  the  consul- 
tation about  the  appointments  for  Sunday  the  Rev.  Mr.  Sum- 


I 


mers,  who  was  being  entertained  at  Brother  DeYampert's  tent, 
was  in  his  room  in  the  tent  adjoining  the  one  in  which  the 
preachers  were  assembled,  and  in  such  proximity  that  he  could 
not  avoid  hearing  what  was  said. 

The  morning  ushered  a  beautiful  day.  It  was  Sunday.  The 
people  poured  into  the  encampment  by  hundreds.  They  came 
from  far  and  near.  They  came  in  style  and  without  style. 
They  came  by  all  modes  of  travel.  Many  came  in  rich  attire, 
attended  by  grand  equipage.  They  came  to  hear  the  great 
preacher.  Even  the  outskirts  of  the  encampment  were 
thronged.  One  who  never  saw  the  equipage  of  a  wealthy  fami- 
ly and  the  equipage  of  a  poor  family  in  Alabama  in  the  days 
concerning  which  this  narrative  is  being  made,  and  who  never 
saw  the  multitude  assemble  on  a  great  Camp-meeting  day,  can- 
not have  any  clear  idea  of  the  peculiar  mingle  and  pdrade  of 
such  an  occasion.  The  carriage  of  a  wealthy  family  in  Alabama 
in  the  days  of  slavery  was  of  special  model.  It  was  a  four- 
wheeled  vehicle  fitted  to  double  harness  and  the  use  of  a  pair  of 
horses.  The  body  of  that  carriage  was  of  rather  massive  pro- 
portions. It  was  delicately  lined  and  trimmed  within  with  lin- 
en, silk,  and  satin,  and  furnished  with  two  double  seats  softly 
cushioned.  On  the  outside  it  was  ornamented  with  finely  pol- 
ished materials,  and  in  front  was  a  high-mounted  double  seat. 
The  body  was  hung  on  mammoth  springs.  That  carriage  was 
usually  drawn  by  a  pair  of  horses  which  matched  in  color,  size, 
and  form,  and  in  it  usually  went  the  mother  and  daughters  of 
the  family.  On  the  high  seat  in  front  sat  the  driver,  who  was 
a  well-dressed  Negro  man,  who  w^as  trusted  with  the  reins,  and 
with  him  sat  the  waiting-maid,  who  was  a  Negro,  well-dresssd, 
neat,  and  clean.  The  driver  and  the  waiting-maid  seated  on 
the  high  front  seat  of  the  elegant  carriage  were  the  badge  of 
the  large  wealth  and  superior  elegance  of  the  family  to  which 
the  outfit  belonged.  The  Negro  who  drove  the  family  car- 
riage in  Alabama  in  that  time  had  a  sacred  trust  and  a  distin- 
guished position,  and  of  which  he  was  sufficiently  proud.  A 
Ne*gro  in  Congress  to-day  is  not  more  important.  The  Negro 
driver  of  that  day  was  w^ell-dressed.  If  any  one  thinks  that 
Negroes  in  Alabama  in  the  days  of  slavery  did  not  have  um- 
brellas, linen,  and  broadcloth,  he  is  simply  mistaken. 

In  Alabama  in  that  day  a  wealthy  family,  consisting  of  the 


564 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


usual  uumbers  in  a  household,  including  father,  mother,  sons, 
daughters,  and  servants  in  attendance,  starting  out  on  a  beauti- 
ful Sunday  morning  to  a  great  Camp-meeting  presented,  to  say 
the  least  of  it,  a  flattering  view  of  life.  The  group  move  out; 
the  family  carriage,  already  described,  containing  mother, 
daughters,  driver,  and  waiting-maid,  in  the  front;  a  fine  buggy, 
drawn  by  a  superb  gelding,  with  the  head  of  the  family  and  his 
Negro  attendant  seated  in  it,  follows  close  after  the  carriage; 
two  elegant  saddle-horses,  each  trapped  with  saddle,  bridle,  and 
martingale,  and  mounted  by  one  of  the  sons  of  the  household, 
follow  next  the  buggy;  and  last,  but  not  least,  two  mules,  each 
wearing  an  old  saddle  and  an  inferior  bridle,  and  one  carrying 
Peter,  the  oldest  Negro  man  belonging  to  the  place,  and  the 
other  carrying  Jane,  the  oldest  Negro  woman  on  the  premises, 
who  had  a  cloth  as  white  as  snow  tied  about  her  head,  follow  in 
the  rear,  and  complete  the  group. 

In  that  day  in  Alabama  a  poor  family  starting  out  on  a  beau- 
tiful Sunday  morning  to  a  great  Camp-meeting  presented,  if  not 
a  flattering  view  of  life,  a  significant  exhibition.  Many  of  the 
poor  had  no  outfit  of  any  kind;  some  had  only  the  ox  and  cart 
by  which  the  grist  was  conveyed  to  and  from  the  mill ;  others 
had  only  the  horse  which  pulled  the  plow  which  turned  the 
glebe;  several  horses  and  several  saddles  in  the  possession  of  a 
family  was  the  most  extensive  outfit  and  best  equipage  to  which 
the  poor  aspired  with  any  hope  of  success.  The  poor  were  at 
the  Camp-meetings.  With  or  without  outfits  they  were  there. 
They  would  pour  in  from  the  hills  and  woods.  Men,  women, 
and  children  would  go.  They  v/ould  go  by  all  modes  of  travel: 
on  foot,  on  ox-carts,  on  ox-w^agons,  on  horse-back,  some  in  the 
saddle,  some  in  the  lap,  some  behind;  in  that  day  a  horse  which 
would  not  carry  double  and  thribble  was  not  by  any  means  a 
choice  animal.  It  took  all  these,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  to  make 
a  Camp-meeting  in  the  forties  of  this  century. 

All  these  were  at  that  Camp-meeting  at  De  Yampert's 
Camp-ground  in  that  beautiful  autumn  of  1843,  at  which  the 
frogs  from  the  Kepublic  of  Texas  were  exhibited.  The  gath- 
ering of  that  multitude  was  impressive.  As  the  dusty  crowds 
from  the  hills  and  woods  swelled  the  throng,  and  as  the  numer- 
ous groups  of  the  rich,  with  the  roar  and  clatter  of  wheels  and 
hoofs,  the   glare   and   glitter  of   trappings   and    fixtures,   ap- 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      565 


proached  the  outskirts  and  rolled  through  the  encampment  the 
interest  became  intense.     The  scene  was  really  impressive. 

The  presiding  elder  looked  upon  the  vast  throng,  and  beheld 
the  array  of  wealth  and  elegance,  and  at  the  very  last  moment 
his  courage  failed,  and  instead  of  preaching  himself,  as  till 
that  very  moment  he  had  really  expected  to  do,  he,  upon  his 
own  responsibility,  and  at  the  risk  of  incurring  the  lasting  dis- 
pleasure of  Brother  DeYambert,  led  the  Rev.  Thomas  O.  Sum- 
mers on  the  stand,  and  informed  him  that  he  must  preach.  Mr. 
Summers  knew  the  situation,  but  he  was  not  in  the  least 
abashed.  He  at  once  proceeded  with  the  services.  He  read  a 
hymn  after  the  manner  peculiar  to  himself,  and  then  prayed. 
The  prayer  was  seldom  equaled.  It  was  characterized  by  de- 
votion, unction,  propriety  of  utterance,  variety  of  petition,  and 
heartiness  of  thanksgiving.  To  use  one  of  Mr.  Summers's  own 
phrases  it  was  "good  to  the  use  of  edifying."  AVhen  through 
"^'ith  the  introductory  part  of  the  services,  and  ready  to  proceed 
with  his  sermon,  Mr.  Summers  took  his  position  at  the  book- 
board,  and  looking  Brother  DeYampert,  who  was  near  the 
stand,  and  in  full  view,  squarely  in  the  face,  said:  "I  heard  it 
declared  last  night  I  could  not  preach  the  gospel.  May  the 
Holy  Ghost  enable  me  to  preach  this  day  to  this  dying  people, 
*  not  with  wisdom  of  words,  lest  the  cross  of  Christ  should  be 
made  of  none  effect.' "  He  then  read  his  text:  "  But  we  preach 
Christ  crucified,  unto  the  Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and  unto  the 
Greeks  foolishness;  but  unto  them  which  are  called,  both  Jews 
and  Greeks,  Christ  the  power  of  God,  and  the  wisdom  of 
God."  The  text  contained  a  theme  and  swept  a  field  suited  to 
the  order  of  mind  peculiar  to  Mr.  Summers,  and  he  was  that 
day  at  his  best,  and  he  drew,  the  Holy  Spirit  assisting,  the  au- 
dience to  the  theme,  and  before  he  was  through  with  the  ex- 
position of  the  text  the  assembly  gave  demonstrations  of  great 
enthusiasm.  At  the  close  of  the  sermon  the  spacious  altar  was 
crowded  with  penitent  sinners.  The  meeting  went  on  for  some 
days  longer  with  intense  interest  and  with  glorious  results,  the 
Eev.  Mr.  Summers  working  efficiently,  and  working  till  the 
conclusion  of  the  last  doxology.  Brother  DeYampert  changed 
his  mind,  reversed  his  verdict,  gave  Mr.  Summers  a  liberal 
contribution  for  his  Churches  in  Texas,  and  he  became  one  of 
Mr.  Summers's  greatest  admirers  and  warmest  friends. 


rm 


Jlisfonj  of  Methodism  in  Aluhania. 


In  tlie  month  of  Soptonilx^r,  1S4I^,  fiml  on  ilio  tonr  in  which 
ho  ftttondod  tlu*  C\'unp-iniM'tin^  at  Dt^Yninpcrt's,  Mr.  SiimnuTrt 
visitt^l  'ruskaKM>sa,  Alabama,  antl  luul  Miss  Marsilla  Sexton,  of 
that  phico,  rooommcmhHl  to  him,  by  adivpiato  judgoH,  as  a  suit- 
nbh^  lady  for  an  ilinoranl  pn^achor's  \vifi\  Ho  wooed  and  woii 
tiu^  huly  tluis  iHH'ommendeil;  by  what  pmcoss  lie  carried  on 
his  courtship  is  not  known.  He  returned  to  Texas,  ho  had  not 
yet  married,  nttondod  the  Texas  Conference  in  Docomber,  was 
transferred  to  the  Alabama  Oonforonce,  and  stationed  at  Tuska- 
K>osa  for  1S44;  wound  up  his  affairs  in  the  Republic  of  Texas; 
left  Gjdveston  in  January,  1844;  reached  Tuskaloosa,  Alal)ama, 
in  one  week,  and  on  the  last  day  of  that  month  hrt  was  married 
to  Miss  Marsilla  Sexton,  the  woman  of  his  choice.  From  the 
time  he  transferred  to  the  Alabanni  (\>nftn-once  till  his  doalh  in 
1S8'2  he  had  his  membership  as  a  ])reacher  in  Alabama.  Ho 
attained  distinction  as  a  preacher  and  author.  Tho  degrees  of 
D.D.  and  LL.D.  were  conferred  upon  him.  Ho  was  long  in 
the  editorial  work  of  the  Church.  He  did  much  work  for  tho 
Church.  He  was  a  member  of  the  General  Conferences  from 
time  to  time.  He  was  one  of  tho  Professors  of  the  Biblical 
Department  of  the  Vanderbilt  University  at  tho  time  of  his 
death.  He  was  buried  on  the  Yandobilt  Campus,  but  when  his 
widow  died  his  son  had  his  remains  removed  to  the  cemetery 
for  the  city  of  Nashville,  Tennessee.  In  Alabama  he  filled  ap- 
pointments at  Tuskaloosa,  Livingston,  and  Mobile. 

The  mention  of  Tuskaloosa  in  connection  with  the  Rev. 
Thomas  O.  Summers  brings  that  ])lace  again  in  review.  There 
was  much  fluctuation  in  the  membership  at  Tuskaloosa,  Ala- 
bama, during  the  period  from  1832  to  1845.  The  Eev.  Rob- 
ert L.  Walker  closed  his  ministry  at  Tuskaloosa  with  1882, 
and  left  one  hundred  and  ninetv-five  white  and  two  hundred 
and  twenty -nine  colored  members.  The  Rev.  Seymour  B. 
Sawyer  was  in  charge  of  Tuskaloosa  Station  after  Mr.  AValk- 
er,  and  left  at  the  close  of  the  one  year  there  two  hundred  and 
fifteen  white  and  three  hundred  and  eight  colored  members. 
The  Rev.  J.  E.  Jones  was  in  Tuskaloosa  after  Sawver  one 
year,  and  failed  to  report  the  numbers  in  the  Station  at 
the  close  of  his  year.  For  two  years  in  succession,  the  years 
1835  and  1836,  the  Rev.  William  Murrali  was  in  charge  of  tho 
flock  at  Tuskaloosa,  and  at  the  end  of  his  first  year  he  reported 


Furiher  Knhmjrment  and  Advanccwent  of  the  Work.      567 


one  hundred  and  sixty-two  white  and  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
fcmr  colored  members,  and  at  the  close  of  his  second  year  one 
hundred  and  forty-four  white  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
colored  members.     For  1837  the  Rev.  Robert  L.  Kennon  was  the 
Stationed  preacher  at  Tuskaloosa,  and  with  that  year  and  with 
that  people  closed  his  life  work,  and  left  in  that  charge  two 
hundred  and  (me  white  and  one  hundred  and  forty-two  colored 
members.     For   1838   Tuskaloosa   was    supplied   by   the   Rev. 
Charles  Hardy,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the  Georgia  Con- 
ference, and  had  just  located.     Ho  was  a  supply,  and  did  not 
reach  Tuskaloosa  till  about  th(^  middle  of  March.     At  the  close 
of  the  year  he  left  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight  white  and  one 
hundred    and    sixty-nine    colored    members.     For   about    two 
months,  and  until  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hardy  reached  Tuskaloosa,  the 
Rev.  Basil  Manly,  a  Baptist  preacher,  and  who  had  just  been 
installed  President  of  the  University  of  Alabama,  preached  for 
the  Methodists  at  the  morning  service  on  Sunday.     The  con- 
gregation thought  him  devotedly  pious  and  of  great  simplicity, 
and  an  interesting  and  practical  preacher.     He  attained  dis- 
tinction.    For  1839  the  Rev.  Thomas  Linch  was  in  charge  of 
Tuskaloosa,  and  there  were  at  the  close  of  his  service  in  the 
Church  there  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  white  and  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-seven  colored  members.     For  1840  the  Rev. 
William  Murrah  was  again  put  in  charge  of  Tuskaloosa,  and  at 
the  close  of  the  year  there  were  only  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  white  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  colored  members 
in  the  Church  there.     For  1841  and  1842  the  Rev.  Jefferson 
Hamilton  was  the  preacher  at  Tuskaloosa,  and  he  reported  at 
the  close  of  his  first  year  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  white  and 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  colored  members,  and  at  the  close 
of  his  second  year  one  hundred  and  eighty  white  and  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  colored  members.     The  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Capers 
was  tho  preacher  there  for  1843,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year 
there  had  been  a  gain  of  five  white  and  of  thirty-four  colored 
members  in  the  charge.     During  the  following  year,  under  the 
ministry  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  O.  Summers,  there  was  a  decrease 
of  forty-seven  white  and  an  increase  of  twenty-three  colored 
members.     For  all  the  years  at  Tuskaloosa  the  year  1845  was 
the  one  of  grandest  results.     That  year  the  Rev.  John  Chris- 
tian Keener  had  the  charge  at  Tuskaloosa,  and  a  meeting  was 


568 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


held  there  in  September  of  that  year  which  continued  more 
than  two  weeks,  and  in  which  more  than  one  hundred  and  forty 
persons  professed  to  find  the  peace  which  passes  understanding, 
and  more  than  one  hundred  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Before  the  meeting  closed  the  Eev.  Mr.  Keener  was 
so  exhausted  he  could  not  preach  and  was  unable  to  participate 
in  any  active  service.  The  Eev.  Nehemiah  A.  Cravens,  then  a 
local  preacher,  joined  in  the  work  during  the  last  week,  and 
labored  until  his  great  strength  was  exhausted.  There  was  a 
moral  revolution.  At  the  end  of  the  year  there  was  in  that  Sta- 
tion the  largest  membersliip  ever  reported  at  that  place.  There 
were  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  white  and  three  hundred  and 
sixty-two  colored  members.  There  is  not  much  permanency  in 
such  work.  The  next  year  the  Eev.  John  C.  Keener  was  in 
charge  there,  and,  with  all  the  advantages  of  his  relation  to  the 
work,  he  reported  at  the  close  of  the  year  a  decrease  of  thirty- 
six  white  and  twelve  colored  members.  The  net  full  has  many 
fish  which  have  to  be  thrown  away  because  bad. 

The  Hon.  Marmaduke  Williams  was  born  in  North  Carolina 
in  1772,  and  was  forty  years  a  citizen  of  Alabama,  and  more 
than  thirty  years  a  citizen  of  Tuskaloosa.  He  tilled  many 
positions  of  honor  and  usefulness.  He  was  Judge  of  Probate, 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  of  his  adopted 
State,  and  a  member  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  from 
his  native  State.  He  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  in  May,  1833,  when  he  was  sixty-one 
years  old,  and  he  continued  a  member  at  the  same  place  until 
his  death,  in  the  latter  part  of  1850. 

George  Purcell,  who  lived  to  old  age,  and  at  last  died  in  Mis- 
sissippi, and  maintained  his  allegiance  to  religion  and  Metho- 
dism to  the  end  of  his  pilgrimage,  joined  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  in  the  first  part  of  1836,  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama. 

Mary  A.  Kennon  and  Julia  Kennon,  daughters  of  the  Eev. 
Eobert  L.  Kennon,  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
Tuskaloosa,  in  April,  1838,  a  few  brief  months  after  their 
father's  death.  They  have  been  women  of  worth.  Their 
mother,  the  widow  of  Dr.  Kennon,  died  in  1876,  in  her  eighty- 
first  year.  She  was  a  worthy  Christian.  She  was  a  woman  of 
great  endurance  and  of  great  kindness. 

December  10,  1.^36,  Edward  B.  Yaughan  and  Mrs.  Mariah 


Farther  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Worh.      569 


Yaughan,  his  wife,  natives  of  Yirginia,  though  then  but  recent- 
ly come  from  Greene  County,  Alabama,  to  the  town  of  Tuska- 
loosa, Alabama,  were  received  by  certificate  into  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  at  Tuskaloosa.     In  financial  affairs  and  busi- 
ness occupations  Mr.  Yaughan  was   cautious,  wise,  far-seeing, 
and  successful.     He  had  much  wealth  and  extensive  influence. 
He  never  sought  place  or  power,  never  made  a  parade  of  milita- 
ry titles  and  burnished  steel,  but  he  was  patriotic,  and  a  con- 
servator of  the  public  peace.     He  was  a  man  of  broad  views  and 
generous  deeds.     The  law  of  love  was  in  his  heart,  and  he  gave 
himself  and  his  means  to  Christian  benevolence.     He  was  active 
in  Church  work,  and  liberal  in  the  support  of  Christian  enter- 
prises.    He  was  of  those  who  were  ever  glad  when  it  was  said: 
"Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord."     He  attended  the 
preaching  of  the  word,  the  Prayer  Meeting,  the  Class  Meeting, 
the    Lovefeast,  the    Sacrament,  and    the    Sunday-school.     He 
searched  for  those  needing  aid,  and  bestowed  his  alms  unasked. 
He  dried  orphan's  tears,  and  soothed  aching  hearts.     He  was  a 
man  of  integrity,  and  of  piety,  and  he   ever  trusted  in  him 
"  Who  guides  the  circuit  of  the  endless  years."     He  died  at 
Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  February  8,  1868,  being    just    seventy 
years  old.     A  vast  concourse  of  mourners  attended  his  funeral 
Hon.  John  James  Ormond  and  his  wife,  Minerva  Ormond, 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  on  probation  at  Tuska- 
loosa, Alabama,  in  July,  1840,  and  were  received  into  full  con- 
nection there  in  January,  1841.     Before  marriage  Mrs.  Ormond 
was  Miss  Minerva  Banks,  and  resided  in  the  Tennessee  Yalley. 
Judge  Ormond  was  a  native  of  England,  born  during  the  last 
decade  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  was  brought  to  America 
the  next  year  after  his  birth.     He  was  brought  up  in  orphan- 
age.    Notwithstanding  his  opportunities  were  quite  limited,  he 
attained  great  learning.     He  studied  law  in  Yirginia,  and  be- 
.came  a  citizen  of  the  Tennessee  Yalley,  Alabama,  a  short  while 
after  Alabama   became  a  State.     Judge  Ormbnd  was  at  one 
time  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Alabama  from  the 
County  of  Lawrence,  and  he  was  for  a  number  of  years,  and  un- 
til he  voluntarily  resigned  the  position,  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State.     He  was  modest  and  retiring,  and 
incapacitated  for  and  disinclined  to  demagogism.     Of  ancestral 
line  and  hereditary  fame  he  never  boasted,  nor  ever  made  pa- 


570 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


rade  of  his  natural  talents  and  acquired  attainments.  It  is  not 
known  that  he  ever  sighed  "  for  wealth,  or  fame,  or  power."  It 
is  certain  he  was  no  suppliant,  no  sycophant.  He  never  fawned. 
He  ascended  to  and  retained  position  upon  his  intrinsic  merit 
and  by  efficiency  and  fidelity.  While  he  was  not  insensible  "  to 
the  approbation  of  the  enlightened  and  virtuous,"  he  discharged 
his  duties  and  devoted  his  services  to  the  State  not  for  pension 
and  praise,  but  for  the  vindication  of  right,  the  maintenance  of 
justice,  and  the  advancement  of  the  general  welfare.  Integrity 
characterized  all  his  acts,  both  private  and  public,  personal  and 
official.  His  judicial  papers  were  model  productions,  both  in 
matter  and  style,  both  as  to  the  legal  lore  and  classic  taste 
evinced.  He  was  logical  and  chaste.  His  writings  will  be 
searched  in  vain  for  expletives.  In  his  personal  association 
and  bearing  he  was  what  would  be  called  aristocratic  and  lord- 
ly. He  was  exclusive  and  seclusive.  He  never  associated  with 
the  rabble,  and  with  those  of  his  own  circle  he  had  none  of  that 
familiarity  which  breeds  contempt  and  engenders  suspicion. 
He  was  never  known  to  unbend,  nor  his  dignity  intermit.  Never 
for  a  moment  did  he  forget  the  proprieties  of  the  man  and  the 
Judge.  He  never  made  any  concessions.  To  the  level  of  com- 
mon men  and  vulgar  things  he  never  descended.  No  one  ever 
attempted  to  play  pranks  on  Judge  Ormond.  In  manners  he 
was  eminently  graceful,  and  he  always  conformed  to  the  exact 
rules  of  propriety  and  the  nice  requisitions  of  etiquette.  In 
his  person  he  was  clean,  and  in  his  character  he  was  pure,  in 
his  life  he  was  upright,  and  in  his  judicial  administration  he 
was  without  reproach,  though  he  did  not  always  escape  censure 
from  those  who  were  adversely  involved  in  his  judicial  decis- 
ions. Physically  he  was  of  slender  mold  and  delicate  form,  and 
of  thin  features,  and  his  visage  was  graced  with  intellectuality. 
In  politics  he  was  an  adherent  of  the  Whig  party.  In  religion 
he  adhered  to  Methodism,  and  was  an  active  worker  in  his 
Church,  and  he  contributed  liberally  of  his  large  means  in  the 
support  of  the  enterprises  of  Christianity.  He  maintained  his 
religion  to  the  end  of  his  pilgrimage.  He  died  at  Tuskaloosa, 
Alabama,  March  4,  1866. 

The  Tombecbee  Circuit  from  1832  to  1845  had  a  membership 
ranging  from  two  hundred  to  five  hundred  white  persons  and 
from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  colored  persons.     The  follow- 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      571 

ing  preaching  places  were  in  the  bounds  of  the  Tombecbee  Cir- 
cuit for  1843,  though  Societies  were  not  established  at  all  of 
them:  Suggsville,  Union,  Coffeeville,  Clarksvill©,  Smith's, 
Spinks's,  Macon,  Gilmore's,  Dixon's  School-house,  Flat-top,  Mc- 
Intyre's,  Moore's  School-house,  Horse  Creek,  Wilson's  School- 
house,  Bear  Creek,  Lower  Peach  Tree,  and  Lewis's  School- 
house.  Throughout  the  region  embraced  by  these  appoint- 
ments there  were  from  the  first  a  number  of  active  members, 
though,  of  course,  matters  were  in  a  feeble  and  scattered  condi- 
tion, or  it  would  not  have  taken  so  large  a  country  or  so  numer- 
ous appointments  as  late  as  the  date  given  here  to  make  a  pas- 
toral charge.  In  addition  to  the  persons  elsewhere  mentioned 
may  be  named  as  active  members  in  the  early  day  Joshua  Wil- 
son, an  exhorter,  and  the  Eev.  John  Scarborough,  a  local  preach- 
er, and  in  the  little  later  time,  Mrs.  Martha  T.  Kimbell  and  Mrs. 
Finch,  subsequently  Mrs.  Henderson. 

Suggsville,  named  for  a  Mr.  Suggs,  was  a  village  at  an  early- 
day,  and  from  the  first  of  its  existence  a  Methodist  center. 
Camp-meetings  were  held  there  possibly  as  early  as  1817. 
Bishop  Enoch  George  was  there  exercising  his  Episcopal  pre- 
rogatives as  early  as  1819.  Ira  Portis,  who  died  in  1825,  and 
who  was  the  father  of  Solomon  W.  Portis  and  John  W^.  Portis, 
settled  there  in  1818.  A  Sunday-school  banner  at  Suggsville- 
bears  date  1823.  It  is  not,  however,  certain  that  it  was,  strictly 
or  in  any  sense,  a  Methodist  Sunday-school. 

A  very  noted  meeting  was  held  at  Suggsville  in  1838.  It  was 
the  purpose  to  make  of  it  a  grand  occasion.  It  was  to  begin  as- 
a  Quarterly  Meeting  and  then  be  protracted  as  occasion  might 
justify.  A  number  of  preachers,  in  addition  to  those  who 
would  be  officially  connected  with  it  and  be  charged  with  its 
administration,  were  invited  to  attend.  It  commenced,  accord- 
ing to  previous  appointment,  on  Friday,  the  fast-day.  The  Rev. 
Elisha  Calloway,  the  presiding  elder,  was  present  during  his  al- 
lotted time.  On  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  the  Rev.  A.  C. 
Ramsey,  the  Rev.  James  King,  the  Rev.  James  Thompson,  the 
Rev.  William  McCracken,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  Burpo,  the 
preachers  who  had  been  engaged  to  attend  the  meeting,  arrived. 
Ramsey  at  that  time  was  a  member  of  the  Alabama  Conference, 
and  on  the  Cedar  Creek  Circuit,  and  King,  Thompson,  and  Mc- 
cracken were  local  preachers  in  that  Circuit,  and  Burpo  was  a 
37 


572 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


local  preacher  on  the  Bellville  Circuit,  and  lived  near  the  Ala- 
bama Kiver  on  the   opposite   side  from  Suggsville.     Brother 
Burpo  carried  his  family  with  him  to  that  meeting.     Burpo  and 
his  family,  conveyed  in  the  family  carriage,  were  attended  by 
the  family  nurse,  a  Negro  girl,  mounted  on  a  horse.     On  arriv- 
ing at  the  Church,  which  stood  in  the  edge  of  the  village,  the 
Negro  girl  dismounted  and  tied  the  horse  to  a  h itching-post, 
and  when  she  was  ordered  to  go  to  the  house  at  which  the 
preacher  and  family  were  to  be  guests  she,  not  being  charged 
with  taking  care  of  the  horse,  left  him  where  she  tied  him. 
The  preachers  and   the  family  here   mentioned  all   spent  the 
night  at  Brother  John  Chapman's,  all  comfortable  and  happy; 
all  were  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  Brother  Burpo's  horse  on 
which  his  servant  had  ridden  was  unstalled  and  iinfed.     Sunday 
morning,  the  morning  for  the  Lovefeast,  dawned,  and  about  the 
time  of  the  rising  of  the  sun.  Brother  Burpo  sauntered  out  to 
the  lot  and  cast  around  to  see  what  was  the  condition  of  his 
horses.     He  discovered  that  the  horse  devoted  to  the  use  of  the 
servant-girl  was  missing.     The  girl  was  called  up  and  interroga- 
ted on  the  subject,  and  she  divulged  the  fact  that  she,  not  know- 
ing anything  of  the  provision  for  taking  care  of  the  horse,  had 
left  him  where  she  tied  him  at  the  Church.     Search  was  made 
for  the  horse  at  the  post  where  he  was  left  the  preceding  after- 
noon, but  he  was  not  there.     Upon  further  search,  however,  the 
horse  was  found  where  he  had  been  carried  by  parties  who  were 
evidently  not  moved   by  the  omnipotence  of  grace.     He  teas 
found  in  the  Church,  standing  facing  the  pulpit,  and  tied  secure- 
ly to  it,  and  a  pair  of  spectacles  made  of  pine-bark  fitted  to  his 
eyes  and  securely  fastened  on,  aud  the  Bible  spread  open  just  in 
front  of  him.     The  altar  railings  and  fixtures,  which  were  new, 
and  some  new  pews  which  were  just  about  the  altar  had  been 
torn  away  and  thrown  out  of  the  Church.     No  doubt  those  who 
cast  out  altar  railings  and  pews,  and  adjusted  horse,  pulpit, 
Bible,  and  mock  spectacles  flattered  themselves  that  there  were 
pastime  and  smartness  in  the  performance,  but  there  were  rath- 
er trespass,  damage,  indignity,  and  sacrilege.     The  horse  was 
taken  out  of  the  house  of  worship,  put  in  his  proper  place,  and 
fed.     A  Council  was  called,  and  a  decision  reached  in  the  case. 
The  decision  was  that  the  preachers  should  not  make  allusion 
to  the  matter  either  in  private  or  public.     Till  near  the  end  of 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      573 

the  meeting  the  decision  was  scrupulously  adhered  to.  The  Rev. 
John  French,  a  local  preacher  who  lived  a  few  miles  from  Suggs- 
ville, concluded  that  as  the  meeting  was  reaching  its  terminus  si- 
lence on  the  subject  was  no  longer  a  virtue  or  a  necessity.  Two 
young  men  in  the  community  were  suspected  as  the  perpetrators 
of  the  outrage,  and  they  were  in  the  congregation  when  Mr. 
French  delivered  his  opinion,  and  they  received  a  public  castiga- 
tion,  and  just  such  a  castigation  as  an  incensed  Irishman  could 
inflict.  He  said  much  which  cannot  and  need  not  be  reproduced 
and  put  on  record,  but  a  part  of  his  speech  shall  be  given:  "  We 
know  who  did  that  mischief.  There  you  sit  now.  Poor,  con- 
temptible fellows,  that  you  are,  I  do  not  know  where  you  can  go 
to  get  clear  of  the  disgrace  which  you  have  brought  upon  your- 
selves, and  which  disgrace  will  follow  you.  You  cannot  stay 
here,  this  community  will  not  tolerate  you,  and  you  cannot  go  to 
Texas,  for  I  have  just  had  a  letter  from  there  in  which  it  is  stat- 
ed that  house-breakers  and  burglars  who  go  there  from  the 
States  are  summarily  hanged.  Poor  fellows,  you  will  have  to 
run  somewhere,  if  the  good  Lord  does  not  kill  you  soon."  Ac- 
cording to  tradition  one  of  the  young  men  supposed  to  be  guilty 
of  the  great  folly  did  actually  die  in  a  short  time,  and  the  other 
did  really  run  away.  Their  names  may  pass  to  oblivion.  It  is 
a  fact  that  from  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  Methodism  in  Al- 
abama down  to  the  middle  of  this  century  in  many  parts  of  the 
State  it  was  a  common  thing  for  lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort 
to  annoy  and  damage  church-goers  by,  under  the  cover  of  the 
night  while  religious  service  was  going  on,  cutting  bridles  and 
saddles  and  harness,  and  disfiguring  horses  by  shaving  their 
manes  and  tails,  and  taking  off  and  hiding  buggy  wheels.  Not- 
withstanding the  damage,  inconvenience,  annoyance,  and  hu- 
miliation experienced  from  that  sacrilegious  performance  of 
putting  a  dumb  brute  in  the  sacred  place,  the  meeting  went  on 
with  success,  divine  power  and  unction  attended  those  who  con- 
ducted the  services  and  good  results  were  attained.  Perhaps 
Suggsville  never  had  a  better  meeting  in  its  history. 

In  October,  1843,  Ramsey,  Thompson,  King,  and  Curry  held 
another  protracted  meeting  at  Suggsville  which  was  good  in  re- 
sults. 

The  Rev.  Joel  Rivers,  a  local  preacher  and  a  native  of  En- 
gland, but  from  his  youth  a  citizen  of  the  now  United  States, 


574 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


moved  from  the  town  of  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  to  Fort 
Claiborne,  Alabama,  accompanied  by  his  children,  all  then 
grown,  and  purchased  land,  and,  on  it,  at  his  own  expense,  in 
1816,  the  lot  being  at  Claiborne,  erected  a  house  of  worship  for 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  first  Society  at  Clai- 
borne, organized  just  prior  to  the  erection  of  the  house  of  wor- 
ship there,  consisted  of  the  Kev.  J.oel  Kivers,  Ehoda  Eivers,  his 
wife,  and  a  number  of  their  children.  If  there  were  any  others 
it  is  not  now  known.  In  the  after  time  and  at  an  early  day,  the 
Eev.  James  Thompson  and  his  wife,  Benjamin  Lucus  and  Mrs. 
Nancy  Lucus,  Mrs.  Jane  Blue,  Andrew  Tarlton  and  his  wife, 
William  Woolworth  and  his  wife,  and  Stephen  Steele  w^ere 
members  of  that  Society.  Stephen  Steele,  in  1821,  married 
Elizabeth  Rivers,  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Joel  Rivers,  and  was 
a  Methodist  at  the  town  of  Claiborne  from  1825  till  his  death 
in  1868,  and  was  through  all  the  years  the  chief  supporter  of  the 
Church  at  that  place.  When  the  first  house  of  worship  erected 
there  became  inadequate  to  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  built, 
it  was  superseded  by  a  new  and  more  commodious  house  which 
was  built  by  subscription,  but  was  at  last  paid  for  by  Stephen 
Steele  out  of  his  own  funds.  The  new  house  was  built  on  the 
lot  on  which  stood  the  first  one,  and  Brother  Steele  had  in  his 
possession  the  deed  thereto  until  the  Federal  troops  destroyed 
it,  with  other  valuable  papers,  during  the  war  between  the 
States.  The  home  of  Stephen  Steele  was  the  home  of  Metho- 
dist preachers.  Too  much  could  not  be  said  in  praise  of  Ste- 
phen Steele,  the  silversmith  of  Claiborne,  Alabama.  He  was 
the  servant  of  the  Church  to  which  he  belonged,  and  he  was  the 
servant  of  the  Master.  He  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  died 
in  his  eighty-seventh  year.  His  wife,  who  was  a  strong  charac- 
ter, survived  him  two  years.  They  can  never  be  forgotten 
while  the  history  of  the  town  of  Claiborne  is  remembered. 

At  the  close  of  1840  the  members  at  Claiborne  flattered  them- 
selves that  they  were  able  to  take  care  of  a  preacher  by  them- 
selves, and  the  place  was  made  a  Station,  and  the  Rev.  Francis 
Asbury  McShan  was  appointed  to  serve  the  charge  for  1841, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  year  there  were  eighty-eight  white  and 
seventv-five  colored  members  in  the  Society.  For  1842  and 
1843  the  Rev.  John  D.  Lofton  was  in  charge  of  Claiborne 
Station,  and  at  the  end  of  the  two  years  reported  one  hundred 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      575 


and  ten  white  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  colored  members  be- 
longing thereto.  For  1844  Monroeville  was  joined  with  Clai- 
borne, and  Louis  B.  Hicks  appointed  thereto,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  year  there  were  at  the  two  places  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  white  and  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  colored  members. 
For  1845  Claiborne  was  again  by  itself  with  the  Rev.  James  A. 
Heard  as  preacher,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  there  were  one 
hundred  and  ten  white  and  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  colored 
members;  and  although  the  place  was  continued  as  a  Station 
for  another  year,  that  is  the  last  time  that  Claiborne  ever  ap- 
peared in  the  reports  or  the  appointments.  Since  1846  Clai- 
borne has  been  one  of  the  appointments  in  a  Circuit. 

There  was  no  Methodist  Church  at  Gosport  prior  to  1839, 
and  no  regular  preaching  there  for  twenty  years  after  that 
Somewhere  about  1839,  two  men,  John  Mackay  and  George 
Cheny,  who  were  Methodists,  assisted  by  Samuel  Forward,  who 
was  not  then  a  member  of  any  Church,  built,  of  rough  logs, 
a  house  for  a  place  of  worship,  and  in  it  they  occasionally  had 
preaching.  That  house  stood  for  twenty  years.  The  Rev.  Joseph 
T.  Curry,  who  was  the  junior  preacher  on  the  Tombigbee  Cir- 
cuit for  1843,  preached  at  Gosport  once  that  year.  In  his  Jour- 
nal for  that  year  he  makes  the  following  significant  entry: 
"Sunday,  August  13,  preached  at  Gosport,  text  Joshua  xxiv. 
15,  to  a  large  congregation,  but  not  very  attentive  among  the 
young;  the  want  of  Religious  Education  unfits  man  for  the 
company  of  a  Christian  community."  In  February,  1847,  Sam- 
uel Forward,  of  Gosport,  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  under  the  administration  of  the  Rev.  James  L.  Cotton, 
and  continued  therein. 

The  town  of  Jackson,  situate  between  Tombigbee  River  and 
Bassett's  Creek  in  Clarke  County,  was  incorporated  by  Legisla- 
tive enactment  in  1816,  and  had  a  rapid  growth,  and  attained 
population  and  business  which  it  could  not  retain,  and  decline 
ensued.  The  social  state  and  taste  of  that  community  did  not 
conduce  to  the  introduction  of  Christianity  under  the  auspices 
of  Methodism.  The  establishment  of  a  Methodist  Church  at 
that  town  was  an  innovation  long  delayed.  It  was  1842  when 
a  Methodist  Society  was  organized  and  a  place  of  worship  was 
improvised  at  that  place.  In  that  year  Mrs.  A.  C.  Taylor, 
the  wife   of  Walter  Taylor,  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 


676 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Church,  and  she  immediately  had  a  dwelling-house  moved  to  a 
suitable  lot,  and  such  changes  made  in  the  building  as  was 
necessary  to  adapt  it  to  public  worship,  and  furnished  it  with 
pulpit  and  seats.  She  then  induced  the  nearest  itinerant 
preacher  she  could  find  to  take  the  place  into  his  Circuit.  On 
Monday,  once  a  month,  the  Circuit  Rider,  as  he  was  then  called, 
preached  in  that  house  so  promptly  improvised  by  that  zealous 
Christian  woman.  So  soon  as  the  preacher  opened  an  appoint- 
ment at  that  place  he  organized  a  Society  of  three  members, 
and  in  a  few  weeks  a  good  man  and  his  wife  moved  to  Jackson 
and  joined  the  Society,  making  the  number  five.  The  growth 
was  slow,  but  the  increase  was  perceptible.  In  the  Journal  of 
the  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Curry  for  1843  is  found  the  following  state- 
ment concerning  Jackson:  "Saturday,  September  9:  Two  days 
Meeting  at  Jackson.  Preached  from  Isaiah  iii.  10,  11.  Con- 
siderable feeling  in  the  congregation.  In  the  evening  Brother 
Calhoun  preached.  God  poured  out  his  Spirit.  Eight  persons 
joined  the  Church.  Sunday  10.  Preached  again  from  Isaiah 
V.  4.  Good  feeling  and  attention.  Evening  Brother  Calhoun 
preached.  Two  other  persons  joined  the  Church.  God,  in 
mercy,  is  visiting  this  place  which  has  been  so  famous  for 
wickedness.     May  God  help  those  who  have  started.     Amen!" 

Mrs.  Taylor,  the  first  avowed  friend  and  active  benefactor  of 
Methodism  at  the  town  of  Jackson,  Alabama,  lived  many  years, 
and  rendered  great  service  to  the  cause  espoused;  and  through 
all  the  years  of  her  Christian  pilgrimage  she  entertained  pious 
sentiments,  cherished  the  sweets  of  religious  experience,  and 
cherished  the  blissful  anticipation  that  when  the  solitudes  of 
life  were  all  passed,  she  would  enter  into  the  Palace  of  the 
King  Eternal. 

Some  time  after  Mrs.  A.  C.  Taylor  joined  the  Church,  her 
husband,  Mr.  Walter  Taylor,  attached  himself  to  the  same 
Church,  and  was  liberal  in  his  support  of  the  institutioas 
thereof.  He  was  born  at  Jackson,  Alabama,  in  1817,  and  in 
1835  he  was  graduated  with  distinction  from  the  Augusta  Col- 
lege, Kentucky,  which  College  was  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  died  in  1886.  Mr.  Walter 
and  Mrs.  A.  C.  Taylor  had  eight  children  who  grew  to  maturity 
and  became  Methodists,  and  noted  for  piety  and  usefulness. 
The  family  has  been  noted  for  intelligence,  refinement,  and  use- 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      577 


fulness.  From  David  Taylor,  who  settled  at  what  is  now  Jack- 
son as  early  as  1812,  there  sprang  a  numerous  tribe;  and  many 
of  these  descendants  of  that  man  have  been  and  are  Metho- 
dists. At  this  date  they  are  scattered  abroad;  some  of  them 
are  in  Louisiana,  and  others  of  them  are  in  Florida. 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      579 


CHAPTEK  XXYL 

The  Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the 
Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 

AT  Mobile  there  was,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  but  one  pastoral  charge  up  to  the 
close  of  184:0.  During  1833  and  1834  there  was,  in  addition 
to  the  Mobile  pastoral  charge,  which  was  served  those  two 
years  by  the  Kev.  Eobert  L.  Walker,  a  Mobile  Mission,  but  it 
appears  that  that  Mission  was  outside  of  Mobile  and  in  the 
country.  In  that  period  things  in  Mobile  were  neither  sublime, 
majestic  nor  assuring.  The  membership  was  comparatively 
small  in  1833,  and  in  that  time  the  Sunday-school  received 
damage  even  from  its  supposed  friends.  Brother  AValker, 
then  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Church,  writing  to  Brother 
John  H.  Vincent,  of  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  a  letter  bearing  date 
Mobile,  January  28,  1833,  says:  "Our  Sabbath  School  here  is 
small,  and  has  recently  received  a  deadly  stab  through  the 
treacherous  and  hypocritical  conduct  of  William  P.  Hill,  of 
whom  you  have  heard.  He  was  President  and  Secretary  of  the 
Sabbath  School,  and  had  made  considerable  collections  to  pur- 
chase books  for  the  School.  He  had  the  money  in  hand  (he 
was  also  in  possession  of  Missionary  money  of  which  I  do  not 
wish  you  to  speak),  was  considerably  in  debt,  borrowed  money, 
and  went  to  New  Orleans  about  the  last  of  December,  and  has 
strangely  disappeared,  and  the  common  opinion  is  now  that  he 
has  run  away,  and  recent  disclosures  rather  confirm  the  sus- 
picion. This  is  dreadful,  as  it  destroys  public  confidence,  or  at 
least  creates  suspicion,  etc."  At  the  close  of  1833  there  were 
reported  eighty  white  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  colored 
members.  At  the  close  of  the  succeeding  year  and  the  end  of 
Brother  Walker's  term  of  service  no  statistical  report  was  made 
from  the  Alabama  Conference  for  the  General  Minttes. 

In  1833  the  Kev.  Kobert  L.  Walker  married  Miss  Glorvina 
Kennedy,  a  woman  of  great  worth  and  solid  piety. 

The  Kev.  Kobert  L.  Walker  was  well  qualified  for  and  ad- 
(573) 


mirably  adapted  to  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry.     He 
was  by  nature  possessed  of  some  of  the  qualities  necessary  for 
the  work  of  an  overseer  of  the  flock,  but  in  that  work,  which  is 
higher  than  and  separate  from  all  secular  occupations,  it  was 
impossible  to  retain  him.     A  few  brief  months  after  he  had 
married,  and  long  before  his  second  year  of  the  ministerial 
term  as  then  fixed  by  the  law  of  the  Church  was  out  at  Mobile 
he  had  determined  to  locate  and  engage  in  secular  pursuits,  and 
had  made  declaration  of  his  purpose  and  had  perfected  his 
plans  for  the  same.     His  friends  who  esteemed  him  and  who 
appreciated  his  worth  in  the  ministry  endeavored  to  dissuade 
him  from  such  course,  but  he  deliberately  and  pertinaciously 
adhered  to  his  purpose.     His  warm  and  firmly  attached  friend, 
John  H.  Vincent,  then  an  active  official  member  of  the  Church 
at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  wrote  him  a  kind  and  affectionate  let- 
ter strongly  and  earnestly  advising  him  not  to  leave  the  pastoral 
work   for   secular  pursuits.     He   replied  in  a  long  letter  to 
Brother  Vincent,  in  which  he  attempted  to  vindicate  his  course 
in  the  premises.     He  was  restive  under  the  admonitions  of  his 
friends,  and  somewhat  tart  in  his  answers  to  them.     He  rested 
the  defense  of  his  course  upon  the  ground  that  in  the  Alabama 
Conference  provision  was  not  made  for  the  ample  support  of  a 
preacher's  family.     In  reply  to  Brother  Vincent  he  said:  "I 
speak    with   reverence    to   God   and   charity    to  my  brethren 
and  the  world,  but  my  conviction  is,  that  so  long  as  God  is  de- 
pendent for  the  support  of  his  ministers,  upon  such  stewards 
as  we  generally  have,  they  will  defeat  his  designs,  and  deprive 
the  Church  of  an  experienced  and  well-disciplined  ministry;  in 
which  case,  they  and  not  the  preachers  will  be  answerable  in  the 
great  day."     "  I  had  rather  meet  savage  life,  in  its  wildest  and 
most  loathsome  forms  with  equality,  than  to  live  in  the  midst 
of  polished  Society,  with  such  disparity  of  circumstances,  and 
indifference  to  necessit^r  as  we  sometimes  see  in  our  Church." 
"The  servant  (or  slave  as  Bishop  Emory  has  it)  who  labors  for 
a  Christian  congregation  has  a  right  to  expect  that  his  and  his 
family's  reasonable  wants  will  be  supplied.     This  is  not  done! 
No,  not  in  our  Conference."     At  the  close  of  1834  he  located, 
and  entered  fully  into  business,  independent  of  stewards  and  a 
priest's  stipends,  and  in  the  space  of  a  dozen  brief  years  he 
drove  to  financial  distress,  not  to  say  more.     To  have  exchanged 


580 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


that  financial  heritage  for  a  pastoral  charge  and  a  preacher's  al- 
lowance would  have  been  a  positive  relief.  He  whom  God  calls 
to  preach  would  better  abide  the  heavenly  calling,  and  make 
full  proof  his  ministry. 

The  Kev.  Eobert  L.  Kennon  succeeded  the  Kev.  Robert  L. 
Walker,  at  Mobile,  and  remained  two  years,  and  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Rev.  William  Murrah,  who  remained  two  years, 
and  he  was  followed  by  the  Rev.  Jefferson  Hamilton,  who  re- 
mained two  years,  and  that  brought  the  close  of  1840,  at  which 
time  there  were  in  the  charge  two  hundred  and  eighty-five 
white  and  four  hundred  and  fifty-nine  colored  members.  The 
following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  Dr.  Kennon  to 
Brother  Vincent,  the  letter  bearing  date  Mobile,  May  8,  1835, 
will  show  the  condition  of  things  there  at  that  time:  "  Few  men 
need  the  forgiveness  of  friends  more  than  myself.  I  should 
have  written  before  this,  but  I  have  had  my  hands  and  heart 
full.  When  I  arrived  here  I  found  serious  difficulties  amongst 
the  members  of  the  Church.  They  have  after  much  perplexity 
been  adjusted  by  the  expulsion  of  two  members,  but  the  effects 
remain  in  jealousies,  and  heart-burnings,  etc.  The  case  was  of 
a  scandalous  character  —  a  man  and  wife  parting— and  the 
members  had  been  split  into  parties.  Notwithstanding,  we  have 
some  gracious  times — congregations  crowded,  much  weeping, 
many  penitents,  and  every  week  some  convert— and  yet,  alas! 
how  many  are  inactive,  and  how  vast  the  crowd  pressing  to 
eternal  death.  The  Presbyterians  here  are  taking  the  lead  of 
us  in  zeal  and  effort.  They  have  had  a  protracted  meeting 
which  has  been  abundantly  blessed.  Their  minister  is  a  man 
of  great  power  of  elocution,  zealous,  and  pious." 

For  1841  there  were  three  charges  in  Mobile,  named  as  follows: 

First  charge,  Thomas  H.  Capers. 

Second  charge,  Seymour  B.  Sawyer. 

Seaman's  Mission,  to  be  supplied. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  First  charge  had  three  hundred  and 
fifty  white  and  five  hundred  and  ninety  colored  members,  and 
the  Second  charge  had  one  hundred  and  fifteen  white  members. 
The  Seaman's  Mission  did  not  yield  anything  for  that  year. 
The  next  year  the  appointments  were: 

Franklin  Street,  Thomas  H.  Capers. 

Jackson  Street,  Jesse  Boring. 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      581 


For  1843  the  appointments  were: 

Franklin  Street  and  West  Ward,  L.  Pierce,  J.  C.  Keener. 

Saint  Francis  Street,  Jefferson  Hamilton. 

African  Church,  to  be  supplied. 

The  next  year  the  appointments  were: 

Franklin  Street,  Giles  P.  Sparks. 

Saint  Francis  Street,  Jefferson  Hamilton. 

West  Ward,  John  D.  Lofton.  • 

African  Church,  to  be  supplied. 

For  1845  the  appointments  were: 

Saint  Michael  Street  and  Saint  Michael  Street  colored  charge^ 
J.  T.  Heard,  O.  R.  Blue. 

Saint  Francis  Street,  T.  W.  Dorman. 

West  Ward,  T.  Y.  Ramsey. 

German  Mission,  George  Rottenstien. 

In  February,  1843,  revival  influence  fell  upon  Mobile,  and 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  souls  were  converted  and  added  to 
the  Church  there. 

Under  the  ministry  of  Dr.  R.  L.  Kennon  the  Franklin  Street 
house  of  worship  was  enlarged  and  improved;  lecture-room  and 
class-rooms  were  added. 

In  1841  was  organized  what  has  been  known  as  Saint  Fran-^ 
cis  Street  Church.  At  first  it  worshiped  in  a  house  belong- 
ing to  another  denomination.  The  membership  was  at  first 
small,  but  continued  to  grow.  Its  first  class  was  constituted 
of  members  from  Franklin  Street  Church.  West  Ward  com- 
menced in  a  Sunday-school  inaugurated  in  that  part  of  the- 

city. 

There  was  a  "  Female  Missionary  Society  of  Mobile,"  and 
subsequently  a  "  Children's  Missionary  Society  "  was  organized. 
Some  time  not  earlier  than  1833  a  squad  of  Choctaw  Indians 
tarried  for  the  time  near  Gainesville  on  the  Tombigbee  River  in 
Alabama.  A  white  woiiian  going  up  town  on  that  errand  pecul- 
iar to  women,  shopping,  came  up  with  a  number  of  Indian  boys, 
and  she  engaged  them  for  a  short  while  in  conversation.  She 
said  to  one  boy  who  attracted  her  attention  that  she  would  re- 
turn that  way  in  a  short  while,  and  that  if  he  would  go  and  live 
with  her  she  would  teach  him  to  read  and  write.  She  went  her 
way,  made  her  purchases,  and  returned  to  her  home  along  the 
route  she  passed  to  town,  and  she  found  the  boy  waiting  for 


582 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


her,  and  eager  to  be  taught  the  customs  of  the  paleface  nation. 
She  took  him  to  her  home.  The  boy's  name  was  Dixon  W.  Lewis. 
How  he  got  his  name  cannot  be  deposed  to  in  this  place,  and  now. 
He  was  immediately  pat  under  tuition.  His  body  was  washed  and 
clothed,  and  his  hair  trimmed  and  combed.  A'child  of  the  forest, 
he  had,  first  of  all,  to  be  taught,  and  had  to  learn,  how  to  wear 
clothes,  sit  on  chairs,  sleep  in  beds,  and  eat  with  knives  and  forks, 
etc.  When  it  was  deinonstrated  that  he  was  going  to  remain  and 
conform  to  civil  habits  he  was  put  to  the  study  of  letters.  He 
learned  rapidly,  and  was  sent  to  the  village  School.  In  the 
course  of  events  the  family  of  which  he  had  become  a  member 
moved  to  Mobile,  Alabama.  The  mother  of  the  family  was  a 
Methodist.  She  united  with  the  Franklin  Street  Church,  and 
put  her  children  and  the  Indian  boy,  who  was  then  about  nine- 
teen years  old,  in  the  Sunday-school.  Of  course,  the  Indian 
attracted  attention.  With  facility  he  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
the  Catechism.  The  Missionary  Societies  already  named  took 
him  under  tuition,  and  resolved  to  educate  him  and  qualify  him 
to  be  a  Missionary  to  his  own  people.  His  education  was  com- 
pleted and  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  at  the  session  of  the 
Alabama  Conference  held  at  Mobile,  beginning  February  28, 
1846,  he  was  admitted  into  the  Conference  on  trial.  For  that 
year  he  was  in  the  very  land  of  hik  nativity  on  the  Lauderdale 
Circuit  in  the  Gainesville  District.  At  the  end  of  1846  he 
was  transferred  from  the  Alabama  Conference  to  the  Indian 
Mission  Conference,  and  went  from  the  land  of  his  birth  and 
the  home  of  his  youth  to  the  country  assigned  his  people  west 
of  the  Mississippi  Kiver.  In  November,  1847,  having  been  two 
ecclesiastical  years  on  trial  in  the  traveling  connection,  one 
year  in  the  Alabama  Conference  and  one  year  in  the  Indian 
Mission  Conference,  he  was  received  into  [full  connection  in 
ihe  Indian  Mission  Conference,  and  ordained  deacon.  In  due 
course  and  upon  opportuuity  he  was  ordained  elder.  To  his 
own  nation  in  their  land  beyond  the  Mississippi  Kiver  he 
preached  the  everlasting  gospel.  He  continued  a  member  of 
the  Indian  Mission  Conference  and  in  the  effective  work  of  the 
ministry  till  his  end  came.  He  died  of  pneumonia  in  1857. 
He  was  calm  and  peaceful  in  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  abil- 
ity. For  1854  he  was  left  without  a  regular  pastoral  charge  in 
view  of  his  making  certain  translations  into  Choctaw.     He  was 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      683. 


an  able  preacher,  a  wise  counselor,  and  a  man  of  influence  in. 
the  adjustment  of  the  affairs  of  his  people. 

During  the  fourth  decade  of  this  century  Mobile  more  than, 
thribbled  its  population,  and  during  the  period  from'  1832  to 
1845  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  that  place  was  in- 
creased in  its  numbers  and  improved  in  its  general  resources 
by  immigration.  In  1835  Mrs.  Emily  S.  Dubose,  a  woman  of 
kind  disposition,  consecrated  life,  and  who  gave  much  alms  to 
the  poor,  moved  to  Mobile,  and,  carrying  with  her  a  certificate 
of  her  membership,  became  a  member  of  the  Society  there. 
She  continued  a  member  in  Mobile  tQl  1848,  when  she  was 
transferred  to  that  city  which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder 
and  maker  is  God. 

About  the  time  or  a  little  after  the  coming  of  Mrs.  Dubose  to 
Mobile,  three  noted  members  from  Augusta,  Georgia,  by  au- 
thority of  their  certificates  of  membership,  attached  themselves 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Mobile.     They  were  Ma- 
jor Franklin  C.  Heard,  his  wife,  Mrs.  Ann  M.  Heard,  and  Mrs. 
Emily  W.  Woolsey.     Mrs.  Heard  lived  but  a  short  time  after 
moving  to  Mobile.     Major  Heard  had  membership  there  more 
than  a  dozen  years.     He  died  in  Mobile  about  the  middle  of 
this  century.     All  the  time  he  was  in  Mobile  he  filled  official 
position  in  the  Church;  most  of  the  time  he  was  class  leader,  an 
office  for  which,  by  his  steady  faith,  strong  emotions,  and  holy 
impulses,  he  was  eminently  fitted.     In  his  case  the  work  of  con- 
viction, repentance,  and  regeneration  was  of  rapid  process  and 
short  duration.     While  Dr.  Lovick  Pierce  preached  on  the  text: 
"And  now  also  the  axe  is  laid  unto  the  root  of  the  trees:  there- 
fore every  tree  which  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn 
down,  and  cast  into  the  fire,"  Major  Heard,  with  hat  in  hand, 
stood  in  the  aisle  of  the  church,  near  the  door,  and  listened 
with  marked  attention.     When  penitents  were  called  he  went 
forward  in  great  haste,^  and  fell  down  on  his  knees  at  the  altar, 
and  cried  aloud,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  experienced  the  peace 
incident  upon  justification  and  regeneration.    His  wife,  who  was 
a  penitent  at  his  side,  was  renewed  at  the  same  hour.  All  this  oc- 
curred at  Greenesborough,  Georgia,  in  1827.    At  that  time  Ma- 
jor Heard  lived  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  but  he  with  his  family  was 
on  a  visit  to  old  friends  at  Greenesborough,  where  formerly  he- 
had  lived.     The  Sunday  after  he  had  received  a  change  of  heart 


584 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


he  with  his  wife  and  three  children  was  baptized,  and  he  and  his 
wife  were  received  into  the  Church.  That  was  literally  the  begin- 
ning of  a  new  life  in  that  family.  Previous  to  that  time  Major 
Heard  had  been  a  man  of  the  world,  and  had  delighted  in  and 
participated  in  the  prevailing  sports  of  that  time  and  country. 

The  life  of  one  of  the  individuals  here  named  in  the  consum- 
mation of  its  aggregated  incidents,  its  real  events,  involves  all 
the  phases  of  sentiment,  and  contains  material  which  would 
adorn  and  enrich  a  book  of  romance.     To  endow  a  man  with 
prescience  would  be  to  him  a  positive  evil.     The  capacity  to 
prognosticate  one's  own  future  would  be  a  positive  disqualifica- 
tion for  life's  duties.     A  pre-exhibition  of  one's  own  life  and 
destiny  would  be  overwhelming  and  repulsive.     One  would  re- 
pudiate his  own  best  conduct  could  he  see  in  advance  its  final 
result.     Mrs.  Emily  W.  Woolsey,  nee  Sims,  is  the  member  of  the 
Church  whose  life  was  so  romantic.     At  one  time  there  lived  in 
Augusta,  Georgia,  the  Rev.  James  O.  Andrew,  then  preacher  in 
charge  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  there,  and  his  wife, 
Mrs.  Anne  Amelia  Andrew,  Mr.  A.  B.  Woolsey  and  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Emily  W.  Woolsey,  Major  Franklin  C.  Heard  and  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Ann  M.  Heard.     These  at  that  time  were  neighbors  and  friends, 
and  all,  except  Mr.  Woolsey,  were  members  of  the  same  Church. 
These  women  here  named,  each  presiding  at  the  time  in  her 
own  household,  were  warm  and  intimate  friends.     About  the 
same  time  and  after  these  persons  all  lived  in  Augusta,  Georgia, 
Mr.  George  Childers  and  his  wife,  Betsy  Childers,  were  zealous 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Childers's  Chap- 
el, near  what  was  afterward  called  Summerfield,  Alabama.    Soon 
after  moving  to  Mobile,  Alabama,  Mrs.  Heard  died,  and  in  a  short 
while  Mr.  Woolsey  died.     In  the  on-going  of  time  Major  Heard 
and  Mrs.  Woolsey  married.     In  the  lapse  of  years  Major  Heard 
died,  and  Mrs.  Betsy  Childers  died  also.     Mrs.  Emily  W.  Heard 
after  the  death  of  Major  Heard  moved  to  Summerfield,  Ala- 
bama, and  in  the  events  of  passing  years  Mr.  George  Childers 
and  she  married.     Some  time  after  this  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Childers  were  on  a  visit  to  Mobile,  and  Mr.  Childers  died  there. 
In  the  succession  of  days  Mrs.  Anne  Amelia  Andrew  died  in 
in  the  springtime  of  1842;  and  Mrs.  Leonoro  Andrew,  the  wom- 
an whom  Bishop  Andrew  married  in  the  early  part  1844,  died 
about  the  first  of  June,  1854.     About  six  months  after  the  death 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      585 


of  the  second  Mrs.  Andrew,  the  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Childers,  with 
due  consideration  and  genuine  sentiment,  became  man  and  wife, 
taking  each  the  other  for  better  for  worse.  They  had  experience 
and  were  not  afraid  of  a  leap  in  the  dark.  They  took  no  risk. 
They  endangered  no  one's  happiness.  Bishop  Andrew  died 
March  1,  1871,  and  last  of  all  the  woman,  Mrs.  Emily  W.  An- 
drew, died  also,  having  had,  in  perfect  accord  with  the  law  and 
the  gospel,  four  worthy  husbands,  all  four  of  whom  died  in  Mo- 
bile, Alabama,  and  two  of  whom  had  been  the  husbands  of  two 
of  her  dearest  friends.  This  woman  so  well  and  repeatedly  mar- 
ried was  a  woman  of  great  energy,  of  sound  judgment,  of  good 
manners,  of  elegant  bearing,  of  deep  piety,  and  of  rich  expe- 
rience in  divine  things. 

There  was  considerable  prosperity  in  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  in  the  city  of  Montgomery,  Alabama,  during  the 
year  1833,  when  the  Bev.  W.  K  H.  Mosley  had  charge  of  the 
Station.  The  congregation  was  enlarged  and  the  membership 
increased,  and  that  called  for  larger  room  and  more  extensive 
outlays.  There  were  at  the  close  of  that  year  one  hundred 
and  seventy  white  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  colored 
members.  At  the  beginning  of  the  next  year,  when  the  Rev. 
Seymour  B.  Sawyer  w^as  again  in  charge  of  the  Station,  a  larger 
house  of  worship  was  imperatively  demanded  for  the  use  of  the 
congregation,  and  the  erection  of  such  house  was  undertaken. 
The  work  was  inaugurated  in  the  presence  of  overwhelming 
difficulties.  The  members  of  that  Society  were  poor,  and  in  the 
city  there  was  a  money  stringency  seldom  equaled.  There  was 
obtained  in  money  and  materials  a  subscription  which  aggrega- 
ted eight  hundred  dollars.  One  thousand  dollars  were  borrowed 
from  J.  B.  Leavens,  of  Mobile,  Alabama,  and  with  that  limited 
provision  for  the  entire  work,  in  the  month  of  March  of  that 
year,  a  contract  was  consummated  for  the  erection  of  a  house 
of  worship  adequate  to  the  demands  of  the  congregation.  In 
about  one  year  from  the  time  the  contract  was  made  the  house 
stipulated  for  was  completed,  and  formally  dedicated  to  divine 
worship.  Alas!  there  was  a  debt  incurred,  and  not  provid- 
ed for,  which  nearly  destroyed  the  Society.  From  the  time 
the  enterprise  was  inaugurated  till  the  debt  was  finally  dis- 
posed of,  the  Society  declined.  Whereas,  there  were  at  the 
incipiency  of  the  work  of  building  one  hundred  and  seventy 


586 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


white  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  colored  members,  at  th9 
close  of  1838  there  were  forty-nine  white  and  eighty-four  col- 
ored members  belonging  to  the  Society.  After  about  live  yeaj-s 
of  burden  and  menace,  Mr.  Neil  Blue,  in  his  own  person  and  by 
his  own  means,  at  great  inconvenience  to  himself  and  at  great 
hazard  to  his  financial  affairs,  relieved  the  Church  of  the  debt. 
That  house  was  built  on  the  site  where  stood  that  notorious 
Union  house,  and  on  the  lot  where  yet  stands  the  Court  Street 
Church.  That  house  was  of  wood,  and  was  sixty  feet  long  ajid 
forty-five  feet  wide  and  had  an  extensive  gallery,  which  gallery 
was  generally  occupied  by  the  Negroes.  In  1839,  after  that 
debt  was  assumed  by  Brother  Blue,  glorious  things  were 
wrought  in  that  house,  and  the  Highest  himself  established  the 
work.  The  Rev.  Wiley  W.  Thomas  was  that  year  in  charge  of 
the  Station,  and  there  was  a  grand  ingathering,  though  the 
number  had  at  the  beginning  of  the  work  for  the  erection  of 
the  new  Church  was  not  reached.  The  increase  that  year  went 
from  forty-nine  white  members  to  one  hundred  and  thirty-four 
white  members,  and  from  eighty-four  colored  members  to  one 
hundred  and  twelve  colored  members.  In  that  revival  in  Oc- 
tober of  that  year,  Oliver  Rufus  Blue,  the  son  of  the  man  who 
had  disposed  of  the  debt,  was,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  born 
again."  He  afterward  preached  in  that  house,  and  adminis- 
tered the  affairs  of  that  Society.  He  was  licensed  to  preach 
there  October  12,  1843.  From  1839  to  the  close  of  1845,  there 
was,  except  about  two  years,  a  steady  increase  in  the  number 
of  members,  though  not  until  the  latter  part  of  1845  was  the 
number  of  members  equal  to  the  number  had  at  the  beginning 
of  the  work  of  erecting  the  new  Church.  Then  the  member- 
ship reached  the  number  of  two  hundred  and  twelve  white  and 
three  hundred  and  twenty-five  colored  members.  During  1845, 
under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Jefferson  Hamilton,  D.D.,  and 
the  Rev.  William  B.  Neal,  the  former  in  charge  of  the  Station 
and  the  latter  in  charge  of  the  District,  there  was  a  most 
remarkable  work  of  divine  grace  in  the  city  of  Montgomery.  On 
July  19,  of  that  year,  began,  in  the  house  of  worship  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  city  of  Montgomery,  the 
Second  Quarterly  Meeting  for  that  ecclesiastical  year.  The  en- 
vironment was  propitious,  the  correlation  of  forces  was  con- 
ducive to    the  success  of   the   divine  cause.     The  preachers 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      587 


proclaimed  the  word  of  God,  asserted  the  truth  of  the  gospel, 
and  testified  to  the  power  thereof,  the  Holy  Ghost  attended 
with  unction  and  power,  Christians  were  tilled  with  radiance, 
sinners  were  attracted  and  convicted,  the  interest  in  the  sub- 
ject of  religion  became  intense,  and  the  meeting  went  on  and 
the  work  continued  for  three  months  or  more  without  inter- 
mission or  cessation.  About  two  hundred  and  thirty  persons 
professed  the  attainment  of  divine  renewal,  and  the  Churches 
of  all  denominations  in  the  city  received  accessions  therefrom. 
One  hundred  and  ten  were  added  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  The  influence  of  that  meeting  swept  out  over  all  the 
region  round  about.     Wetumpka  received  the  influence  and  felt 

the  power. 

T.  L.  Brothers  and  R.  Jones  were  official  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Montgomery  during  the  time 
now  in  consideration.  Mrs.  Nancy  Gilmer,  nee  Marks,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  after  living  in  Virginia  and  Georgia,  and 
joining  the  Church  in  Georgia,  moved  to  Montgomery,  Ala- 
bama, in  1829,  and  resided  there  till  her  death  in  May,  1845. 
Through  all  the  time  she  resided  there  she  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  She  was  never  carried  about 
with  visionary  things,  but  was  a  steady,  prayerful,  devout,  and 
active  Christian.  She  was  equal  to  almost  any  emergency,  and 
she  surmounted  the  most  formidable  difficulties.  She  was  fond 
of  the  institutions  of  Methodism,  and  in  Class-meetings  con- 
stantly testified  of  the  saving  power  of  Jesus  and  the  glorious 
grace  of  God.  Her  husband  was  brought  to  God  in  the  glorious 
revival  in  Montgomery,  in  1839,  and  some  of  her  children  were 
made  partakers  of  the  divine  grace  in  the  great  revival  of  1845. 
In  the  transition  to  the  great  beyond  she  was  tranquil  and  tri- 
umphant. Mrs.  Rosana  Flowers  was  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  in  Montgomery  from  1832  to  1845.  She 
died  in  the  last  named  year.  She  was  strongly  attached  to  the 
doctrines  and  discipline  of  the  Church  with  which  she  was  affil- 
iated. She  at  last  entered  upon  ineffable  joys  and  infinite  de- 
lights. 

Wetumpka  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  appointments  on 
the  Alabama  Circuit,  but  at  the  session  of  the  Alabama  Confer- 
ence in  January,  1837,  it  was  set  off  to  itself  as  a  Station,  and  a 
preacher  appointed  to  it  for  that  year.  Since  that  time  We- 
38 


588 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


tnmpka  has  been  a  Station.  The  Rev.  "Ward  Bulla rd  was  the  first 
preacher  appointed  to  Wetumpka  Station.  He  had  just  been 
admitted  on  trial  in  the  Conference,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year 
there  was  a  deficiency  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  dollars  on  his 
annual  allowance,  which  was  paid  to  him  from  the  fund  which 
was  provided  to  make  up  the  deficiencies  of  those  who  did  not 
obtain  their  regular  allowance  on  the  pastoral  charges,  and  he 
discontinued.  One  vear  sufficed  for  his  trial  of  the  itinerant 
ministry.  He  was  from  the  north.  The  first  statistical  rej^ort 
made  for  Wetumpka  gave  it  fifty-five  white  and  fifteen  colored 
members.  The  house  of  worship  was  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Coosa  River,  and  in  the  northern  suburbs  of  the  town,  and  was 
a  little  frame  building.  Somewhere  about  1843  that  building 
was  abandoned  and  a  wooden  building  was  erected  near  where 
has  since  stood  a  brick  Church,  which  in  its  turn  superseded  all 
the  others.  As  late  as  1841  the  Church  at  Wetumpka  was  con- 
sidered too  poor  to  give  an  adequate  support  to  a  preacher;  and 
the  preacher  stationed  there  that  year  and  his  wife  had  to  teach 
for  a  livelihood,  and  had  to  rent  the  house  in  which  they  lived, 
and  do  all  the  domestic  work  of  the  house  in  order  to  meet  the 
necessities  of  the  case.  In  the  absence  of  records  it  is  impos- 
sible to  ascertain  who  were  the  members  in  the  first  years  of 
Wetumpka  as  a  Station.  It  seems  that  David  C.  Neal,  a 
brother  of  the  Rev.  William  B.  Neal,  who  joined  the  Church, 
perhaps  in  Georgia^  moved  to  Wetumpka  just  in  advance  of 
the  making  it  a  Station,  and  his  wife,  Martha  A.  Neal,  joined 
there  in  1842  or  1843. 

The  preachers  who  served  the  W^etumpka  Station  from  the 
beginning  of  1838  to  the  close  of  1845  were:  the  Rev.  Andrew 
P.  Harris,  the  Rev.  Zaccheus  Dowling,  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  Wil- 
liams, the  Rev.  Abram  B.  Elliott,  each  one  year,  the  Rev.  Sey- 
mour B.  Sawyer,  two  years  in  succession,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Arm- 
strong, the  Rev.  J.  P.  Perham,  and  all  in  the  order  here  named. 
At  the  close  of  1845  the  Church  at  Wetumpka  numbered  one 
hundred  and  forty-five  white  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-four 
colored  members,  and  the  congregation  worshiped  in  a  new 
Church,  an  ordinary  wooden  building. 

Several  of  the  preachers  of  the  Alabama  Conference  located 
at  the  close  of  1835,  among  whom  were  the  Rev.  Newitt  Drew 
and  the  Rev.  Hazlewood  B.  Parish.     They  had  both  married 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      589 

within  the  last  two  or  three  years.  The  plea  of  providing  for 
the  household  was  the  plea  made  by  both  these  men  for  lo- 
cating. 

The  Rev.  Newitt  Drew  married  the  daughter  of  Brother 
Alexander  Henderson,  who  lived  near  Mount  Pleasant,  Monroe 
County,  and  for  whom  Henderson's  Church  was  named.  Drew 
bought  him  a  place  near  his  father-in-law,  and  engaged  in 
farming,  but  did  no  big  things  at  it.  He  was  a  man  of  shabby 
style,  and  penurious  in  his  investments.  In  a  penurious  way 
he  accumulated  some  property.  He  was  a  man  of  moderate 
talents,  and  limited  attainments,  a  fair  preacher,  and  a  fervent 
exhorter.  He  had  some  trouble  with  a  School  Teacher,  who 
killed  him.  For  reasons  he  took  his  children  from  School,  and 
some  hot  words  passed  between  him  and  the  teacher.  The  next 
day  after  that  occurrence  Drew,  with  others,  went  to  the  Church 
to  set  things  in  order  for  an  approaching  Quarterly  Meeting. 
The  aforesaid  teacher  approached  him  where  he  was  at  work, 
and  struck  him  with  a  piece  of  wood  on  the  head.  Drew  never 
spoke  after  he  was  hit  with  the  piece  of  wood,  and  in  about 
seven  hours  he  died.  That  was  August  21, 1849.  He  held  the 
relation  of  a  local  elder  at  the  time  of  his  death.  There  we're 
eight  children  in  the  house,  one  being  born  a  few  hours  after 
his  death. 

The  Rev.  Hazlewood  B.  Parish  married  the  daughter  of  one 
Brother  Williams,  and  after  his  location  he  went  to  merchandis- 
ing with  his  father-in-law  at  Allenton,  Wilcox  County,  and  soon 
bankrupted,  and  he  and  his  father-in-law  were  ever  after  insol- 
vent. After  his  failure  in  merchandising  he  took  up  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine,  following  the  Thomson ian  School.  For  many 
years  he  lived  where  he  died,  near  Gravely  Creek  and  not  far 
from  Black's  Bluff,  in  Wilcox  County.  By  constant  application 
to  the  administration  of^  medicine,  and  by  horse-swapping  he 
managed  to  maintain  a  large  family.  There  were  somewhere 
about  a  dozen  children  in  the  family.  One  of  the  daughters 
married  the  Rev.  Daniel  T.  Mellard,  who  was  once  a  member  of 
the  Alabama  Conference,  and  who  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  James 
H.  Mellard.  Another  daughter  married  the  Rev.  Neil  Gillis, 
also  a  member  of  the  Alabama  Conference.  The  Rev.  H.  B. 
Farish  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  talents.  He  had  fine  gifts 
as  a  preacher.     He  was  a  ready  speaker,  fluent,  and  ornate. 


590 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Had  he  continued  in  the  itinerant  ministry  it  would  have  been 
well  for  him  and  the  Church.  As  it  was,  he  buried  his  talents, 
neglected  his  gifts,  and  achieved  but  little.  He  was  a  local  eld- 
er to  the  day  of  his  death,  but  for  many  years  he  preached  but 
seldom,  and  only  on  special  occasions,  such  as  funerals.  The 
congregations  were  always  delighted  to  have  him  preach.  The 
only  complaint  made  about  his  preaching  was  that  he  did  not 
preach  enough. 

The  Alabama  Conference  at  its  session  at  Tuskaloosa,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1840,  granted  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Ramsey  a  location,  and  held 
memorial  services  for  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Christopher,  M.D.,  who 
had  died  the  preceding  October. 

The  Rev.  Abiezer  Clarke  Ramsey  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the 
Alabama  Conference  at  the  time  of  its  organization,  and  now 
after  seven  years'  work  he  is  granted  a  location  at  the  same  place 
at  which  he  was  received.  From  that  day  forth  he  was  a  local 
elder.  He  was  of  slender  mold,  and  had  been  all  his  life  afflicted 
with  asthma.  He  was  the  picture  of  feebleness,  and  all  who 
knew  his  constant  conflict  with  asthma  supposed  that  in  a  brief 
while  he  would  be  beyond  the  grave,  but  contrary  to  all  appear- 
ance and  all  expectation  he  lived  more  than  half  a  century  after 
he  located.  Most  of  those  years  he  spent  in  Wilcox  County,  Ala- 
bama, although  quite  a  while  he  resided  at  Gadsden,  Alabama. 
For  forty  or  more  years  he  filled  the  responsible  office  of  stew- 
ard in  the  Church  as  well  as  that  of  local  elder.  He  did  much 
service  both  as  a  preacher  and  a  steward.  He  kept  open  house 
for  many,  many  years.  He  engaged  his  strength  and  gave  his 
means  to  the  Church.  He  was  twice  married.  First,  he  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Elizabeth  Amanda  Bonham;  second  time  he  married 
Miss  Jane  Hearn,  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hearn. 
His  last  wife  preceded  him  to  the  grave  a  few  years.  His  first 
wife  died  in  1854  He  died  himself  at  the  house  of  his  son-in- 
law,  Mr.  Joseph  Benson,  at  Forest  Home,  Butler  County,  Ala- 
bama, January  23,  1891. 

Near  Boyd's  Ferry,  on  Dan  River,  in  Halifax  County,  Virginia, 
there  lived  in  profound  obscurity  and  in  extreme  poverty  a  man' 
and  his  wife  bearing  the  name  of  Christopher.  On  October  10, 
1787,  there  was  born  at  that  place  to  that  man  and  his  wife  a 
son  to  whom  was  given  the  name  of  Ralph  Griffin.  Some  ten 
or  a  dozen  years  after  the  advent  of  that  son  the  family  moved 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,      591 


to  Rutherford  County,  North  Carolina,  where,  in  a  brief  time, 
the  w4fe  of  the  man  and  the  mother  of  the  child  died.  In  a 
short  while  after  that,  to  the  family,  sad  event,  those  of  them 
left,  moved  to  Abbeville  District,  South  Carolina.  The  father 
of  that  household  was  an  adherent  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  and  against  the  Methodists  he  entertained  inveterate 
prejudice,  and  while  he  gave  his  children  but  little  training 
and  scarcely  any  instruction  in  anything,  he  did  succeed  in  im- 
parting to  them  his  prejudice  against  the  Methodists.  Ralph 
Griffin  Christopher  knew  nothing  of  the  Methodists,  except  his 
detestation  of  them,  but  some  time  during  the  two  years,  the 
years  1805  and  1806,  the  Rev.  Britton  Capel  was  the  presiding 
elder  of  the  Seleuda  District,  South  Carolina  Conference,  he 
visited  a  Camp-meeting  on  Corwaxwee  Creek  where  he  heard 
the  Rev.  Britton  Capel  preach  and  was  convicted,  but  he  with- 
stood the  influence  and  wore  out  the  impression.  The  next  year 
after  his  attendance  at  that  Camp-meeting  he  moved  to  Greene 
County,  Georgia.  He  was  still  wicked.  In  1808,  though  he  did 
not  know  anything  about  praying  in  secret,  he,  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life,  kneeled  to  pray,  and  in  that  condition  he  went  to  an 
altar  to  be  prayed  for.  At  a  meeting  at  Burke's  Camp-ground, 
in  Greene  County,  Georgia,  he  went  to  the  altar  as  a  mourner, 
and  at  midnight  of  the  Sunday  of  the  Camp-meeting  he  was 
renewed,  and  shouted  for  joy.  He  had  present  a  friend,  one 
AVilliam  Lurapkins,  who  helped  him  and  rejoiced  with  him.  He 
had  now  reached  his  majority,  and  in  1809,  under  the  ministry 
of  the  Rev.  Hilliard  Judge,  and  in  the  bounds  of  Greene  County, 
Georgia,  and  in  the  bounds  of  the  Appalachee  Circuit,  South 
Carolina  Conference,  he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
In  1810  he  was  licensed  to  preach.  At  the  time  of  his  conver- 
sion he  did  not  know  his  alphabet.  A  few  days  after  regenera- 
ting power  had  attuned  his  heart  to  the  melody  of  religion  and  the 
love  of  God  he  felt  that  a  commission  to  proclaim  the  gospel  to 
mankind  was  given  to  him,  and  this  notwithstanding  he  knew 
not  a  letter  in  any  human  language.  He  was  as  ignorant  as  it 
was  possible  for  one  to  be  at  twenty  years  of  age  in  a  civilized 
land,  but  he  greatly  desired  to  be  able  to  read  and  write.  About 
the  close  of  1810  and  the  beginning  of  1811  he  went  to  school 
two  months  to  a  Methodist  preacher.  That  was  the  number  of 
his  school  days,  and  the  sum  of   his  literary  training.     His 


592 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


further  attainments  he  made  by  his  own  exertions.  Though  un- 
der the  disabilities  of  poverty,  obsaurity,  and  ignorance,  on  a 
July  day  in  1811  he  left  home  and  secular  affairs  and  joined  and 
traveled  with  the  Rev.  Samuel  M.  Meek  on  the  Appalachee  Cir- 
cuit. He  had  only  one  advantage.  He  had  no  wealth  to  for- 
sake nor  fame  to  forego.  He  was  already  inured  to  hardship 
and  want.  At  the  session  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference 
held  at  Camden,  South  Carolina^  December  21-27,  1811,  that 
rude  and  untutored  young  man  was  received  on  trial  in  the  itin- 
erancy, and  appointed  for  the  next  year  to  the  Great  Pee  Dee 
Circuit  as  the  third  preacher.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  he  ad- 
vanced to  the  offices  of  the  ministry  in  the  time  prescribed  by 
the  Discipline,  and  the  third  year  was  stationed  at  Fayetteville, 
North  Carolina,  and  for  the  fifth  year  at  Charleston,  South  Car- 
olina. Having  been  for  nine  years  or  more  in  the  laborious 
work  of  the  regular  ministry,  in  January,  1821,  he  located.  In 
November,  1830,  he  was  re-admitted  to  the  Alabama  Conference 
and  remained  a  member  thereof  till  his  death  October  13, 1839. 
Three  years  of  the  tiaie  he  was  presiding  elder.  Poverty  and 
affliction  were  his  heritage  to  the  end,  but  he  attained  promi- 
nence and  usefulness  in  the  ministry.  He  was  free  from  ambi- 
tion and  avarice,  and  he  did  not  engage  in  the  ignoble  strife  of 
being  accounted  tbe  greatest  among  his  fellows,  nor  heaping  a 
little  shining  dust,  which  might  be  called  wealth,  but  he  en- 
gaged in  laudable  efforts  to  do  good  and  be  useful,  and  while  he 
entered  the  arena  and  went  into  the  battle  of  life  under  great 
disabilities,  he  was  supported  in  the  train  of  his  efforts,  and  as 
he  w^ent  on  the  field  of  his  operations  expanded  as  his  intelli- 
gence increased,  and  from  his  history  may  be  learned  how  much 
can  be  achieved,  even  under  disadvantages,  by  application,  en- 
ergy, industry,  and  piety.    His  posterity  still  honor  Methodism. 

During  1841  four  preachers,  members  of  the  Alabama  Con- 
ference, the  Rev.  Daniel  Monaghon,  the  Rev.  James  M.  Boat- 
wright,  the  Rev.  Noah  Laney,  and  the  Rev.  Wilson  Moore, 
went  hence  to  their  reward. 

The  Rev.  Daniel  Monaghon  was  a  veteran  in  the  service, 
and  about  twenty-two  years  of  his  ministry  were  spent  in  Ala- 
bama, and  whether  he  was  in  the  local  or  the  itinerant  ranks  he 
was  always  active  and  efficient.  He  attained  in  his  heart  and 
maintained  in  his  life  Christian  perfection.     His  personal  char- 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work,     593 


acteristics  were  prominent.  He  was  an  original  preacher,  an 
impassioned  speaker,  and  though  quaint,  he  was  felicitous  in 
his  utterances  and  illustrations.  On  March  20,  1841,  death 
seized  his  mortal  frame,  and  his  spirit  took  up  abode  in  the 
goodly  bowers  which  be  along  the  banks  of  the  river  of  life. 

The  Rev.  James  M,  Boatwright  did  a  little  less  than  three 
years'  work  in  Alabama,  coming  to  the  State  from  the  North 
Carolina  Conference  in  the  first  part  of  1839,  and  dying  July  5, 
1841.  It  seems  that  he  died  at  Gainesville,  Alabama.  He 
commenced  his  ministry  in  the  Virginia  Conference.  He  was 
of  sweet  spirit,  pleasant  manners,  unpretentious  bearing,  and 
was  pious  and  zealous.  When  the  hour  of  dissolution  came  it 
brought  no  terror  and  he  died  in  calm  assurance  of  going  to 
bis  Father's  Kingdom. 

The  Rev.  Noah  Laney  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and 
was  born  the  first  year  of  this  century.  He  did  but  little  work 
in  x^ilabama.  He  was  a  member  of  the  South  Carolina  Confer- 
ence and  then  of  the  Georgia  Conference.  For  1840  he,  in  the 
capacity  of  a  local  preacher,  supplied  the  Circuit  contiguous  to 
his  home,  and  for  1841,  having  been  re-admitted  to  the  travel- 
ing connection  in  the  Alabama»Conference,  he  was  made  pre- 
siding elder  of  the  Irwinton  District,  and  on  July  10,  of  that 
year,  he  died.  He  died  with  the  assurance:  "  Christ  is  the  rock 
of  my  salvation." 

Marianna  Station  lost  both  the  presiding  elder  and  the 
preacher  in  charge  by  death  in  1841.  Laney,  the  presiding 
elder,  died,  as  above  stated,  and  the  Rev.  Wilson  Moore,  the 
preacher  at  Marianna,  Florida,  for  that  year,  died  of  congestive 
fever  in  the  month  of  September,  of  that  year,  being  about 
twenty-six  years  old.  He  was  a  young  man  of  power  and 
promise.  He  attained  regeneration  and  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  at  jGainesville,  Alabama,  in  October,  1838. 
He  was  admitted  into  the  Alabama  Conference  on  trial  in  Jan- 
uary, 1839.  His  career  was  brief,  and  his  end  triumphant.  In 
the  conflict  with  death  the  Rev.  AVilson  Moore  shouted:  "The 
Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us;  the  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge." 

The  Rev.  Abram  B.  Elliott  located  in  December,  1843.  That 
terminated  his  itinerant  ministry.  He  was  admitted  on  trial  in 
the  Georgia  Conference,  at  Macon,  Georgia,  January  7,  1831, 
with  A.  H.  Mitchell,  William  C.  Crawford,  Willis  D.  Matthews, 


594 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


all  of  whom  have  worked  in  Alabama.  Brother  Elliott  died  at 
Leeds,  Alabama.  He  was  a  local  preacher  till  the  end  came. 
He  was  a  man  of  good  ability.  He  was  an  enormous  eater  and 
a  great  sleeper.  He  could  sit  down  in  Church  and  go  to  sleep 
before  the  preacher  could  reach  the  announcement  of  his  text. 
He  was  a  tall  man,  with  black  eyes  and  an  intellectual  face. 

At  the  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  at  AVetumpka, 
Alabama,  February  26,  March  5,  1845,  the  Kev.  James  O.  Wil- 
liams located,  and  the  Eev.  Seymour  B.  Sawyer  and  others 
were  reported  as  having  died  during  the  then  closing  ecclesias- 
tical vear. 

The  Kev.  James  O.  Williams  was  of  obscure  origin.  The 
home  where  resided  the  family  of  which  he  was  a  member  and 
from  whence  he  departed  when  he  entered  upon  the  work  of  an 
itinerant  preacher  was  near  Somerville,  Morgan  County,  Ala- 
bama. It  has  been  said  he  "was  born  near  the  town  of  Somer- 
ville, Morgan  County,"  but  if  that  statement  be  true  he  must 
have  been  born  among  the  Indians,  and  in  a  land  where  still 
prevailed  savage  laws  and  barbarous  customs,  for,  evidently, 
he  was  born  before  the  territory  embraced  in  Morgan  County 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  the  Cherokee  tribe  of  In- 
dians. He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  Conference 
in  November,  1831;  at  the  end  of  two  years  he  was  admitted 
into  full  connection,  ordained  deacon,  and  located.  Upon 
locating  he  entered  La  Grange  College  as  a  student,  and  gradu- 
ated from  that  College  in  1836,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  that 
year  he  was  re-admitted  into  the  Tennessee  Conference.  In 
the  latter  part  of  1839  he  was  transferred  to  the  Alabama  Con- 
ference. For  1840  he  was  junior  preacher  at  Livingston  and 
Demopolis,  and  the  next  year  he  was  in  charge  of  that  appoint- 
ment. For  1842  he  was  at  Gainesville  and  Jamestown,  and  for 
the  next  year  he  was  at  Sumterville,  and  the  next  year  to  that, 
and  which  was  the  last  with  him,  he  was  at  Brush  Creek. 

The  Kev.  K.  H.  Kivers,  D.D.,  who  knew  him  well,  gives  the 
following  description  of  him:  "He  was  five  feet  eight  or  nine 
inches  in  height.  His  neck  was  slightly  awry,  so  that  in  walk- 
ing he  seemed  to  be  looking  in  one  direction  and  going  in  a 
different  one.  His  eyes  were  set  deep  in  his  head,  and  were 
utterly  inexplicable  in  their  expression.  They  were  overarched 
by  a  pair  of  thick,  heavy  eyebrows,  unbroken  by  any  interval  in 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      595 

the  center.  His  hair  was  coarse  and  rough,  and  stood  up  like 
bristles.  His  forehead  was  high  but  narrow,  and  seemed  to 
converge  nearly  to  a  point  at  the  top  of  his  head.  His  com- 
plexion was  sallow  and  his  countenance  bloodless." 

The  friends  of  his  youth  considered  James  O.  AVilliams  a 
youth  of  superior  intellectual  faculties,  and  thought  him  pos- 
sessed of  extraordinary  gifts  of  oratory.  The  beginning  of  his 
ministry  was  thought  prophetic  of  future  eminence  and  useful- 
ness. Alas!  the  expectations  created  at  the  incipiency  of  his 
ministry  were  never  realized. 

In  form  and  feature  he  was  abnormal,  in  soul  he  was  erratic, 
as  a  whole  he  was  anomalous.  In  the  very  mold  and  elements 
of  his  being  he  was  fitted  to  devious  paths,  and  by  the  very 
laws  of  his  constitution  he  was  incapable  of  any  but  a  devious 
course.  Dr.  Kivers  says :  "  His  education  was  never  sym- 
metrical or  thorough.  It  was  like  himself,  irregular  and  inde- 
scribable." He  made  improper  alliances,  subjected  himself  to 
suspicions,  fell  into  serious  troubles,  and  fell  under  grave 
charges,  annoyed  the  Church,  retired  under  a  cloud,  and  is  re- 
membered for  his  eccentricities,  and  the  stigmas  which  were 
sought  to  be  fastened  upon  him.  He  was  tried  in  the  Church 
for  numerous  offenses,  offenses  of  all  grades  from  imprudent 
conduct  to  gross  immoralities.  He  was  tried  in  the  courts  of 
the  Church,  vigorously  prosecuted,  and  ably  defended.  He 
was  acquitted  of  every  charge  brought  in  due  form  against  him 
before  the  tribunals  of  the  Church,  except,  perhaps,  the  charge 
of  "  carrying  concealed  weapons,"  and  in  that  he  justified  him- 
self on  the  plea  of  self-defense. 

A  fatal  mistake  was  made  in  the  case  of  James  O.  AMlliams 
which  he  himself  did  not  make.  The  authorities  who  had  in 
charge  the  interests  of  the  Church  before  whom  his  case  was 
brought  for  a  license  to>preach  made  the  blunder  out  of  which 
came  all  the  blunders  which  followed  in  the  case.  The  authori- 
ties should  have  exercised  the  gift  of  discernment,  and  should 
have  been  guided  by  the  Scriptures  and  by  the  wisdom  of  a 
divine  administration,  and  if  they  had  thus  exercised  thWiiiselves 
and  been  thus  guided  in  the  affair  they  w^ould  have  sent  the 
man  to  the  plow  and  not  to  the  pulpit.  The  Scriptures  clearly 
teach,  see  Leviticus  xxi.  17-27,  that  to  put  forward  a  man  to  ad- 
minister the  offerings  of  the  sanctuary  who  is  disabled  by  de- 


596 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


formities,  or  superfluities,  or  blemishes,  is  to  profane  the  Sanc- 
tuary which  the  Lord  intends  to  be  sanctified  and  kept  holy. 
That  man  Williams  was  put  into  a  position  for  which,  by  the 
very  construction  of  his  being,  he  was  wholly  disqualified^  and 
the  Church,  at  last,  paid  the  penalty  of  the  folly  committed.  It 
did  not  require  anything  more  than  sound  judgment  and  com- 
mon discernment  to  see  that  he  would,  if  put  into  the  ministry, 
drive  to  folly  and  end  in  shame.  Dr.  Eivers  says:  "Possibly,  if 
he  had  never  gone  to  College,  it  would  have  been  better."  It 
would  have  been  infinitely  better  for  him  and  the  Church  had 
he  never  been  put  into  the  ministry.  After  he  located  he 
studied  law,  and  about  six  years  after  his  location  he  died  of 
yellow  fever,  on  a  Steamer,  which  at  the  time  was  lying  at  Tus- 
cahoma  on  the  Tombigbee  River,  and  near  that  place  he  was 
buried. 

The  Eev.  Seymour  B.  Sawyer,  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
was  born  December  8,  1808.  The  family  emigrated  to  Indiana, 
where,  when  he  was  between  twelve  and  thirteen  years  old, 
Seymour  B.  was  renewed  by  divine  grace.  He  joined  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  and  when  he  was  between 
eighteen  and  nineteen  years  of  age  he  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  that  Church,  but,  dissenting  from  some  of  the  doctrines  of 
that  denomination,  he  subsequently  returned  the  license  which 
he  had  received  in  that  communion.  He  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  when  he 
was  between  twenty-one  and  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  due 
course  he  was  inducted  into  all  the  ofiices  of  the  ministry,  and 
maintained  an  honorable  distinction  throughout  his  remaining 
days  on  earth.  He  was  a  gentle,  sweet  spirited  man,  a  diligent 
pastor,  and  an  earnest  preacher.  In  his  person  and  in  his 
family  he  had  affliction.  He  was  qualified  by  experience  to 
sympathize  with  all  who  were,  on  any  account,  in  distress. 
His  wife,  a  good  woman,  became  an  invalid,  which  imposed  on 
him  great  care  and  deep  anxiety.  To  seek  a  change  of  climate 
which  it  was  trusted  might  serve  to  restore  health  he  left  AVe- 
tumpka,  Alabama,  with  his  wife,  and  started  to  his  mother's  home 
in  Indiana,  but  he  never  reached  said  home.  He  reached  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  and  there  the  invalid  died,  and  there  he  buried 
her  mortal  remains.     He  then  retraced  his  way  back  to  Wetump- 


Further  Enlargement  and  Advancement  of  the  Work.      597 


ka,  Alabama,  burying  one  of  his  children  on  the  way.  He  ended 
that  sad  journey  at  AVetumpka,  and  was  immediately  attacked 
with  pneumonia,  and  from  that  he  lingered  for  eleven  months, 
and  then,  on  September  23,  1844,  he  took  his  exit  for  worlds  on 
high.  He  died  at  Wetumpka,  Alabama,  surrounded  by  those 
who  loved  him.  On  his  death-bed  he  wrote  a  number  of 
stanzas  which  possessed  considerable  merit,  and  which  as  a 
song  was  known  as  "Sawyer's  Exit."  He  died  in  confidence  of 
an  immediate  entrance  into  heaven.  He  was  the  Secretary  of 
the  Alabama  Conference  from  its  organization  till  his  death. 


CHAPTEE  XXVII. 

The  Work  of  Methodism  among  the  Colored  People  in 

Alabama. 

rriHE  Rev.  Matthew  P.  Sturdevant,  the  first  Methodist  preach- 
J_  er  ever  appointed  to  preach  in  the  bounds  of  Alabama, 
commenced  his  work  in  the  State  the  month  of  the  very  year, 
January,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eight,  in  which  ex- 
pired the  Constitutional  provision  against  prohibiting  the  im- 
portation of  slaves  into  the  several  original  States  of  the  Union. 
The  very  first  list  of  members  reported  as  belonging  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  bounds  of  what  is  now 
Alabama  contained  the  names  of  fifteen  colored  members. 
From  that  day  there  have  been  Methodists  of  the  African  race 
in  Alabama.  At  times  in  many  places  o£  the  State  the  colored 
members  outnumbered  the  white  members.  Not,  however,  till 
November,  1831,  was  there  made  a  separate  appointment  to  the 
colored  people  in  the  State.  In  the  list  of  the  appointments  of 
the  Tennessee  Conference  made  November,  1831,  and  made 
then  for  the  next  year,  is  found  the  following: 

"Thomas  M.  King,  Missionary  to  the  people  of  color  in 
Madison  and  Limestone  Counties,  North  Alabama. 

Gilbert  D.  Taylor,  Missionary  to  the  people  of  color  in 
Franklin  and  Lawrence  Counties,  North  Alabama." 

These  are  the  first  appointments  of  the  kind  ever  made  in 
Alabama,  and  the  Rev.  Gilbert  D.  Taylor,  one  of  the  two  men 
appointed  to  one  of  these  first  appointments  ever  made  in  the 
State  to  the  people  of  color,  was  the  same  man  who  in  October, 
1819,  was  rejected  by  the  Tennessee  Conference  upon  a  recom- 
mendation for  admission  as  a  preacher  on  trial  because  he 
owned  slaves.  It  is  a  little  remarkable  that  the  preacher  who  at 
one  time  was  not  considered  a  suitable  person  to  be  trusted 
with  the  care  of  souls  and  the  interests  of  the  Church  of  God 
because  he  owned  slaves  should  at  another  time  be  selected  as 
the  man  to  do  the  delicate  work  of  preaching  to  the  slaves  of 
(598) 


The  Work  of  Methodism  among  the  Colored  People,       599 


North  Alabama,  and  for  the  reason  that  he  did  own  slaves. 
That  is  the  history.  At  the  time  the  two  Missionaries  were  ap- 
pointed to  preach  in  North  Alabama  to  the  colored  people 
there  were  in  round  numbers  about  three  thousand  colored 
members  in  the  State  of  Alabama.  In  twenty-four  years  there 
was  a  growth  from  nothing  to  three  thousand.  That  was  com- 
mendable and  encouraging. 

Both  the  Missions  to  the  people  of  color  in  North  Alabama, 
and  no  others  were  then  in  the  State,  were  discontinued  at  the 
end  of  one  year,  and  there  was  not  a  separate  pastoral  charge  of 
that  order  organized  in  the  State  for  four  years.     The  environ- 
ment was  not  favorable  to  the  organization  of  separate  charges 
for  the  Negroes  in  Alabama,  and  progress  in  that  line  and  on 
that  plan  was  slow.     The  plan  of  having  the  whites  and  the  Ne- 
groes in  the  same  pastoral  charge  was  the  plan  to  which  all  were 
accustomed,  and  many  of  the  preachers,  and  many  of  the  mem- 
bers of  both  races  preferred  that  order  of  things,  and  there  was 
much  to  commend  it.    It  was  the  cheaper  plan,  for  the  same 
preacher  and  the  same  house  of  worship  would  serve  both  class- 
es.    Under  that  plan  there  would  be  no  classes  of  preachers. 
None  would  be  under  the  disparagement  of  being  the  preacher 
of  the  slaves.     The  Negroes  generally  preferred  the  preacher 
who  served  the  white  folks  to  the  preacher  who  was  appointed 
specially  to  their  race.     Great  difficulties  were  experienced  m 
inaugurating  and  maintaining  a  separate  pastorate  for  the  Ne- 
groes.    At  the  first,  suitable  places  of  worship  were  not  provid- 
ed and  it  was  difficult  to  secure  funds  to  pay  the  salaries  of  the 
preachers  who  served  the  Negroes.     It  is  correct  to  say  that  at 
the  time  it  was  attempted  to  inaugurate  that  work  the  great 
body  of  the  slave  owners  in  Alabama  were  unwilling  to  provide 
places  of  worship  and  money  for  salaries.     Large  numbers  were 
opposed  to  preaching  to  the  Negroes  in  separate  congregations. 
Many  of  the  slave  owners  held  and  avowed  the  belief  that 
preaching  to  the  slaves  would  foster  insubordination,  encourage 
abolition'^sentiments,  complicate  civil  affairs,  and  hasten  eman- 

cipation.  -^t  .     -,  c^l  i  l 

The  manumission  of  the  slaves  in  the  United  States  was,  at 
that  time,  pressed  upon  the  public  attention  with  great  zeal  and 
unremitting  diligence  by  the  abolitionists  of  the  country.  The 
position  taken  bv  the  Methodists  upon  the  subject  of  slavery 


600 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


and  emancipation  and  held  from  the  time  of  the  introduction  of 
Methodism  in  the  United  States  to  the  time  now  under  review 
was  not  acceptable  to  slave-holders.  The  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference in  session  at  Sparta,  Georgia,  on  the  morning  of  Decem- 
ber 29,  180G,  interrogated  the  preachers  presented  that  day  to 
be  admitted  into  full  connection  in  the  Conference  with  respect 
to  traveling  and  slavery,  and  said  preachers  professed  their  in- 
tention to  travel  as  long  as  they  were  able,  and  that  they  "  ab- 
horred slavery."  At  Liberty  Chapel,  Georgia,  December  2G, 
1808,  the  preachers  present  that  day  to  be  admitted  into  full 
connection  in  the  South  Carolina  Conference  "  were  examined 
on  the  subject  of  slavery,  and  the  Conference  were  satisfied  with 
their  sentiments."  Some  of  these  preachers  who  "abhorred 
slavery "  and  whose  "  sentiments "  on  the  subject,  therefore, 
"  satisfied "  "  the  Conference "  became  very  prominent  as 
preachers  in  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Alabama.  Such 
transactions  on  the  part  of  Annual  Conferences,  and  such  dec- 
larations on  the  part  of  itinerant  preachers  were  not  calculated 
to  give  the  slave-holders  in  Alabama  much  expectation  of,  to 
them,  a  desirable  result  from  the  association,  as  guides  and 
teachers,  of  these  preachers  with  their  slaves,  and  consequently 
access  to  the  slaves  was  granted  to  the  preachers  with  some 
hesitancy  and  misgiving.  Slave-holders  in  Alabama  were  ap- 
prehensive of  insubordination  and  insurrection,  and  laws  were 
enacted  to  suppress  or  rather  prevent  these.  The  statutes  of 
the  State  prohibited  a  Negro  going  off  the  premises  of  the  own- 
er without  a  pass  from  the  owner  or  overseer  giving  permission 
to  go  and  return.  Laws  organizing  patrol  companies  were  en- 
acted by  the  State,  and  were  enforced  with  considerable  vigi- 
lance and  severity.  A  Negro  was  not  allowed  under  the  law  to 
own  a  gun,  or  even  carry  one  without  written  permission  from 
the  owner  or  one  in  authority  over  the  Negro.  A  Negro  could 
not  preach  to  or  exhort  a  congregation  of  his  own  color  without 
the  presence  of  a  number  of  white  persons.  The  preacher  ap- 
pointed to  serve  the  Negroes  in  the  ministerial  calling  had  a 
most  delicate  position,  and  he  had  to  be  circumspect  in  all 
things.  There  was  not  that  alienation  between  the  slave-hold- 
ers and  the  slaves  indicated  by  the  prevalence  of  the  fear  of  in- 
subordination and  insurrection,  and  indicated  by  the  enactment 
of  rigorous  laws  against  the  Negroes  gadding  frora  place  to 


The  Work  of  3Iethodii;m  among  the  Colored  People.        601 


place  without  authority,  and  against  mischievous  assemblies 
among  themselves,  and  against  their  possessing  themselves  of 
the  instruments  of  war  and  butchery.  There  was  in  a  sense  a 
community  of  interests  between  the  races,  and  there  was  a 
measure  of  kind  feeling  for  each  other.  While  there  were  ex- 
cessive penalties  attached  to  offenses,  police  regulations  were 
necessary  for  the  safety  of  the  people  and  the  peace  of  the 
country;  and  while  excessive  penalties  cannot  be  vindicated,  it 
is  a  truth  that  there  was  as  little  crime  under  the  administra- 
tion of  the  code  of  Alabama  in  the  days  of  slavery  as  could  be 
found  anywhere  else  among  the  same  number  of  inhabitants. 
The  patrol  laws  made  for  the  government  of  the  slaves  in  Ala- 
bama were  as  effective  as  any  laws  ever  enacted  and  enforced. 

The  slaves  in  Alabama  felt  a  profound  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  their  owners,  and  they  had  a  laudable  pride  in  the  prosperity 
thereof.  While  the  Negroes  on  a  plantation  would  combine  to- 
gether to  appropriate  to  their  own  use  the  chicken,  pig,  and  calf 
belonging  to  the  premises,  they  would  go  any  length  to  protect 
the  property  and  guard  the  interests  of  their  masters  against 
the  depredations  attempted  by  any  one  else.  The  slaves  in  Al- 
abama had  their  prejudices  and  their  preferences,  and  they  pos- 
sessed the  instinct  of  economy  and  thrift,  the  faculty  of  discrim- 
ination and  invention,  and  they  were  adepts  at  concealment  and 
detection.  An  occurrence,  bona  fide,  bearing  illustration  upon 
these  points  may  be  related. 

Near  the  town  of  Crawford,  then  the  seat  of  justice  of  Russell 
County,  Alabama,  and  one  of  the  appointments  of  the  Crawford 
Circuit  of  the  Alabama  Conference,  there  lived  a  Mrs.  H.,  a 
widow  lady,  and  a  Methodist.  She  had  an  elegant  home  and 
an  accomplished  family.  She  possessed  a  good  property,  consist- 
ing mostly  of  valuable  lands  and  numerous  slaves.  Her  hospi- 
tality was  most  bounteous,  and,  apparently,  freely  bestowed. 
At  her  elegant  home  she  kept  servants,  some  to  cook  and  wait 
in  the  house,  and  others  to  do  the  work  about  the  yard,  lot,  and 
garden.  Those  kept  to  do  the  outdoor  work  were  a  blind  Ne- 
gro man  and  a  small  Negro  boy.  The  boy,  who  was  about  ten 
or  twelve  years  of  age,  acted  as  guide  to  the  blind  man.  Mrs. 
H.,  being  a  zealous  Methodist,  offered  the  young  preacher  who 
was  on  the  Circuit  for  the  year  a  home  at  her  house  without  com- 
pensation.    The  young  preacher  accepted  the  offer,  and,  when  in 


602 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


that  part  of  the  large  Circuit,  he  made  that  his  home,  frequent- 
ly staying  there  from  two  to  four  days  at  a  time.  The  horse 
which  the  preacher  rode  was  a  well-made  and  w^ell-kept  one, 
and  in  color  a  deep,  rich  sorrel.  The  horse-lot  on  the  premises 
of  Mrs.  H.  was  large,  and  about  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  from 
the  residence.  In  the  middle  of  the  lot  was  a  long  open  shed 
with  a  large  trough  in  the  center  of  it,  running  through  from 
end  to  end,  where  usually  a  number  of  horses  were  fed  and  ate 
together.  The  young  preacher  always  everywhere  looked  after 
the  comfort  and  well-being  of  his  horse.  One  morning,  while 
spending  two  or  three  days  at  that  elegant  and  hospitable  place, 
just  as  the  sun  was  showing  his  unclouded  face  a  little  above 
the  horizon,  the  preacher  entered  the  lot,  and  took  a  view  of 
the  situation.  The  blind  Negro  man  was  standing  near  one 
end  of  the  long  trough  under  the  shed.  The  small  Negro  boy, 
who  acted  as  guide  to  the  blind  man,  was  standing  near  the 
trough,  and  about  equal  distance  from  each  end  of  it.  Two  or 
three  horses  were  standing  up  to  the  trough,  eating.  The 
preacher's  horse  was  standing  under  the  edge  of  the  open  shed, 
a  little  way  from  the  long  trough,  stretching  out  his  neck,  and 
poking  out  his  head,  all  indicating  that  he  longed  to  be  at  the 
trough,  eating,  but  dare  not  approach  any  nearer  the  provender. 
"Without  saying  a  word,  the  preacher  walked  quietly  up  to  his 
horse,  took  him  by  the  fore-top,  and  led  him  up  to  a  vacant 
place  at  the  trough,  and  put  him  in  a  position  to  eat.  The  blind 
Negro  did  not  know  that  the  preacher  was  anywhere  about  the 
lot.  So  soon  as  he  beard  the  preacher's  horse  bite  the  ears  of 
corn  he  said,  in  a  low,  and  significant  tone,  to  the  little  Negro, 
who  was  his  guide  and  helper:  "Drive  that  red  horse  atvaij." 
The  Negro  boy,  in  a  quiet  way,  but  in  a  tone  suited  to  the  im- 

partation  of  information  said:  "Mr, (calling  the  preacher's 

name)  put  him  there.''  That  was  a  revelation  to  the  blind  man. 
Immediately,  as  quick  as  thought,  the  blind  Negro  threw  up 
his  arms  and  sawed  his  hands  through  the  air,  and  in  a  most 
expressive  tone,  said:  "Hie!  hie!  hie!  Drive  these  cows  aicaij 
from  here.  There  are  so  many  cows  here  a  body  can't  feed  a 
horse!"  There  was  not  a  cow  in  fifty  yards  of  the  shed,  nor 
any  appearance  of  one  intending  to  go  in  that  direction. 
The  preacher  said  not  a  word,  but  after  standing  a  short  time, 
and  after  watching  his  horse  eat  a  little,  he  returned  to  the 


The  Work  of  Methodism  among  the  Colored  People.       603 

house,  and  tried  to  conjecture  why  that  Negro  did  not  wish  the 
"red  horse;'  as  he  called  him,  to  eat;  and  he  also  meditated 
upon  the  Negro's  quickness,  ingenuity,  invention  and  general 
exploit  in  trying  to  hide,  when  he  found  he  was  discovered,  his 
intention  and  effort  to  keep  the  "red  horse"  from  eating. 
That  performance  of  that  blind  Negro  showed  a  streak  of  hu- 
man nature,  and  of  human  ingenuity  hardly  excelled  in  the  his- 
tory of  mankind.  What  stratagem  could  surpass  that?  That 
Negro  w^as  taking  care  of  the  provender  of  his  owner. 

At  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Unit- 
ed States  of  America  anti-slavery  sentiments  were  strong 
throughout  the  domain  thereof,  notwithstanding  there  was  se- 
cured, through  manipulations,  Constitutional  provision  for  the 
perpetuation  of  slavery.  The  sentiment  and  the  slavery  con- 
tinued, and  "  an  irrepressible  conflict."  It  is  equally  true  that 
between  slave-holders  and  slaves  there  were  mutual  attach- 
ments, and  that  state  of  things,  the  prevalence  of  "  an  irrepres- 
sible  conflict  "  and  of  mutual  attachment  between  slave-holdera 
and  slaves,  continued  until  emancipation  went  into  effect.  There 
is  not  the  slightest  disposition  to  discuss  at  this  point  the  merits, 
of  slavery  or  the  merits  of  emancipation;  the  purpose  is  simply 
to  note  the  state  of  things  under  which  the  work  of  Methodism 
was  prosecuted  among  the  people  of  color  in  Alabama. 

The  work  having  been  begun,  though,  under  the  sentiments- 
and  environments  of  the  hour,  it  was  suspended  lOr  four  years, 
was  not  to  be  abandoned,  and  the  Alabama  Conference  had  in 
its  list  of  appointments  for  1837  the  "  Mission  to  colored  peo~ 
pie  in  Mobile,  to  be  supplied."  It  turned  out  at  last,  however,, 
that  the  "  Mission  to  colored  people  in  Mobile  "  was  supplied 
and  served  by  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  white  congregation: 
in  the  city,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  it  was,  as  a  separate 
work,  abandoned.  For  1838  there  was  only  one  separate  ap- 
pointment to  the  Negroes  in  the  State,  and  that  was  indefinite 
and  nominal.  It  read:  *'  Mission  to  colored  people,  L.  Massen- 
gale."  For  1839  there  were  three  charges  to  the  people  of  color: 
the  Madison,  and  Courtland  Valley,  and  Bigbee  Mission.     For 

1840  there  were  five  Missions  to  people  of  color:  the  Hunts- 
ville,  Courtland  Valley,  Wilcox,  Tombigbee,  and  Greene.     For 

1841  there  were  two  of  these  Missions:  Huntsville  and  Court- 
land  Valley.     For  1842  there  were  eight  Missions  to  the  colored 

39 


604 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


people:  Hunts ville,  Courtland  Valley,  Cypress,  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, Chattahoochee,  Woodly  Bridge,  Autauga,  and  Canebrake. 
For  1843  Madison,  Franklin,  Lawrence,  Mobile,  Woodly  Bridge, 
and  Chattahoochee  were  provided  for.  These  six,  and  two  new 
ones,  Glennville  and  Tallawassee,  existed  the  next  year. 
Through  the  years  from  1832  to  1844,  there  was,  in  that  field, 
fluctuation  no  little.  It  was  enough  to  discourage  any  ordinary 
faith  and  to  dampen  any  ordinary  zeal.  For  1845  there  were 
fourteen  charges  to  the  people  of  color  in  the  State,  five  of 
them  in  the  Tennessee  Valley,  and  the  others  in  South  Ala- 
bama. 

The  men  herein  named  served  one  or  more  of  these  Missions 
the  number  of  years  herein  stated:  The  Kev.  W.  Jared,  one 
year;  the  Bev.  Beuben  Ellis,  two  years;  the  Bev.  H.  William- 
son, one  year;  the  Bev.  Alexander  McDonald,  one  year;  the 
Bev.  Anthony  S.  Dickinson,  one  year;  the  Bev.  Alexander  Mc- 
Bride,  two  years;  the  Bev.  John  Boswell,  three  years;  the  Bev. 
Harris  Stearnes,  two  years;  the  Bev.  Leonard  Bush,  two  years; 
the  Bev.  Elisha  Carr,  three  years;  the  Bev.  L.  Bichardson,  one 
year;  the  Bev.  Henry  P.  Turner,  two  years;  the  Bev.  William 
H.  Johnson,  one  year;  the  Bev.  William  K.  Norton,  two  years; 
the  Bev.  A.  J.  B.  Foster,  one  year;  the  Bev.  Turner  P.  Holman, 
one  year;  the  Bev.  James  Gaines,  one  year;  the  Bev.  J.  B.  F. 
Hill,  one  year;  and  the  Bev.  Peleg  B.  McCrary,  one  year. 

At  its  organization  the  Chattahoochee  Mission  embraced 
Bussell  County  and  that  part  of  Barbour  County  along  the 
Oowikee  Creeks.  In  the  early  spring  of  1842,  which  was  about 
the  time  the  work  was  beginning  to  formulate,  the  Missionary 
discerned,  to  his  delight,  that  the  masters  of  the  slaves  and  the 
managers  of  the  Mission  were  apparently  pleased  with  the  ex- 
periment of  administering  Christian  instruction  to  the  people, 
and  that  the  blacks  received  the  word  of  life  most  thankfully, 
and  that  many  of  them  professedly  gave  up  their  bad  habits. 
However,  at  the  same  time  it  was  true  that  some  of  the  owners 
of  the  slaves  were  avowedly  opposed  to  the  Mission,  and  they 
maintained  that  if  they  granted  to  their  servants  the  privilege 
of  Christian  instruction  after  the  fashion  pursued  by  the  Mis- 
sionaries more  might  be  required  of  them  in  the  future.  They 
held  that  there  was  no  good  in  increasing  privileges,  as  it  in- 
creased responsibility. 


The  Work  of  Methodism  among  the  Colored  People.        605 

In  the  latter  part  of  April  of  that  year,  1842,  the  Bev.  John 
W.  Starr,  the  presiding  elder,  made  a  journey  through  the  Mis- 
sion, and,  within  five  days,  he  preached  at  the  plantations  of 
Sister  Barnes,  Mr.  Mitchell.  Brother  Chambers,  Mr.  Whitaker, 
Brother  John  Crowell,  and  Brother  Flewellen.  These  places  here 
mentioned  were  in  the  section  of  Oswitchee  Bend  in  Bussell 
County.  The  overseer  and  his  wife  at  Mitchell's  place  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  at  that  place 
on  the  occasion  here  mentioned  the  presiding  elder  baptized 
seventeen  children,  and  eleven  adults;  ten  of  the  adults  were 
baptized  by  pouring  and  one  by  immersion.  The  place  of 
Brother  Chambers  was  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Mr.  Mitchell's 
place,  and  there  the  presiding  elder  found  a  good  Society,  and 
there  he  baptized  thirty-two  children.  At  Whitaker's,  three 
miles  from  Chambers,  there  was  at  that  time  no  Society,  but  a 
good  prospect  for  one.  At  Brother  Flewellen's  on  that  occa- 
sion they  had  a  grand  meeting,  and  a  royal  time.  "  It  would 
have  done  your  heart  good  to  have  been  there  and  have  heard 
the  shouts  of  those  poor  Negroes."  In  1843  there  were  on  that 
Mission  twenty-eight  appointments,  and  between  four  hundred 
and  fifty  and  five  hundred  members.  The  preaching  places 
were  nearly  all  on  the  plantations. 

The  Woodly  Bridge  Mission,  which  was  mostly  in  Montgom- 
ery and  Pike  Counties,  was  enlarged  in  1843,  and  the  Mission- 
ary preached  or  lectured  from  three  to  four  times  on  Sundays, 
and  in  the  week  about  once  a  day.  It  was  claimed  that  many 
made  rapid  improvement.  There  was  great  need  of  training,  and 
much  room  for  improvement  in  knowledge  as  well  as  in  conduct. 
The  Catechisms  of  the  Church  were  introduced  and  used  on  that 
Mission  that  year,  and  the  old  and  the  young  were  catechised 
together.  On  one  occasion,  after  reading  the  Decalogue  to  a 
large  class,  the  Missionary  asked:  "  What  is  the  meaning  of  thou 
shalt  not  commit  adultery?  "  The  answer  given  was:  "  To  serve 
our  heavenly  Father,  and  our  earthly  master,  obey  our  overseer, 
and  not  steal  anything."  On  another  occasion  the  question  was 
propounded:  "  What  did  God  make  you  for?  "  It  was  promptly 
answered:  "To  make  a  crop."  Those  Negroes  were  not  utterly 
blank,  but  there  was  certainly  need  of  perseverance  in  dissem- 
inating light  and  in  attaining  knowledge. 

For  1844  Tallawassee  Mission  had  twenty-one  appointments. 


606 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


six  other  plantations  having  been  tendered  to  the  Missionary 
for  his  supervision  which,  for  the  lack  of  time  and  strength,  he 
had  to  decline,  and  the  Mission  could  have  been  sufficiently  en- 
larged to  employ  three  Missionaries,  each  with  a  thousand  col- 
ored persons  under  his  ministry;  and  there  were  already  in  its 
bounds  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  members. 

For  that  same  year,  the  Glennville  Mission,  which  lay  on  the 
Chattahoochee  Kiver  and  the  Cowikee  Creeks,  had  thirteen  ap- 
pointments, with  four  hundred  and  forty  members,  and  seven 
hundred  Negroes  regularly  preached  to,  and  during  the  year 
one  hundred  and  three  children  and  fifty  adults  were  baptized. 

At  the  close  of  1845  there  were  on  the  soil  of  Alabama  twelve 
thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty-five  Negroes  who  belonged  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  nine  thousand  six  hundred 
and  fifteen  of  these  were  connected  with  the  pastoral  charges 
of  the  white  people,  and  three  thousand  and  seventy  were  con- 
nected with  the  Missions  to  the  people  of  color.  There  were 
not  quite  half  as  many  colored  as  white  members  in  the  State. 

The  ideal  standard  of  religious  affairs  was  seldom  reached 
among  the  slaves  in  Alabama.  Bondage,  even  under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances,  is  not  a  desirable  state,  and  every  one 
"  being  a  servant "  would  rather  "  be  made  free."  The  Negroes 
in  Alabama  in  the  days  of  slavery  "sighed  by  reason  of  the 
bondage  "  under  which  they  were  held,  and  this  statement  is 
made  without  any  intention  of  affirming  or  denying  that  they 
were  subject  to  evil  treatment  and  personal  cruelty.  Being  cir- 
cumscribed in  their  education  and  deprived  of  property  rights, 
they  were  limited  in  their  apprehensions  and  in  their  benevo- 
lent contributions,  and  circumscribed  in  their  activities.  In 
the  matter  of  religion  they  had  to  be  in  some  measure  co- 
erced. Compulsion  had  to  be  resorted  to  in  some  instances. 
Slaves  that  they  were,  they  had  to  be  treated  as  dependents, 
and  in  some  instances  they  had  to  be  made  to  change  their 
apparel  and  attend  divine  service.  Coercive  measures  may 
seem  out  of  place  in  religious  matters  and  in  questions  of  con- 
science, nevertheless  the  owners  of  the  slaves  claimed  the  right' 
to  require  that  clean  clothes  should  be  donned  on  Sunday  and 
that  divine  service  should  be  attended  on  the  occasion  of  the 
preaching  by  the  man  employed  to  minister  to  the  Negroes  in 
divine  things.     While  none  could  be  forced  to  accept  religion 


The  Work  of  Methodism  among  the  Colored  People.        607 

or  become  a  communicant  in  the  Church,  it  was,  nevertheless, 
perfectly  legitimate  to  adopt  and  enforce  a  rule  that  all  slaves 
on  the  premises  should  attend  the  preaching  furnished  them 
free  of  cost  to  the  dependents.  But  a  majority  of  the  Negroes 
were  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  attend  the  services  provided  for 
them,  even  many  who  would  not  affiliate  with  the  Church  and 
would  not  partake  of  the  Sacraments  would  attend  upon  the 
preaching  of  the  divine  word.  The  channels  of  association  to 
which  the  slaves  were  limited  induced  an  appreciation  of  ap- 
pointments for  divine  service.  Saturday-night  frolics,  annual 
huskings,  occasional  holidays,  and  occasional  barbecues  consti- 
tuted the  principal  entertainments  and  pastimes  allotted  the 
Negroes,  and  the  occasion  for  preaching  and  worship  gave  them 
an  opportunity  for  association  and  entertainment  in  which  they 
delighted,  even  though  they  cared  but  little  for  the  theme  of 
salvation. 

The  Negroes  were  impulsive  and  demonstrative,  and  were 
easily  moved.  A  certain  sort  of  ecclesiastical  oratory  put  them 
in  a  glow  and  set  them  in  motion.  Swinging  and  intoning  were 
popular  parts  of  their  worship.  There  was  a  peculiar  swing- 
ing of  the  body  and  there  was  a  peculiar  voicing  of  sounds 
the  inhibition  of  which  cooled  their  ardor  and  marred  their 
happiness.  The  preacher  who  would  be  acceptable  to  the 
Negroes  in  the  days  of  slavery  had  to  understand  their  desire 
to  toss  and  intone  during  divine  service,  and  grant  them  liberty 
and  indulgence  therein.  There  was  among  them  in  their  wor- 
ship a  mixture  of  sighs,  moans,  and  groans  which  made  a  pecul- 
iar sound,  and  which  was  peculiar  to  them  and  which  it  is  im- 
possible to  embody  in  words.  While  they  were  not  cultured  in 
music,  they  were  gifted  in  singing.  Some  of  them  were  able  in 
prayer  and  in  exhortation.  They  were  fervent  in  spirit,  serv- 
ing the  Lord. 

The  work  went  on  with  purpose,  the  men  who  served  the 
Missions  to  the  people  of  color  were  mostly  faithful,  self-sacri- 
ficing men  and  able  ministers  of  the  New  Testament,  and  re- 
suits  followed.  There  were  as  pure  specimens  of  Christian 
character  among  the  slaves  in  Alabama  as  were  ever  found 
anywhere.  It  is  true  that  among  the  thousands  who  joined  the 
Church  there  were  impostors  and  apostates,  but  such  have  been 
found  in  all  the  centuries  among  all  classes  and  nationalities. 


608 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


There  were  hundreds  who  were  examples  of  integrity,  patience, 
humility,  meekness,  devotion,  and  piety;  men  and  women  who 
lived  in  the  hope  and  died  in  the  faith  of  the  gospel  of  the  Son 
of  God,  and  went  home  to  heaven.  The  slaves  gathered  from 
the  Mission  fields  of  Alabama  will  make  a  considerable  part  of 
that  triumphant  host  who,  at  the  last  day,  shall  enter  in  through 
the  gates  of  the  city  of  the  great  King,  and  who  shall  ascribe 
endless  praises  unto  him  who  loved  them,  and  washed  them 
from  their  sins  in  his  own  blood. 


CHAPTBE  XXVIII. 

Centenary  Institute. 

ONE  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-nine  was  the  cen- 
tenary year  of  Methodism,  and  was  celebrated  as  such  by 
the  Methodists  of  Europe  and  America.  It  was  celebrated 
with  thanksgiving  to  God  for  achievements  made  and  prosperi- 
ty attained,  and  with  contributions  for  the  work  still  to  be  en- 
terprised  under  the  auspices  of  Methodism.  Devotional  serv- 
ices were  held  in  numerous  places,  and  large  sums  of  money 
were  contributed  for  the  various  objects  of  Christian  benevo- 
lence. That  centenary  celebration  deepened  the  piety  and  en- 
larged the  liberality  of  the  people  called  Methodists,  and  gave 
to  their  cause  a  new  impetus. 

A  meeting  was  appointed  and  provided  for  by  official  action 
of  the  Alabama  Conference  upon  the  subject  of  the  celebration 
of  the  centenary  of  Methodism.  The  meeting,  clothed  with 
conventionary  powers,  was  held,  and  by  said  meeting  the  enter- 
prise of  establishing  in  the  State  of  Alabama  an  Institution  of 
learning  of  high  grade  for  both  sexes  was  inaugurated;  and 
the  centenary  year,  as  auspicious,  was  made  the  time  for  gath- 
ering the  funds  necessary  to  build  and  equip  the  School  de- 
signed. With  gratitude  to  God  for  his  beneficent  providence, 
abundant  grace,  and  expanded  kingdom,  and  with  deep  concern 
for  posterity  the  Methodists  of  Alabama  entered  upon  the  cele- 
bration of  the  one  hundredth  year  of  Methodism.  They  entered 
upon  the  celebration  with  plan  and  purpose,  with  heart  and 
hope.  The  plan  in  providing  a  School  for  higher  education 
was  to  collect  the  money  from  the  Methodists  at  large,  and  the 
preachers  on  the  different  charges  in  the  Conference  were  the 
appointed  canvassers  and  collectors,  and  subscriptions  were  to 
be  sought  in  every  city,  town,  and  hamlet;  in  every  Station, 
and  Circuit;  in  every  place  where  a  Methodist  could  be  found. 

The  twenty-fifth  day  of  October  of  that  centenary  year  was 
the  appointed  time  for  assembling  the  hosts  of  Methodism  at 

(609) 


$ 


I 


N 


610 


Historij  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Centenary  Institute. 


611 


the  chosen  places  of  worship  for  the  special  services  of  the 
grand  celebration.  On  that  specific  day  sermons  and  addresses 
suited  to  the  occasion  were  delivered,  and  thank-offerings  were 
made.  That  day  was  observed  throughout  Europe  and  America. 
The  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Franklin  Circuit  at  Eus- 
sellville,  September  7, 1839,  Kesolved  to  celebrate  the  centenary 
of  Methodism  on  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  October  following  in 
concert  with  the  friends  of  Methodism  in  Europe  and  America; 
and  further  Resolved  that  the  said  celebration  be  held  at  the 
three  places,  Eussellville,  La  Grange,  and  Ebenezer.  Provision 
was  made  for  arranging  for  the  services,  and  for  taking  sub- 
scriptions for  centenary  purposes,  and  for  appropriating  the 
funds  in  accordance  with  the  recommendation  of  the  next  Ten- 
nessee Annual  Conference. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  the  Circuit  July  6,  1839, 
selected  Ebenezer  Church  as  the  place  on  Greene  Circuit  for 
the  general  celebration  of  the  centenary  of  Methodism,  and 
appointed  the  Rev.  John  R.  Lambuth  and  the  Rev.  F.  D.  Poyas 
to  preach  on  the  occasion. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Greenesborough  Station, 
September  7,  1839,  appointed  the  Rev.  James  M.  Boatwright 
and  the  Rev.  John  Du  Bois  to  deliver  addresses  on  the  cente- 
nary of  Methodism. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  of  Wills  Valley  Circuit  was  held 
at  Eden  Meeting  House,  on  September  21,  1839,  and,  "The 
Presiding  Elder  read  the  recommendation  of  the  Convention 
for  the  centenary  celebration  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  October 
ensuing;  when  it  was  moved  and  carried  that  the  general  cele- 
bration of  centenary  for  Wills  Valley  Circuit  he  held  at  Shiloh 
Camp-ground,  commencing  on  the  24th  of  October.  Brothers 
Pearson,  Williams,  and  Clayton  were  appointed  to  deliver  the 
centenary  sermons  on  that  occasion ;  and  a  Committee  consist- 
ing of  Brothers  Clayton,  Rogers,  and  HoUoman  appointed  to 
to  take  up  collections  for  said  centenary  purposes;  when  it  was 
resolved  that  sums  of  S30  be  raised  in  subscription  to  be  paid 
in  annual  installments  in  equal  sums  of  $10." 

The  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Jacksonville  Circuit  Sep- 
tember 28,  1839,  adopted  the  following  resolution:  "Resolved, 
by  this  Conference  that  there  be  held  two  centenary  meetings 
on  this  Circuit,  on  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  October  next,  the  one 


at  Owens  Spring  Camp-ground  and  the  other  at  Jacksonville; 
Brothers  Ellis  and  Taylor  are  appointed  to  deliver  addresses  on 
that  day  at  Jacksonville,  and  Brothers  Patton  and  Scales  to 
deliver  addresses  on  the  same  day  at  Owens  Spring  Camp- 
ground." 

These  are  specimens  of  the  action  had  at  different  places  and 
in  different  Quarterly  Conferences  on  the  subject  of  the  cele- 
bration of  the  centenary  of  Methodism,  and  indicate  the  inter- 
est felt  and  the  plans  operated  on  that  great  occasion. 

The  greatest  tangible  result  of  the  centenary  celebration  in 
Alabama  was  the  establishment  of  the  Centenary  Institute.  In 
the  title  of  the  School  the  word  Centenary  was  used  because 
the  School  was  projected  and  much  of  the  money  used  in  its 
establishment  was  collected  in  the  centenary  year.  In  the  title 
the  word  Institute  was  intended  to  indicate  the  grade  of  the 
School  and  the  extent  of  the  curriculum. 

Tlie  neighborhood  of  Valley  Creek  in  Dallas  County  was 
selected  as  the  location  for  the  School.  According  to  the  senti- 
ments of  that  day  that  was  an  admirable  community  for  a 
School.  It  was  sparsely  populated,  and  was  remote  from  thor- 
oughfares and  commercial  enterprises.  It  is  said,  however, 
that  the  location  was  settled  by  a  money  consideration.  The 
Commission  charged  with  the  duty  of  locating  the  School  pro- 
posed to  locate  it  at  the  place  which  contributed  the  largest 
sum  of  money  to  the  enterprise.  Whoever  made  such  a  propo- 
sition committed  folly  in  Israel.  In  response  to  the  proposi- 
tion the  Valley  Creek  community,  so  it  is  said,  contributed  nine 
thousand  dollars,  the  largest  sum  given  by  any  place,  and  that 
settled  the  question. 

The  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of  Ala- 
bama in  General  Assembly  convened,  by  an  act  passed,  and  on 
January  2,  1841,  approved,  declared  "That  Eugene  V.  Le 
Vert,  Ebenezer  Hearn,  William  Murrah,  Asbury  H.  Shanks, 
Seymour  B.  Sawyer,  Alfred  Battle,  Daniel  H.  Norwood,  Daniel 
Pratt,  Aaron  Ready,  Elisha  F.  King,  Franklin  C.  Shaw,  Benja- 
min I.  Harrison,  Noel  Pitts,  Shadrach  Mims,  and  their  asso- 
ciates and  successors  in  office  are  hereby  constituted  a  body 
corporate  and  politic,  in  deed  and  in  law,  by  the  name  and  style 
of  the  Trustees  of  the  Centenary  Institute  of  the  Alabama  An- 
nual Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church." 


612 


Histonj  oj  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


By  an  act  passed  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representa- 
tives of  the  State  of  Alabama,  and  approved  January  15,  1829, 
Yalley  Creek  Academy,  in  Dallas  County,  was  incorporated, 
and,  in  due  course,  that  School,  as  a  private  enterprise,  for  the 
use  and  benefit  of  that  community,  went  into  operation,  and 
was  doing  its  work,  in  some  measure,  when  Centenary  Institute 
was  projected  and  ready  for  patronage.  It  took  some  while  aft- 
er Centenary  Institute  was  enterprised  to  get  it  equipped  for 
work.  With  the  nine  thousand  dollars  donated  by  the  Valley 
Creek  community  one  of  the  buildings  of  Centenary  Institute 
was  erected,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  1843  the  buildings  of  the 
Institute  consisted  of  a  fine  residence  for  the  occupancy  of  the 
President;  and  a  two-storied  wooden  building,  containing  five 
good  recitation  and  study  rooms,  (each  with  a  fire-place) 
for  the  male  department;  and  an  excellent  brick  edifice,  two 
stories  high,  and  containing  on  the  first  floor  one  large  study 
room  and  two  smaller  rooms  for  the  use  and  accommodation  of 
the  pupils;  and  on  the  second  floor  six  commodious  rooms,  two 
for  the  department  of  music,  two  designed  for  the  Library  and 
apparatus,  and  two  as  Lecture  and  Recitation  rooms,  for  the 
female  department.  The  buildings  for  the  male  and  female  de- 
partments were  at  a  distance  from  each  other,  with  a  deep  and 
beautiful  valley  intervening.  The  Valley  Creek  Academy  had 
to  adjust  itself  to  the  new  order  of  things,  and  by  proper  nego- 
tiations its  lands  and  buildings  were  conveyed  to  the  Trustees 
of  the  Centenary  Institute.  The  last  of  the  property  of  the 
Valley  Creek  Acadamy  was  conveyed  to  the  Trustees  of  Cen- 
tenary Institute  June  25,  1846,  and  consisted  of  a  part  of  the 
west  half  of  the  south-east  quarter  of  Section  twenty-three, 
To\vnship  eighteen.  Range  ten.  The  Valley  Creek  Academy 
was  thus,  by  due  process,  absorbed  by  or  incorporated  into  the 
Centenary  Institute,  and  utilized  as  best  it  could  be. 

In  the  spring  of  1842  some  sort  of  opening  was  made  of  Cen- 
tenary Institute,  but  the  session  was  attended  with  more  or  less 
friction,  and  but  little  was  accomplished.  In  the  summer  of 
1843  the  Trustees  elected  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Mitchell,  who  had 
been  connected  with  Emory  College,  Georgia,  President  of  Cen- 
tenary Institute,  and  on  the  sixteenth  of  October  of  that  year  he 
opened  the  session  of  the  Institute  with  encouraging  prospects. 
There  were  between  sixty  and  seventy  pupils,  including  both 


Centenary  Institute, 


613 


sexes,  present  at  the  beginning  of  the  term.  Both  the  male  and 
female  departments,  at  that  time,  were  under  the  supervision  of 
the  Rev.  A.  H.  Mitchell.  The  session  contained  ten  months, 
and  consequently  there  was  but  one  session  per  annum.  The 
terms  of  tuition  were  twenty-five,  thirty,  and  forty  dollars  per 
session,  according  to  studies,  and  it  was  advertised  that  board 
could  be  had  in  any  family  in  the  neighborhood  for  ten  dollars 
per  month,  including  fuel,  lights,  and  washing.  The  President 
of  the  Institute  was  assisted  during  that  session  in  the  male  de- 
partment by  Mr.  Holcombe,  and  in  the  female  department  by 
Miss  Dutton  and  Miss  Casswell,  and  the  music  was  taught  by 
Mrs.  Walker.     That  session  closed  Thursday,  July  25,  1844. 

The  next  session  opened  Monday,  October  7, 1844,  and  during 
that  term,  and  in  the  month  of  April,  1845,  there  was  a  sweep- 
ing religious  influence  at  Valley  Creek,  and  the  Church  there, 
the  School  sharing  largely  in  the  religious  influence,  received 
about  fifty  members.  About  one  hundred  and  thirty  pupils 
matriculated  that  session,  and  at  the  close  of  the  session  on 
Friday,  the  eleventh  of  July,  1845,  five  graduates,  Miss  J.  M. 
Hawkins,  Miss  C.  Bradley,  Miss  M.  Paulding,  Miss  M.  H.  Nor- 
wood, and  Miss  C.  Coleman,  were  sent  forth  from  the  Halls  of 
that  Institution  of  learning.  At  that  time  Mr.  W.  A.  Simmons, 
and  Mrs.  Walker  resigned  their  positions  as  teachers. 

In  the  summer  of  1845  the  name  of  the  place  was  changed 
from  Valley  Creek  to  that  of  Summerfield.  It  was  thought 
that  the  name  of  Valley  Creek  would  give  the  idea  that  the 
place  was  in  a  valley  on  a  sluggish  creek,  and  that  those  abroad 
getting  that  idea  would  be  afraid  of  the  place  as  sickly,  and  so 
they  changed.  Summerfield  would  have  a  more  pleasant  asso- 
ciation, and  make  a  better  impression  upon  foreigners  who  had 
never  seen  the  place.  It  is  said  that  the  then  Mrs.  A.  H. 
Mitchell  and  Mrs.  Greenberry  Garrett  suggested  the  name  of 
Summerfield  in  honor  of  the  noted  John  Summerfield,  the 
great  preacher.  At  the  time  the  name  Summerfield  was  given 
to  the  place  the  citizens  thereabout  entertained  the  idea,  that  as 
the  place  was  near  the  center  of  the  State  and  had  other  ad- 
vantages, that  the  capital  of  the  State  might  finally  be  located 
at  Summerfield. 

The  Teachers  connected  with  the  School  during  the  session 
which  opened  Monday,  October  6,  1845,  were,  in  addition  to  the 


G14 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Eev.  A.  H.  Mitchell,  who  somewhere  about  that  time  had  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  conferred  on  him  by  the  Univer- 
sity of  Alabama,  Mr.  A.  K.  Holcombe,  A.M.,  Professor  of  Eng- 
lish Language;  Mr.  D.  S.  T.  Douglass,  A.M.,  Professor  of  Eng- 
lish Literature;  in  the  female  department  Miss  M.  D.  Casswell 
and  Mrs.  E.  A.  E.  Jordan,  Teachers  in  Literary  and  Scientific 
departments;  and  Mrs.  Cann  and  Mrs.  Frances  Davenport, 
Teachers  in  Music.  During  that  session  there  were  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  pupils  in  attendance  upon  all  departments. 

The  Eev.  Ebenezer  Hearn  and  the  Eev.  William  B.  Barnett 
were  Agents  for  Centenary  Institute  for  1841,  and  for  1842  they 
were  Agents  for  that  Institution  and  also  for  La  Grange  Col- 
lege. For  1843  and  1844  the  Eev.  Ebenezer  Hearn  was  Agent 
for  these  two  Institutions  of  learning.  The  Eev.  Jesse  Boring 
was  Agent  for  Centenary  Institute  for  1845.  At  this  stage  of 
things  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain  what  was  accomplished  for 
the  enterprise  by  the  agency  of  Brother  Barnett,  and  there  is 
no  official  statement  at  command  to  indicate  what  pecuniary  aid 
was  secured  by  Brother  Hearn.  There  is  on  record  a  personal 
statement,  made  by  Hearn,  how  reliable  it  is  cannot  be  known, 
in  which  he  says  he  collected  certain  amounts  each  year  for 
Centenary  Institute,  and  the  amounts  given  in  the  four  years  ag- 
gregate twenty  thousand  and  seventy-seven  dollars  and  fifty-nine 
cents.  In  an  official  report  still  extant  there  is  a  statement  as- 
serting that  the  Eev.  Jesse  Boring,  during  the  year  of  his  agen- 
cy, "  booked  some  three  thousand  dollars  new  subscriptions,  and 
collected  some  three  thousand  dollars  on  old  subscriptions." 

In  the  selection  of  the  fourteen  Trustees  as  corporators  of 
the  projected  School,  named  Centenary  Institute,  there  was 
brought  into  requisition  eminent  talents  and  extensive  influence. 
Of  the  preachers  named  as  corporators  all,  except  the  Eev.  E. 
V.  Le  Vert  and  the  Eev.  William  Murrah,  have  been  sketched 
in  this  History  on  other  pages  and  in  other  connections,  and 
while  these  two  men  here  excepted  were  not  distinguished  as 
specialists  in  institutions  of  learning,  yet  what  is  to  be  said 
about  them  may  as  well  be  said  here  and  now. 

The  Eev.  Eugene  V.  Le  Vert  was  in  his  forty-fifth  year  when 
he  was  named  as  a  Trustee  of  the  Centenary  Institute.  He  was 
a  native  of  Virginia.  His  father  was  a  native  of  France.  This 
native  of  Virginia  was  endowed  witli  superior  intellectual  pow- 


Centenary  Institute, 


GI5 


ers,  but  for  some  reason  he  grew  to  manhood  without  education. 
His  tuition  at  a  regular  School  did  not  exceed  three  months. 
Under  the  instruction  of  his  father  he  received  some  training 
in  the  French  language.  September  13,  1819,  he  was  renewed 
by  divine  grace,  and  July  20,  1821,  he  was  licensed  to  preach, 
and  immediately  thereafter  was  employed  by  the  presiding 
elder  for  the  remaining  months  of  the  Conference  year  on  the 
Tuskaloosa  Circuit.  There  was  no  Jones's  Valley  Circuit  at 
that  time.  Jones's  Valley  w^as  then  a  part  of  the  Tuskaloosa 
Circuit.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  was  received  on  trial  in  the 
Mississippi  Conference,  and  appointed  for  the  next  year  junior 
preacher  on  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit.  In  due  course  he  was  ad- 
vanced to  the  orders  of  the  ministry.  He  served  to  the  full 
measure  of  his  strength  in  the  Christian  ministry  for  more  than 
half  a  century,  and  he  served  well.  He  not  only  performed 
much  labor,  but  he  endured  many  hardships.  He  devoted 
much  time  to  the  defense  of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity  in  the 
public  assemblies.  He  met  antagonists  fearlessly,  and  brought 
into  requisition  logic,  satire,  pathos,  and  eloquence  as  occasion 
required.  In  the  pulpit  he  was  deliberate,  earnest,  graceful,  el- 
oquent, and  attractive.  Through  his  ministry,  so  it  is  said,  hun- 
dreds were  brought  to  Christ. 

At  this  juncture  may  very  properly  be  narrated  an  incident  in 
his  ministry  which  led  to  a  case  of  religious  renewal  and  Chris- 
tian usefulness.  During  the  year  1822  he  fell  into  a  state  of 
despondency,  being  then,  perhaps,  less  than  a  year  old  as  a 
preacher.  In  the  hour  of  his  gloom  he  rashly  determined  to 
abandon  the  ministry.  To  the  Eev.  James  Tarrant,  an  aged  lo- 
cal preacher  in  Jones's  Valley,  he  revealed  his  purpose  to  re- 
nounce his  call  and  abandon  the  Christian  ministry.  Brother 
Tarrant  understood  his  case,  and  with  great  sagacity  and  with 
much  painstaking  analyzed  it  for  him,  and  showing  him  the 
possibility  of  eventually  overcoming  his  impediments  and  of  be- 
ing successful  in  the  work  to  which  he  was  persuaded  he  had 
been  called,  he  relieved  his  gloom,  turned  his  mind,  and  induced 
him  to  continue  in  the  high  calling  upon  which  he  bad  entered. 

In  1842,  just  twenty  years  after  that  eventful  interview,  the 
Eev.  E.  V.  Le  Vert,  as  presidiug  elder  of  the  Selma  District, 
held  a  Quarterly  Conference  for  Jones's  Valley  Circuit  at 
Smith's  Chapel,  about  twelve  miles  from  the  town  of  Ely  ton. 


m 


616 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Centenary  Institute. 


617 


Benjamin  Tarrant,  one  of  the  sons  of  the  Kev.  James  Tarrant, 
was  in  attendance  on  that  Quarterly  Conference.  He  was  then 
near  fifty  years  of  age,  and  was  a  politician,  a  drunkard,  and  a 
gambler,  and  had,  all  his  life,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  served  the 
devil  faithfully."  In  his  public  ministrations  at  that  Quarterly 
Conference  the  Kev.  Mr.  Le  Vert  took  occasion  to  refer  to  his 
early  ministry  in  that  country,  and  especially  to  the  incident  of 
his  life  when  he  received  the  counsel  of  the  Eev.  James  Tarrant 
which  settled  the  issues  of  his  cause.  He  told  in  pathetic  terms 
and  with  poetic  beauty  of  his  lack  of  education,  and  of  his  lack 
of  experience,  and  of  his  inability  to  sing,  and  of  the  deep 
gloom  which  came  over  him;  and  how  he  described  to  Brother 
Tarrant,  the  patriarch,  his  deficiencies,  difiiculties,  and  despond- 
ency; and  how  by  the  tender  sympathy  and  wise  counsel  of  the 
aged  man  of  God  he  had  been  induced  to  change  his  mind  and 
prosecute  the  divine  work.  In  glowing  terms  and  earnest  spir- 
it he  pronounced  a  tribute  to  the  memory  of  his  benefactor,  and 
in  conclusion  announced  that  were  there  of  the  posterity  of  the 
Eev.  James  Tarrant  in  that  congregation  still  strangers  to  God 
and  his  grace,  it  would  afford  him  supreme  delight  for  them  to 
turn  to  God,  repent  of  their  sins,  and  obtain  justification 
through  their  father's  Saviour.  That  reference,  narrative,  and 
appeal  arrested  Benjamin  Tarrant,  and  led  to  his  conviction  and 
his  salvation.  He  at  once  set  about  seeking  the  renewing  grace 
of  God,  and  in  a  short  while  came  into  a  happy  Christian  expe- 
rience. His  character  and  life  were  entirely  changed,  and  in  a 
few  brief  months  he  was  licensed  to  preach  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  During  the  remaining  part  of  his  life  he  was 
an  accredited  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  while  he  was  never 
anything  but  a  local  preacher  he  was  in  labors  abundant,  and 
was  unsurpassed  by  any  in  his  section  in  efficiency  and  useful- 
ness. He  spent  months  of  each  year,  and  without  pecuniary 
compensation,  in  protracted  meetings.  He  was  generally  the 
first  to  reach  the  place  of  a  protracted  meeting  and  the  last  to 
leave  it.  He  preached  everywhere  in  Jefi'erson  County  and 
much  in  other  Counties.  He  claimed  near  the  end  of  his  pil- 
grimage that  he  had,  with  his  own  hands,  received  into  the 
Church  twelve  hundred  persons,  in  a  ministry  of  thirty  years, 
which  was  an  average  of  forty  a  year.  He  was  a  man  of  much 
prayer,  and  of  great  faith,  and  as,  what  is  called,  an  evangelist 


he  had  but  few  if  any  equals  in  all  the  country  where  he  labored. 
He  led  thousands  to  the  triumphs  of  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one,  February  14,  1874  and  was  bur- 
ied in  a  grave-yard  about  five  miles  north  of  Birmingham,  Ala- 
bama. 

The  Kev.  E.  V.  Le  Vert  was  twice  married,  and  his  first  wife 
was  the  mother  of  fifteen  children.  His  last  ministerial  act  was 
the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  which  occurred  the 
Sunday  before  his  death.  He  died  surrounded  by  his  children 
and  many  friends,  April  16,  1875,  and  his  body  was  laid  to  rest 
in  the  cemetery  at  Marion,  Alabama. 

The  Kev.  William  Murrah  was  born  in  Georgia,  in  1807;  ed- 
ucated at  Franklin  College,  Athens,  Georgia;  admitted  on  trial 
into  the  South  Carolina  Conference  in  the  first  part  of  1829; 
transferred  to  the  Alabama  Conference  in  the  first  part  of  1835; 
transferred  to  the  North  Mississippi  Conference  in  1874;  died 
at  his  home  in  Pickens  County,  Alabama,  October  9,  1887;  and 
was  buried  at  Columbus,  Mississippi.     He  filled  many  impor- 
tant and  leading  charges  in  Alabama,  and  was  a  delegate  to  sev- 
eral  General   Conferences.     He  represented  Pickens  County, 
Alabama,  in  the  Legislature  of  the  State  in  the  days  of  recon- 
struction.    There  was  much  political  corruption  in  that  time, 
and,  alas !  some   in   high   places   became  degenerate  children! 
For  1879  his  appointment  read:   West  Point  and  Tibbee,  Wil- 
liam Murrah.     That  was  his  last  pastoral  charge.     At  the  end 
of  that  year  he  went  on  the  superannuated  list,  where  he  re- 
mained till  he  went  hence  to  his  reward. 

The  Hon.  Daniel  H.  Norwood  was  a  devout  Methodist,  pos- 
sessed of  mental  endowments,  literary  attainments,  and  an  opu- 
lent  estate.  He  was  eminently  qualified  to  fill  the  position  of 
a  Trustee  of  an  institution  of  learning.  He  was  a  Trustee  of 
Centenary  Institute  for  a  term  less  than  three  years.  He  died 
previous  to  February,  1845. 

The  Hon.  Daniel  Pratt  had  been  in  Alabama  about  three  years, 
and  was  little  more  than  forty  years  old,  when  he  was  appointed 
Trustee  and  incorporator  of  Centenary  Institute.  He  was  a  tall 
man  and  straight,  had  large  hands  and  feet,  a  Koman  nose,  and 
eyes  the  color  of  the  sky.  Not  only  did  his  countenance  beam 
with  benevolence,  but  his  entire  person  indicated  benevolence. 
He  was  the  embodiment  of  energy,  integrity,  and  philanthropy! 


G18 


Ilisfori/  of  Methodism  in  Ahthama, 


Centenary  Institute, 


C19 


He  was  Master  of  Mechanical  and  Useful  Arts.  By  his  industry 
and  skill  he  accumulated  large  wealth,  and  did  much  for  the 
common  country  and  the  general  good.  He  was  without  guile 
and  malice.  He  was  a  Methodist,  and  bore  good  will  to  all 
Christians,  and  to  every  people.     He  served  his  generation. 

Benjamin  Inabnit  Harrison,  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  a 
man  of  many  excellencies,  and  who  was  made  Trustee  of  Cen- 
tenary Institute  when  in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  his  age, 
moved  to  Valley  Creek,  Alabama,  where  Centenary  Institute 
was  finally  located,  in  1832.  He  was  an  educated  man,  and  dur- 
ing much  of  his  time  followed  the  profession  of  teaching.  He 
lived  many  years  at  Valley  Creek  (Summerfield),  but  finally 
moved  away  and  died  at  the  University  of  Alabama,  in  1872. 
He  married  in  1834  Miss  Martha  I.  Childers.  She  died  in  1843. 
In  1845  he  married  Miss  Adaline  H.  Simmons,  the  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  John  Simmons,  and  a  native  of  Henry  County,  Georgia. 
At  a  Camp-meeting  held  near  Valley  Creek  in  1835  Mr.  Harri- 
son was  convicted,  and  firmly  resolved  to  forsake  the  world,  seek 
the  Saviour,  and  from  thenceforth  pursue  the  path  of  life,  and, 
though  not  then  renewed,  he  immediately  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  From  that  hour  salvation  was  first  in  the 
thought  of  his  mind  and  supreme  in  the  desire  of  his  heart,  and 
he  prayed  earnestly  and  withoitt  ceasing.  Though  for  twelve 
months  his  soul  lingered  in  darkness,  finally,  one  day,  as  he  went 
on  horseback,  in  company  with  two  godless  men,  to  the  town  of 
Selma,  in  the  interest  of  some  secular  affairs,  he,  while  the  two 
companions  in  travel  talked  of  worldly  things,  fell  into  deep 
meditation  and  secret  prayer,  and  though  he  was  surrounded 
by  circumstances  which  were  trying  and  distracting,  the  last 
clouds  of  doubt  drifted  away,  and  his  soul  was  bathed  in  the 
light  of  the  divine  Spirit. 

His  wives  were  both,  excellent  women  and  of  noble  families. 
His  first  wife  was  cut  down  in  early  womanhood.  His  last  wife 
still  lives,  1892.  She  was  born  in  1825,  and  is  the  sister  of  the 
Rev.  J.  C.  Simmons,  who  has  worked  so  long  in  California.  She 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  when  less  than  eleven 
years  of  age,  and  at  that  time  obtained  a  sense  of  divine  accept- 
ance not  before  realized  by  her.  Through  all  the  years  she  man- 
tained  a  lovely  Christian  character.     Her  children  honor  her. 

In  a  deed  made  in  1845  conveying  certain  property  to  Cente- 


nary Institute  Robert  A.  Baker  is  named  as  one  of  the  Trustees. 
He  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Nor- 
wood, and  from  that  time  until  his  death,  or  for  more  than  twenty 
years,  he  was  connected  with  that  Institution  of  learning,  and 
was  one  of  its  most  zealous  friends  and  liberal  benefactors. 
Than  Robert  A.  Baker  a  more  eflicient  layman  never  wrought 
in  Alabama.     He  was  born  during  the  first  half  of  the  first 
decade  of  this  century;  it  is  said  he  began  his  Christian  labors 
in  a  Sunday-school,  and  it  is  possible  that  he  began  said  labors 
about  the  time  he  was  converted  in  182G.     His  name  first  apr 
pears  upon  the  ofiicial  Records  of  the  Church  for  the  Franklin 
Circuit  in  1829.    His  name  is  registered  in  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence Records  for  that  Circuit  as  a  class  leader.    He  was  steward 
on  the  Franklin  Circuit  in  North  Alabama  from  October,  1830, 
till  June,  1841.    At  the  close  of  1841  he  moved  out  of  the  bounds  of 
the  Franklin  Circuit  and  made  his  home  in  Sumter  County,  Ala- 
bama, till  about  1848,  when  he  moved  to  Summerfield,  Alabama. 
From  the  time  of  his  joining  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  till 
his  death,  a  period  of  about  forty  years,  he  was  an  active  Christian. 
Wherever  he  was  he  worked  for  the  divine  cause,  and  while  he 
never  entered  the  ministr}^  he  filled  all  the  offices  common  to 
laymen,  and  participated  actively  in  the  public  services  of  the 
public  assemblies.     For  months  together  he  would  attend  and 
work  in  the  protracted  meetings  and  Camp-meetings  which  were 
held  from  year  to  year  for  promoting  the  interests  of  the  Church 
and  securing  the  salvation  of  men.    Robert  A.  Baker  was  brought 
up  in  poverty  and  in  orphanage,  but  these  circumstances  and  ac- 
cidents could  not  keep  him  in  obscurity  nor  detain  him  from  use- 
fulness.    He  attained  place  and  influence  in  the  Church  and  in 
the  State  as  well.     He  was  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  Alabama  from  Franklin  County  for  a  number  of  sessions,  and 
attained  to  the  position  of  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives.    He  exerted  a  good  influence  as  a  member  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  State,  and  did  good  work  in  guiding  legislation. 
He  was  calm,  considerate,  and  conservative,  and  was  noted  for 
industry  and  integrity.     Had  he  been  ambitious,  he  might  have 
filled  higher  offices  in  i\\Q  State.     He  prosecuted  large  business 
and  controlled  large  funds.     The  ample  means  at  his  command 
were  used  for  every  benevolent  purpose.     He  made  large  con- 
tributions to  the  various  enterprises  of  the  Church,  inaugurated 
40 


G20 


History  of  Methodism  hi  Alabama, 


and  sustained  enterprises.    He  gave  by  hundreds  and  into  thou- 
sands.    He  knew  the  meaning  of  a  widow's  sorrows  and  of  an 
orphan's  woes,  and  he  responded  with  liberal  alms  for  the  re- 
lief of  the  helpless  and  the  destitute.     He  was  fervent  in  his 
prayers  and  in  his  piety,  and  he  was  generous  in  his  sympathies 
and  his  alms.     His  prayers  and  his  alms  are  allied  in  his  me- 
morial.    Whether  or  not  he  was  a  man  of  undue  sentiment,  it  is 
certain  he  was  a  man  of  large  charity,  of  numerous  alms-deeds, 
and  of  nobility  of  character.     AVith  his  mind  and  money  he  in- 
stituted and  supported  public  enterprises  and  Christian  benevo- 
lence.    He  did  liberal  things  himself,  but  he  did  more;  he  in- 
fused into  the  communities  of  the  Commonwealth  wherever  he 
touched  them  a  spirit  of  enterprise  and  benevolence,  and  he  led 
those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  to  high  purposes  and  to 
noble  deeds.     He  was  not  that  dispicable  character  who,  under 
the  sanctimonious  assumption  of  being  a  peace-maker,  strolls 
through  a  community  prying  into  secrets,  rehearsing  vitupera- 
tion, and  complicating  difficulties,  but  he  was  that  character 
whose  very  presence  is  a  benediction,  and  who  promotes  good 
will  and  establishes  peace  among  men.     He  was  as  good  and 
great  in  the  private  circle  of  home  as  in  the  public  affairs  of 
men.    In  his  home  he  found  sublime  felicity,  and  to  all  the  mem- 
bers of  his  household,  including  the  domestics  or  slaves,  he  dis- 
pensed blessings  with  beneficence.     He  was  gentle  and  generous 
in  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  home.     On  his  wife  and 
children  he  bestowed  warm  affections  and  on  his  servants  just 
consideration.    His  mind  was  adorned  with  truth,  his  heart  was 
gemmed  with  righteousness,  and  his  soul  was  illumined  with  love. 
The  divine  instincts  were  vital  in  him,  he  was  rich  in  the  con- 
sciousness that  God  was  formed  in  him  the  hope  of  glory,  and 
his  passions  and  desires  were  subordinated  to  the  divine  will. 
Charmed  by  the  beautiful,  refined  by  the  good,  and  filled  with 
the  fellowship  of  the  saints  and  the  communion  of  God,  he  main- 
tained consistency  and  efficiency,  and  was  great  in  faith,  love, 
and  deeds.    He  died  suddenly  in  the  last  part  of  December,  1865, 
and  was  buried  at  Summerfield,  Alabama.     He  died  across  the 
Bay  from  the  city  of  Mobile.     He  served  his  generation  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  God,  and  fell  on  sleep.     One  of  his  sons  en- 
tered the  ministry,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Alabama  Confer- 
ence at  the  time  of  his  death.     Another  of  his  sons  is  an  efficient 


Centenary  Institute, 


621 


member  of  the  Church  in  the  city  of  Mobile,  Alabama.  One  of 
his  daughters  married  the  Kev.  Henry  Clay  Stone,  who  was  in  the 
itinerant  ministry  in  Alabama.  Another  daughter  married  the 
Kev.  Thomas  C.  Weir,  long  in  the  regular  ministry.  "  God  is  in 
the  generation  of  the  righteous."  There  is  nothing  better  than 
that  a  man  should  teach  his  children  the  divine  ordinances,  and 
command  his  household  after  him,  for  the  mercy  of  God  is  upon 
them  that  love  him  and  keep  his  commandments,  even  to  a  thou- 
sand generations. 


Further  History  of  La  Grange  College. 


623 


CHAPTEE  XXIX. 

Further  History  of  La  Grange  College. 

THE  beginning  of  the  work  of  education  in  Alabama  under 
the  auspices  of  Methodism  has  been  sketclied  in  a  preced- 
ing chapter.     The  narrative  is  here  resumed  in  a  further  ac- 
count of  La   Grange  College.     About  the  close  of  1832  the 
Eev.  Edward  D.  Sims  resigned  his  position  as  Professor  in  La 
Grange  College,  and  at  the  same  time  the  Kev.  William  H. 
Ellison  was  transferred  from  the  South  Carolina  to  the  Ala- 
bama Conference  and  appointed  Professor  in  La  Grange  Col- 
lege.   From  that  time  till  the  close  of  1836  Professor  Ellison 
filled  the  chair  of  Mathematics.     For  1835  and  1836  the  Eev. 
John  N.  Maffitt  had  a  position  in  the  College  as  Professor  of 
Elocution.     From  the  beginning  of  1836  to  the  close  of  1839 
the  Eev.  Collins  D.  Elliott  was  Professor  in  one  of  the  chairs 
of  the  College,  and  the  Eev.  E.  H.  Eivers  also  filled  a  chair 
from  the  beginning  of  1836  to  the  beginning  of  1843,  when  he 
resigned  his  position  to  take  charge  of  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence Female   Institute  at  Athens,  Alabama.     In  1835  Henry 
Masson  and  Thomas  Barbour  were  elected  Professors  in  the 
College,  one  of  Languages  and  the  other  of  Chemistry.     Henry 
Tutwiler  filled  the  chair  of  Mathematics,  beginning  his  work  in 
January,  1840.     Dr.  Carlos  G.  Smith  filled  the  chair  which  the 
Eev.  E.  H.  Eivers  resigned  in  1843.     In  the  thirties  Eichard 
Shepherd  and  E.  J.  Muncham,  each  in  turn,  had  charge  of  the 
Preparatory  Department  connected  with  the  College. 

An  encouraging  number  of  students  matriculated  in  the  Col- 
lege during  every  session  held  through  the  thirties,  and  a  num- 
ber graduated  during  that  period.  The  degree  of  M.A.  was 
conferred  on  one  at  the  commencement  in  July,  1832,  on  five  in 
1833,  on  seven  in  1834,  and  on  seven  in  1835.  The  Hon.  James 
E.  Saunders  is  authority  for  the  statement  concerning  these 
numbers. 

It  is  said  that  in  1839  there  was  a  special  religious  work  in 
(622) 


the  College  which  lasted  three  months,  and  that  at  the  close  of 
it  there  were  but  few  students  who  stood  aloof  from  the  Church. 

In  1842  there  was  an  increase  in  the  number  of  students  in 
the  College,  and  said  students  maintained  good  order  and 
morality,  and  pursued  their  studies  with  becoming  diligence. 
The  usual  annual  examination  was  held  that  year  beginning 
May  twenty-seven  and  closing  June  first,  and  the  Commence- 
ment exercises  took  place  July  fourth,  following,  when  degrees 
were  conferred.  On  that  day  the  next  session  began.  The 
session  was  oj^ened  on  and  continued  from  that  day,  so  it  was 
asserted,  because  it  was  conducive  to  health  to  remain  on  the 
mountain  of  La  Grange  during  the  summer  and  fall.  Those 
who  remained  on  the  mountain  through  the  summer  and  fall 
months  escaped  bilious  fever,  which  was  quite  prevalent  in 
other  sections  of  the  country.  The  College  at  that  time  owed 
but  little,  the  tuition  fees  paid  the  salaries  of  the  officers,  and 
while  funds  were  needed  to  liquidate  the  small  indebtedness, 
every  one  w^as  hopeful  and  anticipated  continued  success. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1843  the  affairs  of  the  College  were  in  a 
healthy  condition.  The  literary  department  was  flourishing. 
About  that  time  God  poured  out  his  Spirit  upon  the  inmates  of 
the  College,  and  quite  a  number  of  the  students  joined  the 
Church.  In  the  spring  time  of  1845  the  internal  interests  were 
in  a  flourishing  condition  upon  the  whole,  though  in  the  second 
session  of  that  year  there  was  a  small  decline  in  the  number  of 
students  in  attendance.  AVhile  the  internal  affairs  were  in  a 
flattering  state,  its  financial  concerns  were  greatly  embarrassed. 
The  session  which  opened  in  January,  1846,  promised  to  be  a 
fair  average  in  point  of  numbers,  and  very  favorable  in  literary 
results.  At  that  time  none  but  students  in  the  College  were 
received,  and  all  were  doing  well  in  their  studies,  and  there 
were  fourteen  candidates  who  were  striving  to  complete  an  ex- 
tensive course  in  the  various  branches  of  a  collegiate  education, 
and  for  graduation  at  the  end  of  the  session.  The  external 
affairs  of  the  College  were  in  an  unpromising  condition. 
Money  was  greatly  needed,  but  the  resources  of  the  Church 
seemed  to  be  exhausted.  The  Agency  for  the  College  of  the 
Alabama  Conference  for  the  past  year  had  yielded  but  little, 
and  the  Agency  of  the  Memphis  Conference  had  brought  the 
College  in  debt.     Therefore,  at  that  time  the  Alabama  Confer- 


624 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


ence  did  not  appoint  an  Agent  for  it,  but  recommended  that  the 
outstanding  accounts  of  the  Institution  be  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  presiding  elders,  to  be  distributed  to  the  preachers  for 
immediate  collection. 

There  were  only  sixty  pupils  in  attendance  at  the  College 
during  1848,  and  the  Board  of  instruction  at  the  close  of  that 
year  was  not  full.  The  indebtedness  of  the  Institution  at  that 
time  was  about  five  thousand  dollars,  the  greater  part  of  which 
was  due  the  Instructors.  To  relieve  the  embarrassment  of  the 
hour  an  effort  was  being  made  to  endow  a  Soule  and  Paine 
Professorship  with  fifteen  thousand  dollars  each.  At  its  ses- 
sion in  January,  1849,  the  Alabama  Conference  adopted  the 
following:  "Eesolved,  That  this  Conference  will  heartily  co- 
operate with  the  Memphis  and  Tennessee  Conferences  in  raising 
its  proportion  of  the  Preacher's  Fund  for  endowment  of  Soule 
and  Paine  Professorships  upon  the  plan  of  Tennessee  and 
Memphis  Conferences."  By  September  of  that  year  between 
twenty-six  and  twenty-seven  thousand  dollars  had  been  raised 
on  the  endowment  of  the  chairs,  and  the  College  was  paying  ex- 
penses. Xt  that  time  it  was  said:  "La  Grange  College  has 
ample  buildings,  an  increasing  endowment,  pure  air,  beautiful 
scenery,  healthful  associations,  orderly,  attentive  students,  a 
full  faculty,  a  good  Library,  good  apparatus,  with  the  patron- 
age, substantial  aid,  and  fresh,  hearty  good  will  of  several  of 
the  Annual  Conferences  of  the  Southern  Church."  The  session 
of  the  College  which  closed  near  this  time  closed  in  good  con- 
dition. 

The  forty-first  session  of  the  College  began  January  21, 1850. 
At  that  time  there  was  a  Grammar  School  connected  with  the 
College  under  the  supervision  of  the  Faculty.  The  entire  ex- 
penses of  a  student  in  the  College  at  that  time,  which  varied  ac- 
cording to  the  advancement  of  the  student,  was  from  sixty  to 
eighty  dollars  per  session  of  five  months.  That  covered  tuition 
fees,  board,  washing,  fuel,  lights,  and  servant  hire.  That  was 
certainly  a  model  of  cheapness  for  college  education.  The  ses- 
sion which  opened  on  January  21,  1850,  was  interrupted,  and  in 
less  than  one  month  from  the  time  of  opening,  the  exercises  of 
the  Institution,  under  the  pressure  of  a  panic,  had  to  be  sus- 
pended. Small-pox  broke  out  at  La  Grange,  a  panic  ensued, 
and  the  Faculty  immediately  suspended  the  exercises  of  the 


Further  History  of  La  Grange  College, 


625 


College.  It  is  not  now  known  how  many  persons  were  affected 
with  the  disease,  but  there  were  several.  They  were  removed 
to  a  distance  of  several  miles  from  La  Grange,  and  provided 
with  nurses,  and  all  other  communication  with  them  prohibited. 
G.  E.  Cumi^e,  M.D.,  was  at  that  time  the  resident  physician  at 
La  Grange.  The  Small-pox  there  at  that  time  is  said  to  have 
been  altogether  accidental,  no  case  having  been  known  therein 
thirty  years  preceding.  The  exercises  of  the  College  were  sus- 
pended about  one  month.  On  the  twelfth  of  March,  of  that 
year,  a  circular  was  sent  out  allaying  all  fear  of  danger,  and 
the  exercises  of  the  College  were  resumed.  There  were  eighty 
pupils  in  attendance  when  the  exercises  of  the  Institution  sus- 
pended; whether  they  were  all  in  place  on  the  resumption  of 
work  is  not  now  known.  The  session  went  on  to  the  close  with- 
out further  interruption,  and  on  Thursday,  July  4,  1850,  Com- 
mencement day,  the  College  admitted  to  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts  the  following  students:  Nathan  M.  Gregg,  Jacob  W. 
Swoop,  Columbus  Sykes,  John  C.  Stevenson,  Edward  Mc- 
Alexander,  and  Edward  H.  King.  On  that  same  day  the  La 
Grange  College  conferred  the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts  upon  the  Kev.  Edward  C.  Slater,  of  the  Tennessee  Con- 
ference, and  that  of   Doctor   of   Laws  upon   Bishop   Jcshua 

Soule. 

In  January,  1851,  the  debt  against  La  Grange  College  was 
five  thousand  dollars,  and  the  only  plan  by  which  to  liquidate 
it  was  selling  Scholarships  for  eight  years  at  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  dollars  per  scholarship.  The  College  had  at  that 
time  an  endowment  of  thirty  thousand  dollars.  The  number  of 
students  in  the  College  for  the  session  closing  in  June,  1851, 
was  one  hundred  and  thirty,  and  there  were  at  that  time  nine 
graduates.  The  College  at  that  Commencement  conferred  the 
honorary  degree  of  A.M.  upon  Dr.  Francis  E.  H.  Steger,  and 
the  degree  of  D.D.  upon  the  Rev.  John  B.  McFerrin  and  the 
Pvev.  Piichard  H.  Rivers.  At  that  Commencement  the  preach- 
ers and  orators  who  preached  and  orated  vrere  the  Rev.  John 
B.  McFerrin,  the  Rev.  P.  P.  Neely,  and  AY.  W.  Garth.  Garth 
had  formerly  graduated  at  that  College. 

The  next  session  opened  the  first  Wednesday  in  August;  and 
in  January,  1852,  there  was  still  a  debt  of  five  thousand  dollars 
a<>'ainst  the  College,  and  the  buildings  of  the  Institution  needed 


626 


History  of  Mefhodistn  in  Alabama, 


Further  History  of  La  Grange  College, 


627 


repairs  to  the  amount  of  two  thousand  dollars.  The  liberality 
of  the  Church  had  been  exhausted.  A  perpetual  solicitation  of 
College  funds  had  dulled  the  ear  and  deadened  the  conscience 
of  the  Church.  The  debt  increased  faster  than  the  funds  accu- 
mulated. There  was  great  complaint  about  the  inaccessibility 
of  La  Grange  to  South  Alabama.  Up  to  that  time  East  Ala- 
bama had  not  done  anything  for  the  College,  either  in  pupils  or 
financial  aid. 

In  the  report  of  the  College  to  the  Alabama  Conference  at  its 
session  in  December,  1853,  it  was  stated  that  one  hundred  and 
fifty-three  students  had  matriculated  during  the  then  College 
session,  and  at  that  time  there  were  only  ninety-five  p  esent. 
The  fact  that  so  large  a  number  of  the  pupils  who  had  matricu- 
lated had  left  the  College  halls  was  discouraging  to  the  friends 
of  the  Institution.  There  had  been  a  gracious  religious  influ- 
ence in  the  College  during  that  session.  That  was  gratifying 
to  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  and  the  friends  of  Christianity! 

Upon  consultation  for  the  relief  of  their  embarrassments,  the 
Trustees  of  the  College  deemed  it  essential  that  some  plan  be 
adopted  to  endow  the  Institution  permanently,  and  at  a  meet- 
ing held  in  March,  1854,  they  resolved  to  sell  one  thousand 
Scholarships  at  one  hundred  dollars  each,  said  Scholarships  to 
commence  whenever  seven  hundred  and  fifty  had  been  sold,  and 
the  Scholarships,  when  the  proper  papers  had  been  executed 
for  them,  to  run  twenty  years. 

The  Faculty  of  the  College  in  January,  1850,  was  composed 
of:  Edward  Wadsworth,  Professor  of  Mental  and  Moral  Science; 
James  W.  Hardy,  Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy  and  Chem- 
istry; Osc&r  F.  Casey,  Professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  Languages; 
Thomas  G.  Eice,  Professor  of  Pure  Mathematics;  Thomas  C. 
Wier,  Principal  of  the  Grammar  School  and  assistant  teacher 
in  the  Department  of  Languages. 

In  1853  Mr.  Hatch  was  secured  for  the  chair  of  Chemistry 
and  Geology.  The  Kev.  Bennett  B.  Eoss  was  a  Professor  in 
the  College  in  1853,  1854,  and  1855. 

The  La  Grange  College  called  into  its  service  an  army  of 
Agents  who  canvassed  the  country  and  asked  alms  in  its  behalf. 
These  revenue  collectors  were  appointed  officially  from  time  to 
time  as  occasion  offered,  by  the  Tennessee,  Mississippi,  Ala- 
bama, and  Memphis  Conferences,  which  were  sometimes  in  the 


relation  of  patronizing  Conferences.  For  1833  the  Tennessee 
Conference  had  three  preachers  as  Agents  for  the  College  in  the 
field,  and  at  the  same  time  the  Mississippi  Conference  had  one. 
Those  from  the  Tennessee  Conference  were  the  Revs.  Greenville 
T.  Henderson,  Alexander  W.  Littlejohn,  and  John  B.  McFerrin, 
and  the  one  from  the  Mississippi  Conference  was  Francis  A. 
Owen.  In  1837  four  of  the  preachers  of  the  Tennessee  Conference 
were  Agents  of  the  College,  and  in  1842  the  Alabama  Conference 
had  two  Agents  for  it.  This  gives  an  insight  into  the  manipula- 
tions of  the  subject  through  the  operations  of  official  Agents. 
The  Agents  for  1834  were  the  Revs.  Littleton  Fowler,  John  N. 
Maffitt,  and  one  to  be  supplied;  for  1835  the  Rev.  Littleton 
Fowler;  for  1836  the  Rev.  Littleton  Fowler;  for  1837  the  Revs. 
Littleton  Fowler,  John  M.  Holland,  Phineas  T.  Scruggs,  and 
John  W.  Hanner;  for  1838  the  Revs.  John  W.  Hanner  and 
Simpson  Shepherd;  for  1839  the  Rev.  Simpson  Shepherd;  for 
1840  the  Rev.  Finch  P.  Scruggs;  for  1841  the  Rev.  F.  G.  Fer- 
guson; and  of  the  Memphis  Conference,  the  Rev.  Lorenzo  D. 
Mullins;  for  1842,  of  the  Alabama  Conference,  the  Revs.  Ebe- 
nezer  Hearn  and  William  B.  Barnett;  for  1843,  of  the  Alabama 
Conference,  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hearn;  for  1844,  of  the  Tennes- 
see Conference,  the  Rev.  W.  D.  F.  Sawrie;  and  for  the  Mem- 
phis Conference  the  Rev.  J.  T.  Baskerville,  and  of  the  Alabama 
Conference  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hearn;  for  1845,  of  the  Mem- 
phis Conference,  the  Rev.  John  T.  Baskerville;  for  1846,  of  the 
Tennessee  Conference,  the  Rev.  E.  Carr,  of  the  Memphis  Con- 
ference the  Rev.  John  T.  Baskerville;  for  1847,  of  the  Mem- 
phis Conference,  the  Rev.  John  T.  Baskerville;  for  1848,  of  the 
Tennessee  Conference,  the  Rev.  William  G.  Gould,  for  1850,  of 
the  Tennessee  Conference,  the  Rev.  Joseph  B.  West;  for  1851, 
for  the  Memphis  Conference,  the  Rev.  William  N.  Morgan. 

The  Rev.  Robert  Paine  w^as  at  the  head  of  La  Grange  College 
from  its  opening  until  his  election  to  the  Episcopacy  in  May, 
1846.  For  three  years  he  bore  the  title  of  Superintendent  of 
the  College  and  for  one  year  the  title  of  Principal.  Out  of 
simple  modesty  he,  for  four  years,  declined  the  title  of  Presi- 
dent. Through  the  long  period  in  which  he  presided  over  the 
College  he  was  its  strength  and  stay.  He  guided  its  affairs 
with  wisdom  and  efficiency,  and  gave  it  power  and  influence. 

The  Rev.  Edward  Wadsworth  succeeded  to  the  Presidency  of 


628 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


La  Grange  College,  and  assumed  the  duties  of  the  office  in  the 
autumn  of  1846,  about  the  same  time  that  the  Eev.  B.  H.  Mc- 
Cown  assumed  the  duties  of  the  chair  of  Languages,  which  chair 
had  just  been  vacated  by  Carlos  G.  Smith.  The  Kev.  Edward 
AVadsworth,  as  President  of  the  College,  conducted  its  affairs 
till  October,  1852,  when  he  resigned  his  position  and  duties. 
Upon  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Wadsworth  the  Rev.  James  Ward 
Hardy,  a  native  of  Georgia,  a  graduate  of  Randolph-Macon  Col- 
lege, and  then  nearly  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  was  elected  Pres- 
ident of  the  College,  the  duties  of  which  office  he  performed  un- 
til he  was  summoned  to  a  higher  sphere,  August  14,  1853.  He 
was  licensed  to  preach  the  same  year  he  was  elected  President 
of  La  Grange  College.  He  was  a  refined  gentleman,  a  man  of 
generous  nature.  He  was  a  zealous  Christian,  and  a  mature 
scholar. 

The  Trustees  of  La  Grange  College,  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Hardy,  elected  the  Rev.  Richard 
H.  Rivers  President  of  the  Institution.  Dr.  Rivers,  an  alumnus 
of  that  College,  and  a  man  of  great  simplicity  and  transparency 
of  character,  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  of  President 
of  his  aJma.mater,  March  6,  1854  He  found  an  able  and  effi- 
cient faculty,  and  all  else  unpropitious.  The  body  of  students 
was  small,  the  college  buildings  were  dilapidated,  and  a  long 
standing  debt  was  hanging  over  the  Institution.  Little  more 
than  six  and  a  half  months  had  intervened  from  the  death  of 
the  lamented  Hardy,  and  everything  had  assumed  a  gloomy 
hue.  If  the  buildings  could  be  repaired,  the  debt  liquidated, 
the  endowment  enlarged,  and  the  patronage  extended,  the  Col- 
lege might  be  perpetuated  and  advanced  to  greater  usefulness, 
otherwise  the  days  of  its  glory  were  already  ended.  At  that 
stage  of  affairs  a  proposition  was  made  to  move  the  College 
from  La  Grange  to  Florence,  Alabama.  The  people  of  Florence 
offered,  as  an  inducement,  to  furnish  better  buildings  than  had 
ever  been  at  La  Grange,  and  a  more  ample  endowment  than  had 
ever  before  been  secured  for  the  Institution,  and  a  larger  local 
patronage  than  the  entire  patronage  which  La  Grange  had  at 
that  time,  and  also  to  pay  all  the  indebtedness  then  hanging 
over  the  College.  The  subject  was  referred  by  the  Trustees  to 
the  Alabama,  Memphis,  and  Tennessee  Conferences,  then 
the  patronizing  Conferences  of  the  Institution,  for  determina- 


Fiirther  History  of  La  Grange  College. 


629 


tion,  and  the  said  Conferences  by  official  action  authori^icd  the 
removal.  It  is  said  Florence  gave  twenty  thousand  dollars  on 
endowment. 

In  January,  1855,  just  a  quarter  of  a  century  exactly  from  the 
time  the  La  Grange  College  matriculated  its  first  class  on  La 
Grange  mountain,  the  janitor  closed  the  doors  of  the  College 
halls  on  that  sublime  and  consecrated  spot  forever.  In  that 
month  of  January,  1855,  the  faculty  and  the  students  who  had 
gathered  there  for  that  session  departed  from  the  town  of  La 
Grange ,  on  the  mountain,  for  the  town  of  Florence,  Alabama. 
There  at  that  place  and  time  they  claimed  to  open  anew,  and 
proposed  to  continue  the  work  of  La  Grange  College.  It  has 
been  stated  that  there  were  one  hundred  and  fifty  pupils  in  at- 
tendance at  the  opening  in  the  new  quarters.  From  that  day 
forth  La  Grange  College  at  the  town  of  La  Grange  on  the 
mountain  stood  empty  and  closed  until  the  buildings,  during 
the  war  between  the  States,  were  consumed  by  fire. 

The  attempt  to  go  on  at  Florence  under  the  old  name  of  La 
Grange  College  was  bitterly  opposed  and  was  abandoned.  At 
the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  held  in  October,  1855, 
R.  H.  Rivers  was  put  down  in  the  minutes  as  "  President  of  La 
Grange  College,  at  Florence."  That  was  the  last  time.  The 
General  Assembly  of  Alabama,  for  some  reason,  and  under 
some  influence,  refused  to  recognize  the  College  at  Florence  as 
the  La  Grange  College,  and  a  new  charter  had  to  be  secured  for 
the  Institution  at  Florence  under  a  new  name.  There  was  a  di- 
vision of  sentiment  and  active  opposition  in  securing  the  new 
charter,  or  a  charter  for  the  new  College.  The  act  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  Alabama  incorporating  the  Institution  at  Flor- 
ence was  vetoed  by  Governor  Winston,  but  on  February  14, 1855, 
the  General  Assembly,  by  the  constitutional  majority,  passed 
the  act  of  incorporation  over  the  Governor's  veto.  The  act 
passed  by  the  General  Assembly,  and  which  became  law,  clothed 
certain  Trustees,  thirty-eight  in  number,  with  corporate  author- 
ity under  the  style  and  title  of  *'  The  President  and  Trustees  of 
the  Florence  Wesleyan  University."  The  Florence  Wesleyan 
L'niversity  was  fostered  for  awhile. 

La  Grange  College  had  a  career  of  just  a  quarter  of  a  centurj^ 
and  it  did  a  great  work  for  the  generations  which  it  touched. 
Many  of  those  graduated  from  its  halls  made  useful  men,  and 


v 


630 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


some  of  them  attained  conspicuous  station;  among  whom  may  be 
named:  the  Eevs.  R  H.  Kivers,  Joseph  E.  Douglass,  and  Wil- 
liam E.  Nicholson,  and  the  Hous.  Jeremiah  Clemens,  William 
B.  Byrd,  William  B.  Wood,  A.  E.  O'Neal,  David  P.  Lewis,  and 
H.  C.  Jones,  and  Drs.  J.  W.  Towler,  and  Thomas  Maddin. 
Lewis  and  O'Neal  were  called  to  the  high  office  of  Governor  of 
the  State  of  Alabama  by  the  suffrages  of  the  people. 


CHAPTEE  XXX. 

The  Female  Institute  of  the  Tennessee  Annual  Confee- 
ENCE  OF  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  Athens, 
Alabama. 

THE  Tennessee  Conference  at  its  session  at  Athens,  Alaba- 
ma, in  October,  1842,  projected  a  School  for  girls,  and  the 
General  Assembly  of  Alabama  in  January,  1843,  passed  an  act 
incorporating  the  Female  Institute  of  the  Tennessee  Annual 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  Athens,  Ala- 
bama. The  Trustees  named  in  the  act  of  incorporation  were: 
A.  L.  P.  Green,  Thomas  Maddin,  A.  F.  Driskill,  Joshua  Boucher, 
F.  G.  Ferguson,  Daniel  Coleman,  Ira  E.  Hobbs,  B.  W.  Maclin, 
Thomas  Bass,  J.  F.  Sowell,  Thomas  S.  Malone,  James  C.  Malone, 
AVilliam  Kicliardson,  George  S.  Houston,  K.  W.  Vasser,  Jona- 
than McDonald,  and  James  Craig. 

In  the  autumn  of  that  year,  1843,  the  Tennessee  Conference 
Female  Institute  at  Athens,  as  it  was  designated  in  the  Minutes, 
was  opened,  in  a  frame  building  in  the  rear  of  where  a  brick  ed- 
ifice for  the  School  was  afterward  erected,  with  the  Eev.  E.  H. 
Kivers  as  President,  and  the  Eev.  F.  G.  Ferguson  as  Professor, 
and  Mrs.  Ferguson,  and  one  other  person  possibly,  taught  the 
music  of  the  Institute,  and  one  lady  presided  in  the  hall  as  a 
teacher.     There  was  a  good  patronage  at  the  beginning. 

In  due  course  was  erected  the  excellent  house  which  has  so 
long  stood  in  the  service  of  the  School.  The  original  purpose 
of  the  projectors  of  the  School  was  to  lodge  the  pupils 
from  a  distance  with  the  families  and  in  the  homes  at  and 
about  the  town,  and  not  in  the  building  of  the  Institute, 
lience  large  boarding  accommodations  were  not  provided  for  in 
the  construction  of  the  Institute  building.  The  Eev.  A.  L.  P. 
Greene  was  the  active  advocate  of  the  plan  of  boarding  the 
girls  in  the  homes  of  the  people  of  the  place.  The  plan  has 
merit  in  it,  whatever  may  be  said  about  the  impracticability  of 
such  arrangement.     It  is  in  harmony  with  the  divine  ordinance 

(631) 


1 


632 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


to  recognize  and  support  the  home.  After  some  experience  it 
was  deemed  unwise  to  leave  the  premises  for  two  days  of  the 
week  unprotected,  and  so  the  President,  Dr.  Eivers,  fitted  up 
in  the  Institute  building  sufficient  accommodations  for  a  family 
and  a  small  number  of  boarders,  and  occupied  it.  What  the 
building  cost  is  not  now  known.  Mr.  Benjamin  W.  Maclin, 
probably,  contributed  a  larger  sum  to  the  enterprise  than  any 
one  else. 

Dr.  Eivers  was  President  of  the  Institute  for  a  half  dozen 
years,  and  the  Piev.  F.  G.  Ferguson  was  Professor  there  for  two 
years,  and  his  accomplished  wife  was  one  of  the  music  Teachers 
in  the  Institute  for  two  or  more  years.  Mrs.  Kebecca  Hobbs, 
the  wife  of  Mr.  Ira  E.  Hobbs,  taught  in  the  School  for  a  time. 
When  Professor  Ferguson  resigned  his  position  the  Eev.  Ben- 
jamin H.  Hubbard  was  elected  Professor  of  Mathematics,  and 
he  held  a  Professor's  chair  so  long  as  Dr.  Eivers  was  President. 
When  Dr.  Eivers  resigned  the  Presidency  of  the  School  Dr. 
Hubbard  succeeded  to  that  position,  and  was  at  the  head  of  the 
School  till  the  close  of  1852,  when  he  transferred  to  the  Mem- 
phis Conference,  and  was  appointed  to  Jackson  Station,  as 
preacher  in  charge,  and  Professor  in  Jackson  Female  Institute. 
He  died  at  Jackson,  Tennessee,  May  2,  1853.  He  was  a  fair 
scholar,  a  good  teacher,  a  fine  preacher,  and  a  lovely  Christian, 
a  man  of  faith. 

The  Eev.  Smith  W.  Moore  succeeded  Dr.  Hubbard  in  the 
Presidency  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  Female  Institute,  at 
Athens.  He  held  that  position  only  one  year,  though  he  had 
held  the  position  of  Professor  in  the  Institute  for  three  years 
previous  to  his  Presidency.  He  left  Athens  for  La  Grange, 
Alabama,  and  in  about  one  year  transferred  to  the  Memphis 
Conference,  where  he  worked  till  his  death,  September  2,  1880. 
He  spent  a  good  many  years  in  teaching.  He  was  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  a  pupil  at  Eandolph-Macon  College,  was 
brought  into  the  kingdom  of  God  at  Ealeigh,  in  his  native 
State,  and  died  at  Brown.sboro,  Tennessee,  and  was  buried 
there  in  Oakwood  Cemetery.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in 
1840.  Dr.  Moore  was  a  scholar,  teacher,  preacher,  and  author. 
He  was  gifted,  pious,  and  useful.  He  died  happy,  and  his 
memory  is  precious. 
Upon  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Moore  the  Eev.  Isham  E.  Fin- 


The  Female  Institute  of  the  Tennessee  Annual  Conference.  633 

ley  was  elected  President  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  Female 
Institute.  He  filled  the  position  for  two  years.  The  Eev. 
Isham  E.  Finley  was  succeeded  by  Professor  George  E.  Naff, 
who  continued  in  the  Presidency  until  about  the  beginning  of 
the  war  in  1861.  Mrs.  J.  H.  Childs  took  charge  of  the  School 
after  Naff  resigned,  and  she  directed  its  destinies  for  some 
years.  She  was  a  woman  of  great  force  of  character,  of  intelli- 
gence, and  of  worth.  She  was  greatly  devoted  to  the  Church. 
The  Institute  did  well  under  her  supervision.  She  was  a 
woman  of  fine  personal  aj^pearance.  She  died  in  Huutsville, 
Alabama,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  that  place. 

The  method  of  collecting  funds  for  the  Institute  is  not  very 
well  known.  It  is  known  that  during  the  year  1845,  the  Eev. 
Fielding  H.  Harris  acted  as  Agent  for  the  Conference  Institute 
at  Athens,  Alabama.     AVhat  success  he  had  is  not  known. 


CHAPTER  XXXL 

The  Methodists  of  Alabama  in  the  Crisis  of  1844. 

THE  Methodists  found  their  way  into  the  Colonies  of  North 
America,  and  entered  upon  the  sacred  work  to  which  they 
were  evidently  called.     They  at  once  obtained  access  alike  to 
the  slave  owners  and  to  the  slaves.     Both  the  slave  owners  and 
the  slaves  attained  the  grace  of  God,  and  united  with  that  pecul- 
iar people.     Very  soon  that  guileless  class  of  leaders  who  have 
less  wisdom  than  sensitiveness  of  conscience  began  an  agitation 
for  the  extirpation  of  the  evil  of  slavery.     The  preachers  in 
Conference  assembled  at  Baltimore,  April  24,  1780,  made  the 
following  deliverance:  "This  Conference  ought  to  require  those 
traveling  preachers  who  hold  slaves  to  give  promises  to^  set 
them  free."     That  was  the  first  official  action  on  the  subject, 
and  was  the  beginning  of  strife,  strife  which  outlasted  the  in- 
stitution of  slavery  in  North  America.     The  Conference  in  ses- 
sion in  the  spring  time  of   1784  enacted  the  following  rule: 
"  Our  friends  who  buy  slaves  with  no  other  design  than  to  hold 
them  as  slaves,  and  have  been  previously  warned,  shall  be  ex- 
pelled, and  permitted  to  sell  on  no  consideration."     At  the 
Conferences  held  for  the  year  1785  the  following  action  was 
had:  "It  is  recommended  to  all  our  brethren  to  suspend  the 
execution  of  the  minute  on  slavery  till  the  deliberations  of  a 
future  Conference;  and  that  an  equal  space  of  time  be  allowed 
all  our  members  for  consideration,  when  the  minute  shall  be 
put  in  force."     Here  is  the  law  on  the  subject  of  slavery  sus- 
pended in  the  very  beginning.     Through  all  the  history  of  ec- 
clesiastical legislation  on  the  subject,  the  statutes  of  the  Church 
concerning  slavery  were  inoperative.     The  very  provisions  of 
said  statutes  demonstrated  that  it  was  impossible  to  enforce 
them,  and  that  they  were  absolutely  null  and  void.     Even  Dr. 
Thomas  Coke,  who  was  so  very  conscientious  in  bearing  testi- 
mony against  slaveholding,  could  desist  when  he  crossed  State 
lines.     He  said:  "I  have  now  done  with  my  testimony  against 
(634) 


The  Methodists  of  Alabama  in  the  Crisis  of  1844.         635 

slavery  for  a  time,  being  got  into  North  Carolina,  the  laws  of 
this  State  forbiding  any  to  emancipate  their  Negroes."  In- 
stead of  leaving  the  civil  affairs  of  the  country  to  the  civil  au- 
thorities, and  the  domestic  matters  to  adjust  themselves  in  the 
on-going  of  time  and  things,  and  addressing  themselves  to  the 
legitimate  work  of  their  heavenly  calling  and  keeping  them- 
selves in  sympathy  with  all  classes  and  conditions  of  Society  in 
the  broad  field  before  them  those  very  conscientious  preachers 
rushed  in  where  angels  would  not  have  ventured,  and  in- 
augurated a  useless  agitation  and  a  destructive  war.  The  wise 
and  conservative  had  to  expend  their  energies  and  lay  under 
contribution  their  best  wits  in  improvising  plans  and  measures 
to  keep  from  driving  to  shipwreck  and  ruin.  They  had  to 
manipulate  compromises  to  hold  the  Church  in  sympathy  with 
public  sentiment,  and  retain  a  hearing  of  the  people.  In  order 
that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  might  maintain  an  exist- 
ence in  the  slaveholding  States  it  became  absolutely  necessary, 
from  time  to  time,  to  make  concessions  and  to  recede  from  the 
positions  assumed  on  the  subject  of  slavery. 

Memorable  in  the  history  of  Methodism  and  of  the  country 
was  the  session  of  the  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  which  was  held  in  the  city  of  New  York,  begin- 
ning May  1  and  closing  June  10, 1844.  The  question  of  slavery, 
associated  with  the  Kev.  Francis  A.  Harding,  of  the  Baltimore" 
Conference,  and  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew,  agitated  that  ec-- 
clesiastical  body  through  the  entire  session  of  six  weeks.  On 
May  20  the  Committee  on  Episcopacy  was  instructed  to  ascer- 
tain the  facts  concerning  the  connection  of  Bishop  James  O.. 
Andrew  with  slavery,  and  report  the  result  of  the  investigation! 
to  the  General  Conference  the  next  day.  The  Committee  com- 
plied with  instructions,  and  gave  to  the  Conference  Bishop 
Andrew's  own  written  statement  of  the  facts  in  the  case.  That 
report  and  statement,  it  seems,  put  the  esse  in  official  form  be- 
fore the  Conference,  and  the  case  was  set  for  hearing  and  dis- 
position the  day  following.  On  the  order  of  the  day  the  case 
was  taken  up  in  due  form  May  22.  From  that  day  till  June  1 
the  case  was  discussed,  and  that  under  the  pressure  of  the  most 
intense  ecclesiastical  and  political  excitement.  The  country 
was  agitated  from  center  to  circumference.  A  number  of  pre- 
ambles and  resolutions  were  presented  and  a  number  of  propo- 
41 


636 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


sitions  were  made  on  the  subject.  Finally,  on  June  1,  the  case 
was  disposed  of  by  the  adoption  of  the  following  preamble  and 
resolution:  "  Whereas  the  Discipline  of  our  Church  forbids  the 
doing  of  anything  calculated  to  destroy  our  itinerant  general  su- 
periiitendency,  and  whereas  Bishop  Andrew  has  become  connect- 
ed with  slavery  by  marriage  and  otherwise,  and  this  act  having 
drawn  after  it  circumstances  which,  in  the  estimation  of  the 
General  Conference,  will  greatly  embarrass  the  exercise  of  his 
office  as  an  itinerant  general  superintendent,  if  not  in  some 
places  entirely  prevent  it;  Therefore,  Kesolved,  That  it  is  the 
sense  of  this  General  Conference  that  he  desist  from  the  exer- 
cise of  this  office  so  long  as  this  impediment  remains." 

That  document  was  adopted  by  one  hundred  and  eleven  votes 
for  it,  and  sixty-nine  against  it.  There  were  about  twelve  men 
belonging  to  the  Conferences  in  the  non-slaveholdiug  States  who 
voted  against  the  measure.  The  Baltimore  Conference  was 
divided  in  the  vote,  and  one  man  from  the  Eepublic  of  Texas 
voted  yea. 

It  certainly  required  a  genius  for  interpreting  constitutions 
and  a  gift  for  associating  remote  things  to  find  in  the  con- 
stitutional restriction  against  legislation  which  would  tend  to 
"destroy  the  plan  of  our  itinerant  general  superintendency " 
the  basis  of  a  preamble  for  implicating  a  man  in  the  charge  of 
violating  the  provisions  of  the  Discipline  who  had  accidentally 
become  connected  with  slavery. 

The  anti-slavery  men  held  that  a  Bishop  under  the  regula- 
tions of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  merely  an  officer 
of  the  General  Conference,  and  as  such  was  liable  to  be  de- 
posed at  will  by  a  simple  majority  of  the  body  without  the 
forms  of  a  trial,  and  that  no  obligation  existed  even  to  assign 
cause  wherefore  he  was  deposed.  Dr.  Hamline  and  others 
argued  that  the  General  Conference  had  constitutional  authority 
to  depose  a  Bishop  summarily,  and  by  simple  resolution.  Dr. 
Hamline  asserted  that  it  was  fitting,  and  expedient  that  Bishop 
Andrew  be  deposed.  He  said  the  General  Conference  had  the 
authority  to  depose  him,  and  that  it  would  be  treason  not  to  do 
so,  and  that  notwithstanding  he  and  his  associates  against  the 
Bishop,  admitted  that  Bishop  Andrew  was  "  morally  innocent." 
They  all  pronounced  Bishop  Andrew  without  moral  turpitude, 
and  without  official  delinquency. 


The  Methodists  of  Alabama  in  the  Crisis  of  184:4,         637 

Those  who  defended  Bishop  Andrew  rejected  all  the  posi- 
tions advocated  in  the  case  by  the  anti-slavery  men.  Bishop 
Soule  held  that  the  constitution,  laws  and  regulations  of  the 
Church,  the  vows  of  ordination  imposed  upon  and  the  parch- 
ments granted  to  Bishops  defined  the  relations,  protected  the 
prerogatives,  and  prescribed  the  duties  of  Bishops.  He  held 
that  the  Bishops  were  Bishops  of  the  Church,  and  not  of  the 
General  Conference  or  of  the  Annual  Conference,  and  that  they 
could  not  be  deposed  without  formal  arraignment,  and  opportu- 
nity of  defense,  and  a  verdict  arrived  at  by  law  and  upon  testi- 
mony. Not  by  resolution,  but  by  formal  investigation,  by 
legal  procedure,  under  forms  of  trial,  can  a  Bishop  be  deposed 
from  his  ecclesiastical  functions. 

Bishop  Soule  entreated  the  General  Conference  to  defer 
action  on  the  case.  He  said:  "  Now  it  is  the  solemn  conviction 
of  my  mind  that  the  safest  course  you  can  pursue  in  the  prem- 
ises is  to  pass  this  subject  without  any  implication  of  Bishop 
Andrew's  character,  and  send  out  officially  the  plain  and  simple 
facts  in  the  case  to  all  your  Societies — to  all  your  Conferences. 
Let  it  be  read  everywhere,  and  then  we  may  have  a  further  ex- 
pression of  opinion,  without  any  kind  of  agitation."  His  words, 
though  wise,  were  not  regarded;  his  entreaty,  though  earnest, 
was  not  heeded. 

Time  for  its  preparation  having  elapsed,  a  lengthy  Protest 
against  the  action  of  the  General  Conference  attempting  to  de- 
grade and  punish  Bishop  Andrew  was  presented  to  the  General 
Conference  and  entered  upon  the  Records  thereof.  That  Pro- 
test was  signed  by  sixty  delegates.  A  Rejoinder  to  the  Protest 
was  made  and  entered  upon  the  Journal  of  the  General  Confer- 
ence. The  making  that  Reply  and  putting  it  to  record  was  a 
most  singular  proceeding. 

Meanwhile,  the  crisis  called  forth  various  eflForts  to  adjust 
matters  for  the  successful  on-going  of  the  Church  in  the  future. 
A  paper,  prepared  by  Dr.  William  Capers,  was  presented  to  the 
General  Conference,  and  referred  to  a  Committee  of  nine  for 
consideration  which  proposed  measures  for  keeping  the  Church 
united  under  the  jurisdiction  of  two  General  Conferences,  one 
to  be  held  in  the  South,  and  one  to  be  held  in  the  North.  No 
agreement  could  be  reached  for  adjustment  on  that  basis,  and 
the  Committee  was  released  from  further  consideration  of  that 


638 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


plan.  A  declaration  signed  by  fifty-one  delegates  was  pre- 
sented to  the  General  Conference  representing  that  the  work 
of  the  Christian  Church  could  not  be  successfully  prosecuted 
in  the  slaveholding  States  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  General 
Conference  as  then  constituted.  The  paper  embodying  that 
declaration  was  referred  to  a  Committee  of  nine,  and  that  Com- 
mittee reported  a  document  which  was  adopted  by  the  General 
Conference.  That  document  provided  for  uniting  the  Societies 
and  the  Conferences  in  the  slaveholding  States  in  a  distinct  ec- 
clesiastical connection,  should  the  delegates  from  the  Confer- 
ences in  the  slaveholding  States  find  it  necessary.  That  paper 
contained  provisions  with  regard  to  the  sixth  restrictive  rule, 
the  property  of  the  Book  Concern,  and  the  property  in  meeting- 
houses, school-houses,  colleges,  and  cemeteries  which  need  not 
be  detailed  in  this  connection. 

The  day  after  the  General  Conference  adjourned  sine  die,  the 
delegates  from  the  thirteen  Conferences  then  in  the  slavehold- 
ing States  and  Territories  assembled  in  the  Lecture  room  of 
Green  Street  Church,  in  New  York,  and  formulated  an  Address 
to  their  constituents,  and  also  a  plan  of  procedure  to  be  ob- 
served by  them  in  the  disposition  of  the  matters  involved.  The 
Address  contained  an  intelligent  review  of  the  action  of  the 
General  Conference  just  adjourned  on  the  various  points  so 
vitally  affecting  the  interests  of  the  Methodists  in  the  slave- 
holding  section  of  the  country,  and  was  published,  as  was  also 
the  plan  of  procedure,  for  the  instruction  and  guidance  of  those 
immediately  concerned.  The  Address  set  forth  the  fact  that 
the  action  of  the  General  Conference  touching  slavery  and 
abolition  had  placed  the  Methodists  in  the  slaveholding  States 
and  Territories  under  proscription  and  disability;  and  also  that 
the  General  Conference,  having  been  advised  that  there  might 
be  an  imperative  necessity  in  the  premises,  had  provided  for 
formal  and  pacific  separation,  not  schism,  not  secession,  but 
separation;  and  that  the  Methodists  of  the  slaveholding  States 
and  Territories  were  to  be  the  sole  judges  of  the  necessity  for 
separation.  The  authors  of  the  Address  did  not  disguise  the 
fact  that,  though  they  had  "  clung  to  the  cherished  unity  of  the 
Church  with  a  firmness  of  purpose  and  force  of  feeling  which 
nothing  but  invincible  necessity  could  subdue,"  they  regarded 
separation  in  the  near  future  as  inevitable.     The  Address  re- 


The  Methodists  of  Alabama  in  the  Crisis  of  1844.         639 

ferred  the  whole  question  to  the  dispassionate  consideration  of 
the  ministers  and  members  of  the  Church  in  the  slaveholding 
States  and  Territories.  The  plan  of  procedure  adopted  by  the 
delegates  recommended  that  no  mass  meetings  be  held,  and 
that  no  measures  be  instituted  of  a  radical  or  revolutionary 
nature,  and  that  the  Societies  and  congregations  make  their 
views  known  through  the  Quarterly  Conference,  and  through 
the  Quarterly  Conferences  reach  the  Annual  Conferences. 

The  Methodists  in  the  slaveholding  States  were  under  the 
alternative  of  separating  from  the  men  who  had  deposed  Bishop 
Andrew  because  he  was  connected  with  slavery,  or  of  arraying 
the  whole  population  of  the  South  against  them.  They  had  to 
separate  from  the  abolitionists  or  give  up  the  field  in  which  they 
were  at  work.  A  Church  whose  legislation  was  so  radical  on 
domestic  relations  and  social  institutions  as  to  create  dissension 
and  distrust  could  not  have  access  to  either  slaves  or  masters. 
A  Church  whose  legislation  was  in  conflict  with  the  legislation 
of  the  State  could  never  hope  to  be  received  with  general  favor 
and  prosper  where  the  conflicting  legislation  touched  the  popu- 
lation. The  action  of  the  General  Conference  was  radical  and 
reckless,  and  it  was  impossible  to  be  indifferent  in  the  midst  of 
such  reckless  disregard  of  conservative  views  and  compromise 
measures.  The  Methodists,  as  an  ecclesiastical  organization, 
should  have  abstained,  from  the  first,  and  all  the  time,  from  all 
interference  with  institutions  authorized  and  established  by  the 
civil  laws  of  the  country,  and  had  they  pursued  that  course,  they 
would  have  escaped  the  distraction  which  they  had  among 
themselves  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  and  the  Church  would  not 
have  suffered  the  fearful  evil  of  disruption.  The  vessel  was 
marred  in  the  hands  of  the  potter,  marred  by  the  very  hands 
which  would  make  it. 

The  Methodists  of  Alabama  and  the  people  of  the  State  gen- 
erally were  greatly  excited  over  the  action  of  the  General  Con- 
ference on  the  subject  of  slavery,  though  so  far  as  is  now  known 
there  was  not  an  injudicious  action  had  nor  a  revolutionary 
measure  instituted  in  the  entire  commonwealth  during  the  whole 
time  of  the  terrible  ordeal.  The  members  of  the  Church  at  dif- 
ferent places,  in  meetings  called  for  the  purpose,  and  in  Quarterly 
Conferences  held  in  the  order  of  regular  business,  passed  pre- 
ambles and  resolutions  expressive  of  their  views  on  all  the  points 


640 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


involved.  There  is  still  extant  an  account  of  a  political  meeting 
in  the  State  in  which  action  was  had  on  that  grave  subject.  The 
proceedings  of  that  political  meeting  and  the  proceedings  of  a 
meeting  of  the  official  members  of  the  Greenesborough  Station, 
Alabama  Conference,  will  be  put  to  record  here  in  this  connec- 
tion, and  are  selected  and  given  as  indicating  the  feelings  and 
views  entertained  by  the  people  throughout  the  State.  These  are 
samples  of  many  papers  adopted  in  different  parts  of  the  com- 
monwealth, and  for  which  there  is  not  room  in  the  pages  of  this 
History. 

"A  public  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Bussell  County,  Alabama, 
was  held  at  Crawford,  on  June  8.  This  meeting  was  convened 
for  political  purposes,  and  passed  a  preamble  and  resolutions  in 
accordance  with  those  purposes.  The  following  resolutions, 
adopted,  among  the  rest,  without  a  dissenting  voice,  will  interest 
the  readers  of  this  paper: 

Be  it  further  Resolved,  That  this  meeting  has  witnessed  with 
intense  interest,  and  painful  anxiety,  the  agitation  of  the  slave 
question  in  the  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  now  convened  in  the  City  of  New  York.  They  have 
seen  that  a  topic,  which  hitherto  has  excited  the  bad  passions  of 
of  man  only  in  the  orgies  of  fanaticism,  or  in  the  strife  of  fac- 
tions in  their  unprincipled  struggle  for  political  power,  has  been 
transferred  to  the  foot  of  that  throne  which  ought  to  be  sacred 
to  charity,  peace,  and  good  will  among  Brethren  of  the  same 
Faith.  They  have  beheld  with  unutterable  indignation,  the  hu- 
miliating fact  of  a  Bishop  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  eminent  for  his 
piety,  learning,  ability,  and  Christian  virtues  put  in  effect  upon 
his  trial  as  a  culprit,  for  the  alleged  sin  of  marrying  a  lady  pos- 
sessed of  slaves,  by  which  it  is  insultingly  affirmed,  that  a  slave- 
holder is  an  unfit  Teacher  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  must  sub- 
mit, if  tolerated  as  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  to  a  sub- 
ordinate station  in  the  Ministry.  A  discrimination  which  finds 
no  warrant  in  the  sacred  oracles  of  God,  and  which  involves  I  th 
insult  and  outrage  to  the  people  of  an  entire  section  of  this 
Union. 

Be  it  further  Resolved,  that  if  Bishop  Andrew  should  be  de- 
posed from  his  Episcopal  functions,  we  earnestly  invoke  the 
clergy  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  the  South,  to  take 
immediate  measures  for  their  secession  from  a  Conference  which 


The  Methodists  of  Alabama  in  the  Crisis  of  1844, 


641 


has  placed  so  gross  a  stigma  not  only  on  themselves  but  on  their 
respective  Flocks.  An  insult  which  can  admit  of  but  one  reme- 
dy, in  the  application  of  which  they  may  be  assured  of  the  warm 
sympathy  and  unalterable  support  of  the  religious  congrega- 
tions of  the  whole  Southern  States  of  every  sect  and  denomina- 
tion."    (Southern  Christian  Advocate.) 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  official  members  of  the  Greenesborough 
Station,  Alabama  Conference,  held  July  1, 1844,  the  following  pre- 
amble and  resolutions  were  offered  by  Dr.  Pleasant  W.  Kittrell, 
and  unanimously  adopted: 

Believing  that  the  time  has  arrived,  in  the  history  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  when  it  becomes  absolutely  necessary 
that  the  Southern  portion  of  said  Church  should  take  a  bold,  in- 
dependent, and  decisive  stand,  in  defense  of  its  rights,  and  speak 
out  a  language  that  shall  be  heard,  and  felt,  from  one  extremity 
of  our  union  to  the  other — from  Texas  to  the  farthest  shore 
of  New  England — therefore.  We,  the  official  members  of  the 
Greenesborough  Station,  Alabama  Conference,  in  order  that  our 
opinions  may  be  distinctly  avowed,  known,  and  properly  under- 
stood, touching  the  subject  of  the  recent  action  of  the  General 
Conference,  in  the  case  of  the  Rev.  James  O.  Andrew,  one  of  the 
Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  do  beg  leave  to  set 
forth  our  views  in  the  following  resolutions: 

Resolved,  That  we  regard  the  present  as  an  awfully  fearful 
crisis  in  the  history  of  our  Church;  one  which  threatens  the 
whole  Church  with  evils  of  the  most  alarming  character;  which, 
while  it  calls  for  a  pow^erful  exercise  of  Christian  forbearance, 
and  charity,  on  our  part,  yet  justifies  us  in  preparing  to  meet  it 
in  its  worst  form,  both  as  it  becomes  Christians,  and  freemen. 

Resolved,  That  we  deem  the  action  of  the  General  Conference, 
in  the  case  of  Bishop  Andrew,  as  unconstitutional,  uncalled  for, 
and  disorganizing  and  revolutionary  in  its  tendency,  inasmuch 
as  no  charge  of  immorality,  or  neglect  of  duty,  was  alleged 
against  him. 

Resolved,  That  while  we  are  disposed  to  accord  to  our  breth- 
ren of  the  North  honesty  of  motive  and  intention,  in  their  late 
action,  yet,  we  can  but  sincerely  and  heartily  deprecate  that 
spirit  of  mistaken  and  misguided  zeal,  and  false  philanthropy, 
which  prompted  their  movements;  that  we  view  it  as  an  unneces- 
sary interference  with  our  rights;  at  war  with  the  true  interests 


642 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


of  the  Church,  and  in  violation  of  that  spirit  and  temper  that 
should  govern  the  conduct  of  Christ's  people. 

Kesolved,  That  we  heartily  approve  the  course  of  Bishop  An- 
drew, in  refusing  to  resign,  under  the  circumstances;  for  had 
he  done  so,  he  would  have  closed  the  door  (now  open)  for  preach- 
ing the  gospel  to  the  slaves  of  the  South. 

Eesolved,  That  the  majority  of  the  General  Conference,  in  re- 
fusing to  regard  the  request  of  the  Bishops,  in  reference  to  the 
final  decision  of  Bishop  Andrew's  case,  manifested  a  deadly  hos- 
tility to  the  institutions  of  the  South,  and  a  contempt  for  the 
usages  of  the  Church,  on  all  subjects  of  great  moment. 

Kesolved,  That  Bishop  Andrew  could  have  been  profitably  and 
usefully  employed,  in  the  Southern  portion  of  our  Church,  for 
the  next  four  years,  without  any  violation  of  the  rule  governing 
the  work  of  a  Bishop;  as  evidence— Bishop  Hedding  has  been 
confined  to  one  portion  of  the  work,  not  having  visited  the  South 
but  once  since  his  election. 

Kesolved,  That  we  believe  it  to  be  for  the  glory  of  God  and 
the  salvation  of  souls,  that  the  Church  peaceably  divide;  for  we 
feel  assured  that  we  shall  never  be  able  to  reconcile  our  breth- 
ren of  the  North  to  the  institutions  of  the  South. 

Kesolved,  That  Bishop  Andrew  has  our  entire  confidence,  as  a 
Christian  and  Christian  minister;  that  we  reverence  him  for 
his  intelligence  and  virtues  as  a  man,  for  his  zeal  and  industry 
as  a  superintendent  of  the  Church;  in  short,  for  all  those  noble 
and  dignified  qualities  of  head  and  heart  which  have  marked 
his  course  and  characterized  him  through  life,  in  the  various 
stations  which  he  has  filled. 

Kesolved,  That  we  tender  him  our  Christian  sympathies,  un- 
der the  unjust  and  cruel  treatment  which  he  has  received  from 
his  brethren  of  the  North,  and  we  pledge  ourselves  to  sustain 
him  in  his  office,  and  pray  that  he  may  long  live  to  bless  the 
Church  by  his  godly  example  and  pious  precepts. 

Kesolved,  That  Bishop  Soule  is  eminently  entitled  to  the 
thanks  of  the  Southern  portion  of  our  Church,  for  the  noble, 
dignified,  and  disinterested  stand  which  he  maintained  during 
the  business  of  the  General  Conference,  pending  the  trial  of 
Bishop  Andrew's  case,  and  for  the  respect  which  he  evinced  for 
southern  rights  and  institutions. 
.    Kesolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  above  resolutions  be  signed  by 


The  Methodists  of  Alabama  in  the  Crisis  of  1844.         643 

the  pastor  and  Secretary  and  transmitted  to  the  Southern  Chris- 
tian Advocate  for  publication,  with  the  request  that  our  Church 
papers  will  copy  them,  and  that  another  copy  be  sent  to  Bish- 
op Andrew.  Thomas  H.  Capers,  Pastor." 

K.  S.  Hunt,  Secretary. 

That  political  meeting  in  Kussell  County  was  held  before  the 
adjournment  of  the  General  Conference  and  before  the  dele- 
gates from  the  South  had  formulated  their  plans  of  operation? 
and  the  spirit  of  that  meeting  was  according  to  the  impulses 
of  the  hour,  and  according  to  the  impulses  born  of  the  convic- 
tions which  the  Southern  people  had  on  the  subject.  The  meet- 
ing at  Greenesborough  was  held  after  time  for  more  mature  de- 
liberation, and  the  spirit  there  was  in  accord  with  the  mature 
judgment  of  the  Methodist  people  throughout  the  common- 
wealth. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  for  Tuskaloosa  Station,  Alabama 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  held  June  15, 
1844,  the  Kev.  Charles  McLeod,  P.  E.,  the  Kev.  Thomas  O.  Sum- 
mers, P.  C,  and  David  Scott,  Secretary,  adopted  a  well  conceived 
document,  a  document  written  by  the  Kev.  Thomas  O.  Summers, 
in  which  was  expressed  the  judgment  of  that  body  on  the  mat- 
ters involved  by  the  several  actions  of  the  General  Conference 
just  four  days  previously  adjourned.  That  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence said  in  that  elegant  document:  "Peaceable  secession  is 
greatly  to  be  preferred  to  ceaseless  denunciation,  distrust,  and 
strife." 

The  Methodists  of  Mobile,  Alabama,  were  greatly  agitated 
over  the  transactions  which  imperiled  their  prerogatives  and 
usefulness,  and  in  a  meeting  of  the  male  members  of  the  sever- 
al Charges  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  city,  a 
meeting  presided  over  by  F.  C.  Heard,  and  in  which  Jones  Ful- 
ler acted  as  Secretary,  a  strongly  worded  paper  was  adopted  in 
which  the  measures  carried  by  the  majority  of  the  General  Con- 
ference were  pronounced  illegal,  oppressive,  and  unkind;  and 
the  abolitionists  were  respectfully  requested  not  to  obtrude 
their  ministerial  labors  in  any  of  the  Churches  in  the  city  of 
Mobile. 

At  a  Quarterly  Conference  for  Kussell  Circuit,  Alabama  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  held  at  Salem,  Ala- 
bama, July  13,  1844,  a  Committee,  consisting    of    five    local 


644 


Ilistorij  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


preachers,  the  Eev.  John  Crowell,  the  Eev.  William  C.  Robin- 
son, the  Rev.  Charles  A.  Brown,  the  Rev.  John  Ardis,  and  the 
Rev.  James  W.  Capps,  ai\d  of  two  laymen  who  were  not  preach- 
ers, William  Balliew  and  John  R.  Page,  presented  preamble 
and  resolutions  which  were  adopted.  That  paper  so  enthusi- 
asticalJy  supported  by  that  Qu\arterly  Conference  declared  that 
an  ecclesiastical  assembly  had  no  right  to  interfere  with  slavery 
or  any  civil  relations,  that  the  settlement  of  such  questions  and 
relations  belonged  exclusively  to  the  civil  assemblies  of  the 
country.  That  document  also  declared  that  the  time  had  come 
when  the  maintainance  of  their  rights  both  civil  and  religious 
demanded  that  the  Methodists  in  the  South  should  separate 
from  the  Methodists  in  the  North,  and  maintain  an  independent 
jurisdiction. 

A  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Greenville  Circuit,  Alabama 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  July,  1844, 
adopted  an  elegant  paper  which  approved  of  the  plan  to  hold  a 
delegated  convention  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  separate 
and  distinct  body  for  the  control  of  its  own  ecclesiastical  matters. 
The  Rev.  G.  Garrett  was  the  presiding  elder  who  presided  in 
that  Quarterly  Conference,  and  James  McFarland  was  the  Sec- 
retary. 

The  male  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
Woodville,  Alabama,  (now  called  Uniontown)  held  a  meeting 
July  15, 1844,  presided  over  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Williamson, 
with  J.  R.  John,  Esq.,  acting  as  Secretary,  in  which  they  ex- 
pressed their  feelings  and  views  on  the  proceedings  of  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  relating  to  slavery.  Their  views  on  the  subject 
were  expressed  by  the  adoption  of  a  paper  prepared  and  pre- 
sented by  G.  N.  AYare,  R.  H.  Hudson,  and  James  White.  One 
resolution  adopted  is  the  following:  "Resolved,  That  a  division 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  indispensably  necessary 
and  that  under  existing  circumstances  we  cannot  be  satisfied 
without  it,  and  do  hereby  recommend  that  the  separation  take 
place  as  soon  as  practicable,  and  that  the  plan  of  separation 
proposed  by  the  Committee  for  this  purpose,  and  adopted  by 
the  General  Conference,  is  equitable,  and  should  therefore  be 
carried  out." 

The  Quarterly  Conference  for  La  Fayette  Circuit,  Alabama 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  held  at  Oak 


(644) 


M 


The  Methodists  of  Alabama  in  the  Crisis  of  1844,         645 

Bowery,  Alabama,  August  10, 1844,  with  forty-five  members  pres- 
ent, and  the  Eev.  John  W.  Starr,  P.  E.,  in  the  chair,  and  Na-^ 
thaniel  Grady,  acting  Secretary,  adopted  preamble  and  resolu- 
tions which  for  exactness  and  comprehensiveness  were  not  often 
excelled.     That  Quarterly  Conference  passed  the  following: 

"Resolved,  That  we  recognize  obedience  to  the  laws  of  the 
land  as  a  high  moral  duty  binding  upon  every  good  citizen,  and 
that  any  act  of  an  ecclesiastical  judicature,  bringing  the  Church 
into  a  position  antagonistical  to  the  State,  is  arrogant  and  revo- 
lutionary,  and  fit  only  to  be  repudiated  and  denounced  by  all 
good  Christians."  That  Quarterly  Conference  also  declared 
their  cordial  approval  of  the  plan  to  call  a  convention  of  minis- 
ters to  adopt  a  constitution  and  arrange  for  the  organization  of 
a  Church  in  the  Southern  States. 

The  male  members  of  Asbury  Church  in  Autauga  County, 
Alabama,  held  a  meeting  August  17,  1844,  in  which  Samuel 
Stodenmier,  H.  D.  Holmes,  the  Rev.  Acton  Young,  S.  Mims,  J. 
B.  Wilkinson,  and  Gasper  GholsoH  took  a  leading  part,  and  in 
which  deep  convictions  and  intelligent  views  were  expressed  on 
the  extraordinary  events  of  the  hour.  In  that  meeting  held  in 
the  noble  old  Asbury  Church  it  was  declared:  "That  under  ex~ 
isting  circumstances  nothing  short  of  a  separation  will  suit  the 
feelings  and  views  of  the  South,  as  her  rights  have  been  reck- 
lessly trampled  on  by  the  majority;  and  the  union  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  has  been  broken  by  the  late  General 
Conference,  by  its  action  in  the  cases  of  Bishop  Andrew  and 
the  Rev.  F.  A.  Harding." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  the  town  of  Auburn,  Alabama,  held  after  divine 
service,  Sunday,  July  28,  1844,  strong  resolutions  were  passed, 
under  the  leadership  of  Judge  John  J.  Harper,  J.  A.  Pelot,  N. 
J.  Scott,  Simeon  Perry,  M.  Turner,  and  E.  Wilbanks,  denouuc-^ 
ing  the  action  of  the  General  Conference  on  the  subject  of 
slavery,  and  recommending  separation  and  a  distinct  jurisdic- 
tion. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  for  Marion  Station,  Alabama  Con« 
ference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  took  action  upon 
the  exciting  theme,  and  approved  the  purpose  to  separate  the- 
Church  in  the  South  from  the  Church  in  the  North. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Greene  Circuit,  at  Ebene- 


646 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


zer,  August  17,  19,  1844,  adopted  a  very  expressive  paper  on 
the  momentous  subject,  as  did  the  members  of  Society  at  Eb- 
enezer  at  the  same  time.  In  that  paper  it  was  declared  that 
an  outrage  had  been  committed,  by  the  General  Conference,  on 
the  discipline  and  usage  of  the  Church.  The  plan  to  call  a 
Convention  to  complete  a  distinct  ecclesiastical  organization 
was  strongly  approved.  The  Kev.  L.  B.  McDonald,  W.  H. 
McCurdy,  K.  T.  Shelton,  and  H.  L.  Kennon  were  active  in  the 
measures  of  that  occasion. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Oak  Grove  Circuit  at 
McGinney's  Camp-ground,  near  Lowndesboro,  Alabama,  August 
24,  1844,  John  W.  Starr,  P.  E.,  in  the  chair,  and  Barton  Stone, 
Secretary,  adopted  a  very  exhaustive  paper  on  this  great  sensa- 
tion. In  that  excellent  paper  the  preachers  of  the  Alabama 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  were  highly 
commended  for  their  disinterested  Christian  work  in  the  Mis- 
sions to  the  Negroes,  and  in  it  was  denounced,  with  severe  sar- 
casm, "  the  supererogation  of  tender  sympathy  manifested  by 
our  Northern  brethern  for  the  physical  and  temporal  condition 
of  the  slaves,"  while  they  had  "  effected  so  little  for  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  same  race  among  themselves."  The  members  of 
that  Quarterly  Conference,  in  that  superb  paper,  asserted, 
"that  the  unmolested  enjoyment  of  our  rights,  nay,  our  very 
existence  as  a  Church,  in  any  condition  to  be  desired  or  tolerated, 
depends  upon  separation."  The  fond  hope  was  indulged  that 
in  separation  there  would  accrue  lasting  good.  By  separation 
the  Methodists  in  the  South  would  escape  distrust  and  suspi- 
cion, and  open  the  way  to  prosecute  the  work  of  evangelizing 
the  slaves  of  the  South. 

A  Quarterly  Conference  for  Demopolis  Station,  Alabama 
Conference,  held  at  Demopolis,  Alabama,  Jesse  Boring,  P.  E., 
and  R.  A.  Smith,  Secretary,  adopted  resolutions,  clear  and  con- 
cise, disapproving  the  action  of  the  General  Conference  in  de- 
posing Bishop  Andrew  on  account  of  his  connection  with 
slavery,  and  accepting  the  plan  of  a  separate  jurisdiction.  The 
Resolutions  were  prepared  and  presented  by  the  Rev.  John  C. 
Keener,  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Station.  Keener  was 
then  a  young  man,  but  he  was  pronounced  on  the  subjects  in- 
volved. The  Society  at  Demopolis  adopted  the  resolutions 
which  the  Quarterly  Conference  had  adopted. 


Tlie  Methodists  of  Alabama  in  the  Crisis  of  1844.         647 

At  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  Montgomery  Station, 
Alabama  Conference,  September  28,  1844,  resolutions  express- 
ive of  the  feelings  of  the  membership  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  connected  with  said  Station,  upon  the  action  of 
the  General  Conference  upon  the  case  of  Bishop  Andrew  were 
unanimously  adopted.  The  Committee  who  drafted  the  resolu- 
tions were  Neil  Blue,  T.  L.  Brothers,  and  the  Rev.  S.  F.  Pilley. 
It  was  declared:  "That  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  civil 
government  have  the  entire  control  of  legislative  action  upon 
slavery  in  the  United  States;  and  the  action  of  the  majority  of 
the  General  Conference  in  attempting  to  interfere  with  civil 
regulations  for  the  purpose  of  making  them  the  test  of  eccles- 
iastical qualifications  is  contrary  to  the  teaching  of  the  New 
Testament  and  the  standard  of  doctrines  adopted  by  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church." 

The  Quarterly  Conference  for  Eufaula  Station,  Alabama 
Conference,  adopted  a  long  and  very  ably  written  report  on  the 
subject  of  the  division  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in 
which  it  was  declared  that  division  was  inevitable.  On  De- 
cember 2, 1844,  the  members  of  the  Society  at  Eufaula,  Alabama, 
adopted  that  same  report,  with  one  member  dissenting.  At 
the  meeting  of  the  members  at  Eufaula,  Dr.  A.  P.  Crawford 
presided,  and  E.  B.  Young  acted  as  Secretary. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  for  Jacksonville  Circuit,  Alabama 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  session  at 
Alexandria  Camp-ground,  Benton  County,  Alabama,  appointed 
a  Committee,  consisting  of  Harris  Taylor,  Haman  Baily,  Ed- 
ward Patton,  Clayton  C.  Gillispie,  and  James  F.  Grant,  to  draft 
preamble  and  resolutions  expressing  the  sense  of  that  Confer- 
ence on  the  subject  of  the  division  of  the  Church  North  and 
South.  At  7  P.M.  Monday,  July  15,  1844,  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference in  session,  the  Report  of  that  Committee  was  received 
and  adopted. 

Numbers  of  other  Quarterly  Conferences  and  numbers  of 
other  Societies  in  the  State  took  official  arid  public  action  on 
the  very  perplexing  subject.  There  was  great  unanimity  on 
the  matters  involved  throughout  the  commonwealth.  There 
was  one  dissenting  voice  upon  the  action  of  the  Society  at  Eu- 
faula, and  in  one  Circuit  in  the  Alabama  Conference,  the  Cen- 
terville  Circuity  there  was  decided  opposition  to  the   division 


648 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


of  the  Church.  Only  a  comparatively  small  fraction  of  the 
members  of  that  Circuit  were  in  favor  of  the  action  of  the 
majority  of  the  General  Conference  on  the  subject  of  slavery, 
and  opposed  to  the  plan  of  separation  recommended  by  that 
body.  Eegret  over  the  situation  was  everywhere  expressed, 
and  reluctance  in  taking  the  step  for  separation  was  everywhere 
manifested,  but  in  view  of  the  insuperable  difficulties  in  prose- 
cuting the  work  in  the  South  under  the  jurisdiction  of  a  people 
avowedly  enlisted  against  the  civil  institutions  of  that  section 
the  Methodists  of  Alabama  with  almost  unanimous  voice  said 
separation  is  inevitable,  is  absolutely  necessary.  Preachers 
and  laymen  took  an  active  part  in  the  agitation,  and  they  wrote 
some  valuable  articles  on  the  subject.  The  Rev.  Thomas  O. 
Summers,  who  was  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  when  the  crusade 
opened,  wrote  extensively  during  the  agitation.  He  was  a 
leader  in  advocating  and  vindicating  the  rights  of  the  South. 
He  preferred  separation  to  schism.  H©  pronounced  the  course 
pursued  with  Bishop  Andrew  as  at  once  puerile  and  illegal. 

The  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  was  held  at  Wetump- 
ka,  Alabama,  beginning  February  26,  and  closing  March  5, 1845. 
At  that  time  and  place  the  question  of  a  separate  jurisdiction  of 
the  Annual  Conferences  in  the  South  presented  itself  for  settle- 
ment, and  the  Conference  formulated  and  adopted  the  following 
deliverance : 

"  The  Committee  appointed  by  the  Conference  to  take  into 
consideration  the  subject  of  a  separate  jurisdiction  for  the 
Southern  Conferences  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  beg 
leave  to  report.  That  they  have  meditated  Yrith  prayerful  solici- 
tude on  this  important  matter,  and  have  solemnly  concluded  on 
the  necessity  of  the  measure.  They  suppose  it  to  be  superflu- 
ous to  review  formally  all  the  proceedings  which  constitute  the 
unhappy  controversy  between  the  Northern  and  Southern  por- 
tions of  our  Church,  inasmuch  as  their  sentiments  can  be  ex- 
pressed in  one  sentence, — They  endorse  the  unanswerable  Pro- 
test of  the  Minority  in  the  late  General  Conference.  They  be- 
lieve that  the  doctrines  of  that  imperishable  Document  cannot 
be  successfully  assailed.  They  are  firm  in  the  conviction  that 
the  action  of  the  Majority  in  the  case  of  Bishop  Andrew  was  un- 
constitutional. Being  but  a  delegated  body,  the  General  Con- 
ference has  no  legitimate  right  to  tamper  with  the  office  of  a 


The  Methodists  of  Alabama  in  the  Crisis  of  1844,         649 


General  Superintendent,  his  amenableness  to  that  body  and  li- 
ability to  expulsion  by  it,  having  exclusive  reference  to  malad- 
ministration, ceasing  to  travel,  and  immoral  conduct.  They  are 
of  opinion  that  Bishop  Andrew's  connection  with  slavery  can 
come  under  none  of  these  heads.  If  the  entire  eldership  of 
the  Church,  in  a  conventional  capacity,  were  to  constitute  non- 
slaveholding  or  even  abolitionism  a  tenure  by  which  the  Epis- 
copal office  should  be  held,  or  if  they  were  to  abolish  the  office, 
they  doubtless  could  plead  the  abstract  right  thus  to  modify  or 
revolutionize  the  Church  in  its  supreme  executive  administra- 
tion. But  before  the  General  Conference  can  justly  plead  this 
right,  it  must  show  when  and  where  such  plenary  power  was 
delegated  to  it  by  the  only  fountain  of  authority,  the  entire  Pas- 
torate of  the  Church.  Your  Committee  are  therefore  of  opin- 
ion, that  the  General  Conference  has  no  more  power  over  a 
Bishop,  except  in  the  specified  cases  of  maladministration, 
ceasing  to  travel,  and  immorality,  than  over  the  Episcopacy,  as 
an  integral  part  of  our  excellent  ecclesiastical  polity.  It  can  no 
more  depose  a  Bishop  for  slaveholding  than  it  can  create  a  new 
Church. 

Your  Committee  deeply  regret  that  these  *  conservative '  sen- 
timents did  not  occur  to  the  majority  in  the  late  General  Con- 
ference, and  that  the  apologists  of  that  body,  since  its  session, 
have  given  them  no  place  in  their  ecclesiastical  creed,  but  on 
the  contrary  have  given  fearful  evidence  that  proceedings  in  the 
case  of  Bishop  Andrew  are  but  the  incipiency  of  a  course,  which, 
when  finished,  will  leave  not  a  solitary  slaveholder  in  the  com- 
munion which  be  unfortunately  under  their  control.  The  fore- 
going sentiments  and  opinions  embody  the  general  views  ex- 
pressed most  unequivocally  throughout  the  Conference  district 
since  the  late  General  Conference,  by  the  large  body  of  the 
membership,  both  in  primary  meetings  and  Quarterly  Confer- 
ences. 

The  Committee,  therefore,  offer  to  the  calm  consideration  and 
mature  action  of  the  Alabama  Annual  Conference  the  following 
series  of  Resolutions: 

1.  Resolved,  That  this  Conference  deeply  deplores  the  action 

of  the  late  General  Conference  of  the   Methodist  Episcopal 

Church  in  the  case  of  our  venerated  Superintendent,  Bishop 

Andrew,  believing  it  to  be  unconstitutional,  being  as  totally 
42 


G50 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


destitute  of  warrant  froiQ  the  Discipline  as  from  the  AVord  of 
God. 

2.  Resolved,  That  the  almost  unanimous  agreement  of  North- 
ern Methodists  with  the  majority  and  Southern  Methodists 
with  the  minority  of  the  late  General  Conference,  shows  thf^ 
wisdom  of  that  body  in  suggesting  a  duality  of  jurisdiction  to 
meet  the  present  emergency. 

3.  Resolved,  That  this  Conference  agrees  to  the  proposition 
for  the  alteration  of  the  sixth  restrictive  rule  of  the  Discipline. 

4  Resolved,  That  this  Conference  approves  of  the  projected 
Convention  at  Louisville  in  May  next,  and  appoints  the  follow- 
ing brethren  as  a  Delegation  to  the  same: — 

5.  Resolved,  That  this  Conference  most  respectfully  invites 
all  the  Bishops  to  attend  the  proposed  Convention  at  Louisville. 

6.  Resolved,  That  this  Conference  is  decided  in  its  attachment 
to  Methodism  as  it  exists  in  the  Book  of  Discipline,  and  hopes 
that  the  Louisville  Convention,  will  not  make  the  slightest  alter- 
ation, except  so  far  as  may  be  absolutely  necessary  for  the  for- 
mation of  a  separate  jurisdiction. 

7.  Resolved,  That  every  preacher  of  this  Conference  shall  take 
up  a  collection  in  his  Station  or  Circuit,  as  soon  as  practicable, 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  Delegates  to  the  Convention,  and 
the  proceeds  of  such  collections  shall  be  immediately  paid  over 
to  the  nearest  Delegate  or  presiding  elder;  and  the  excess  or 
deficit  of  the  colle(jtion  for  the  said  expenses  shall  be  reported 
to  the  next  Conference,  which  shall  take  action  on  the  same. 

8.  Resolved,  That  the  Friday  immediately  preceding  the  ses- 
sion of  the  Convention  shall  be  observed  in  all  our  Circuits  and 
Stations  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  for  the  blessing  of  God 
upon  its  deliberations. 

9.  Resolved,  That  while  this  Conference  fully  appreciates  the 
commendable  motives  which  induced  the  Holston  Conference 
to  suggest  another  expedient  to  compromise  the  differences  ex- 
isting between  the  Northern  and  Southern  divisions  of  the 
Church,  it  nevertheless  cannot  concur  in  the  proposition  of  that 
Conference  concerning  that  matter. 

10.  Resolved,  That  this  Conference  fully  recognizes  the  right 
of  our  excellent  Superintendent,  Bishop  Soule,  to  invite  Bishop 
Andrew  to  share  with  him  the  responsibilities  of  the  Episcopal 
oflGice,  and  while  the  Conference  regrets  the  absence  of  the  for^ 


The  2Iefhodists  of  Alabama  in  the  Crisis  of  1844.         651 


mer,  it  rejoices  in  being  favored  with  the  efficient  services  of  the 
latter— it  respectfully  tenders  these  'true  yokefellows'  in  the 
Superintendency  the  fullest  approbation,  the  most  fervent 
prayers,  and  the  most  cordial  sympathies. 

Thomas  O.  Summers, 
A.  H.  Mitchell, 
E.  V.  Le  Vert, 
J.  Hamilton, 
E.  Hearn, 
W.  Murrah, 
J.  Boring, 
G.  Shaeffer, 
C.  McLeod." 
The  members  present  and  representing  the  Alabama  Confer- 
ence in  the  Convention  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  beginning  May 
1,  1845,  were  Jefferson  Hamilton,  Jesse  Boring,  Thomas  H.  Ca- 
pers, Eugene  V.  Le  Vert,  Elisha  Calloway,  Thomas  O.  Summers, 
Greenberry  Garrett. 

The  appointments  received  at  the  Conference  at  Wetumpka, 
Alabama,  March  5,  1845,  were  the  last  appointments  made  in 
the  State  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  At  that  time  there  were  in  the  State,  in  round  num- 
bers, thirty-two  thousand  white  and  fifteen  thousand  colored 
members.  That  embodied  the  interest  which  at  that  time  had 
to  be  conserved  in  Alabama.  Nearly  one-third  of  the  members 
were  slaves,  and  the  reason  appears  at  once  for  the  establish- 
ment of  an  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  free  from  the  interference 
of  abolitionists.  Sometimes  a  state  of  things  is  reached  in 
which  action  is  imperatively  demanded,  and  the  alternative  is  a 
choice  between  evils.  In  Alabama  the  organization  of  a  sepa- 
rate jurisdiction  was  accepted  almost  unanimously,  and  with 
great  enthusiasm,  and  the  change  was  made  in  such  manner  as 
not  to  disturb  the  on-going  of  affairs.  The  change  was  almost 
imperceptible,  though  it  is  not  to  be  denied  that  the  agitation 
and  sharp  controversies  created  and  persisted  in  by  the  aboli- 
tionists retarded  the  peaceful  work  of  Methodism,  and  did  great 
harm  to  the  general  cause  of  Christianity. 

The  Alabama  Conference  held  a  session  in  Mobile,  Alabama, 
be"-inning  February  25,  1846,  in  which  the  final  action  was  had 
concerning  the  separate  jurisdiction.     A  number  ci.  resolutions 


652 


Histonj  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


bearing  on  the  subject  were  adopted.  One  resolution  declared 
that  the  Alabama  Conference  heartily  approved  the  action  of 
the  Louisville  Convention,  and  their  adherence  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South.  It  was  also  resolved  to  conform  all 
the  proceedings,  journals,  and  records  of  the  Conference  to  the 
name  and  style  of  the  Church  under  the  new  jurisdiction.  The 
Conference  also  elected  delegates  to  represent  them  in  the  first 
General  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
to  meet  in  Petersburg,  Virginia,  the  first  day  of  May,  of  that 
year.  Said  delegates  were:  Thomas  H.  Capers,  Elisha  Callo- 
way, Eugene  Y.  LeVert,  Jesse  Boring,  Jefferson  Hamilton, 
Greenberry  Garrett,  Thomas  O.  Summers.  At  that  time  were 
made  the  first  appointments  in  Alabama  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 

The  white  and  colored  members  increased  in  Alabama  in 
about  the  same  ratio  from  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the 
Southern  jurisdiction  until  the  time  of  the  effort  to  establish  a 
Confederacy  of  the  slaveholding  States  and  the  time  of  the 
abolition  of  slavery  by  the  proclamation  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

The  Work  of  Methodism  in  Alabama  under  the  New 
Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction. 

FOE  the  series  of  years  beginning  with  1846,  when  the 
Southern  jurisdiction  went  into  operation,  and  running  to 
the  time  of  the  civil  war  between  the  States,  the  Tennessee 
Conference  had  in  the  State  of  Alabama  two  entire  Districts, 
the  Huntsville  and  the  Florence,  the  last  sometimes  called 
Tuscumbia.  The  membership  in  the  two  Districts,  including 
both  races,  aggregated  something  over  six  thousand.  There 
was  from  year  to  year  some  fluctuation  in  numbers,  though  the 
variation  for  all  these  years  was  not  very  great. 

The  leading  preachers  who  occupied  in  the  two  Districts  in 
the  beautiful  Tennessee  Valley  during  a  decade  and  a  half  of 
years  were:  The  Kevs.  Samuel  S.  Moody,  Thomas  Maddin,  W. 
G.  Hensley,  Henry  P.  Turner,  Thomas  W.  Randle,  James  W. 
Allen,  Justinian  Williams,  Adam  S.  Riggs,  Finch  P.  Scruggs, 
W.  D.  F.  Sawrie,  W.  E.  J.  Husbands,  Moses  M.  Henkle,  Ander- 
son G.  Copeland,  A.  F.  Driskill,  J.  D.  Barbee,  Alexander  E. 
Erwin,  Pleasant  B.  Eobinsou,  J.  E.  Plumer,  Wellborn  Mooney. 

The  Eev.  S.  S.  Moody  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1810,  and 
died  May  5,  1863.  His  last  work  in  Alabama  was  the  Florence 
Station.  A  hard  worker,  calm  and  saintly,  he  was  classed  as 
one  of  "the  bnghtest  and  the  best"  of  the  preachers  of  the 
Tennessee  Conference. 

The  Eev.  Thomas  Maddin  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  13,  1796,  and  he  died  in  Nashville,  Tennes- 
see, in  1874.  His  father  was  a  Eomanist,  and  trained  him  in 
that  faith,  but  he  was  brought  into  a  saving  knowledge  of  the 
grace  of  God  by  the  Methodists,  whom  he  found  in  his  native 
place,  and  he,  in  the  midst  of  bitter  opposition,  cast  his  lot  with 
that  people.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1818,  and  continued 
a  preacher  till  his  exit  to  the  skies.  Endowed  with  somewhat 
of  the  poetic  gift,  he  was  ever  charmed  with  the  beautiful  and 

(653) 


654 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


grand  in  nature  and  the  pure  and  sublime  in  the  moral  world. 
In  speech  and  address  he  was  both  pleasing  and  winning.  He 
was  agreeable  in  spirit,  devoted  in  life,  and  steadfast  in  faith. 
He  did  much  good  work  in  North  Alabama. 

Much  good  was  wrought  in  the  common  cause,  and  many 
leading  appointments  were  filled  in  North  Alabama  by  the 
Eev.  Finch  P.  Scruggs,  who  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  who 
died  at  Holly  Springs,  Mississippi,  September  28,  1881,  in  the 
eighty-first  year  of  his  age. 

Eleven  years  of  the  long  ministerial  life  of  the  Kev.  W.  D. 
F.  Sawrie  were  given  to  North  Alabama,  eight  of  them  in  the 
work  of  presiding  elder.  He  was  a  man  of  intense  zeal  and  of 
unfailing  fidelity.  He  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  died 
in  the  city  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  November  27,  1884,  in  the 
seventy-third  year  of  his  age. 

The  Kev.  Moses  M.  Henkle  joined  the  Ohio  Conference  on  trial 
at  Cincinnati,  in  August,  1819,  and  located  in  September,  1822, 
being  only  a  deacon.  The  next  time  he  appears  as  an  itinerant 
is  at  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  in  October,  1855, 
when  he  was  appointed  to  the  Huntsville  Station.  He  served 
that  Station  till  October,  1856,  and  he  was  Agent  for  Endow- 
ment Fund  of  the  Chair  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Ecclesias- 
tical History  in  Florence  Wesley  an  University  from  the  close  of 
his  pastorate  at  Huntsville  till  October,  1858.  He  was  a  native 
of  Virginia,  and  was  eminent  as  a  scholar,  a  theologian,  and  a 
preacher;  and  he  was  an  author  of  no  mean  pretensions.  "He 
died  in  Kichmond,  Virginia,  in  1864,  whither  he  had  been  sent 
from  Baltimore,  by  the  military  authority  of  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment." 

The  Kev.  Alexander  K.  Erwin  followed  Dr.  Henkle  in  the 
Station  at  Huntsville.  He  filled  that  appointment  for  two 
years,  and  then  for  a  year  he  was  Agent  of  the  Book  and  Tract 
Society  and  member  of  the  Huntsville  Station  Quarterly  Con- 
ference. In  the  latter  part  of  1859  he  assumed  the  duties  of 
President  of  the  Huntsville  Female  College,  but  in  a  few  brief 
months  he  resigned  his  charge.  He  died  of  consumption,  Jan- 
uary 10,  1860.  He  lacked  two  days  of  being  forty  years  old 
when  he  died,  and  he  had  been  a  preacher  about  twenty  years. 
He  was  a  native  of  Louisiana,  was  of  tall  and  slender  stature, 
with  blue  eyes  and  cheerful  countenance.     Piety  and  power 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      655 

i — ■ 


characterized  him  as  a  Christian  and  a  preacher.  He  was  true 
in  life  and  triumphant  in  death.  Within  a  short  while  of  his 
last  expiring  breath  he  said:  "I  see  the  pillars  of  the  eternal 
city.  I  shall  soon  be  in  Abraham's  bosom."  He  left  the 
blessings  of  the  triune  God  upon  his  children.  His  two  boys 
entered  the  ministry,  one  of  them  in  the  Tennessee  Conference 
and  the  other  in  the  North  Alabama.  The  children  of  the 
righteous  are  blessed. 

Perhaps  the  Kev.  Pleasant  B.  Kobinson,  M.D.,  did  as  much 
for  Methodism  in  Huntsville,  Alabama,  as  any  other  one  man. 
He  worked  there  in  charge  of  the  flocks  devoted  to  one  calling, 
and  he  worked  there  also  as  a  local  preacher,  and  administered 
medicine  for  many  years,  having  an  extended  business,  doing 
good  to  both  the  bodies  and  souls  of  men.  In  November,  1827, 
he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  Conference,  and  for 
ten  years  he  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry, and  then  located.  He  was  re-admitted  into  the  Tennessee 
Conference  at  its  session  in  Huntsville,  Alabama,  in  October, 
1856,  and  was  appointed  to  the  Huntsville  Colored  Charge.  Dur- 
ing the  year  following  he  served  West  Huntsville  Station,  and 
then  after  that  he  served  another  year  on  the  Huntsville  African 
Mission.  He  was  then  one  year  Agent  of  Huntsville  Female 
College,  and  at  the  end  of  that  year  he  was  given  a  supernumer- 
ary relation.  He  resigned  his  spirit  to  God  who  gave  it  at  his 
home  in  Huntsville,  Alabama,  October  2, 1861.  He  was  a  vigor- 
ous, active  man,  possessing  zeal,  piety,  and  pathos.  He  was  an 
able  preacher,  and  he  led  the  hosts  in  great  revivals.  To  the  af- 
flicted, the  poor,  and  the  outcasts  he  was  ever  a  friend.  His 
Christian  life  encompassed  the  demonstration  of  divine  adop- 
tion, an  unmistakable  call  to  the  ministry,  and  an  ecstatic  de- 
parture to  the  realms  of  endless  glory. 

In  1843,  about  the  time  he  was  admitted  to  the  profession  of 
law,  William  Basil  Wood,  though  not  then  a  member  of  the 
Church,  asked  and  obtained  permission  to  organize  a  Sunday- 
school  in  the  Meeting  House  owned  and  used  by  the  Methodists 
of  Florence,  Alabama.  The  Sunday-school  was  organized,  and 
in  that  commenced  the  active  religious  work  of  that  capable 
young  man.  Some  time  after  he  opened  that  Sunday-school 
he  joined  the  Church.  His  name  was  recorded  on  the  Class 
Book  of  Florence  Station  for  1846,  the  oldest  Class  Book  of  that 


656 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Station  now  at  hand.     He  was  a  leader  and  a  pillar  in  that  So- 
ciety for  four  and  a  half  decades.     He  was  born  October  29, 
1821.     Before  he  was  a  year  old  his  father  moved  to  Florence, 
Alabama.     There  he  grew  to  manhood.     To  the  religious  wor- 
ship and  public  service  of  the  Church  William  B.  Wood  gave  a 
large  i:rart  of  his  time,  and  to  tlie  support  of  the  enterprises  and 
agencies  of  the  Church  he  gave  large  portions  of  his  worldly 
substance.     Through  every  channel  open  to  the  furtherance  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  accessible  to  him  he  distributed  his  worldly 
goods.     Generous  and  genial,  he  dispensed  a  bounteous  hospi- 
tality at  home  and  at  Camp-meetings  for  many  years.     He  and 
Levi  Cassity  married  sisters,  and  were  attached  to  each  other. 
For  five  years  they  were  partners  as  tent-holders  at  Cypress  Creek 
Camp-ground,  and  they  had  many  religious  enjoyments  together 
at  the  Camp-meetings  held  there.     On  a  Thursday  of  Septem- 
ber, 1850,  they  packed  and  loaded  preparatory  to  moving  next 
morning  following  to  Cypress  Camp-ground.     During  the  night 
of  that  Thursday  a  congestive  chill  seized  Brother  Cassity  and 
annulled  his  purpose  to  tent  on  the  sacred  ground  where  so  often 
he  had  met  God  and  received  his  benediction.     On  the  after- 
noon of  the  following  Sunday  he,  without  a  cloud  intervening, 
and  without  a  doubt  or  a  fear  distracting,  passed  to  "  the  undis- 
covered  country,    from    whose    bourn    no    traveler    returns." 
Brother  Cassity  was  a  modest  man,  not  ambitious  of  public  sta- 
tion.    He  was  loving,  tender,  and  kind.     He  would  not  lead  in 
public  devotions,  but  he  was  a  fine  singer,  and  often,  under  deep 
emotion,  in  a  quiet  mood,  shed  tears  freely  in  the  time  of  holy 
worship.     He  was  a  steward  for  the  Society  at  Florence,  Ala- 
bama, for  a  great  many  years.     In  his  parting  words  to  Brother 
Wood  he  said:  "  We  expected  to  be  at  the  Camp-meeting  to-day 
enjoying  it  as  we  have  so  often  done,  but  we  will  never  go  there 
again   together.     You   may   be   there  with  other  friends  next 
year  and  for  many  years;  I  am  going  to  the  great  meeting  above 
where  we  will  never  break  up.     I  shall  watch  for  you  to  come 
and  join  us.     Take  care  of  my  family  and  bring  them  with  you.'* 
By  the  death  of  Brother  Cassity,  as  also  by  the  death  of  one  of 
his  daughters,  Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth  Cassity,  who  died  while  a 
pupil  at  the  Tennessee  Conference  Female  Institute  at  Athens, 
Alabama,  in  1851,  Brother  Wood  was  sorely  bereaved  and  greatly 
afflicted.     Miss  Cassity,  though  only  a  school  girl  at  her  death, 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      657 


was  a  radiant  and  happy  Christian,  in  whose  association  her  un- 
cle found  great  pleasure  and  profit.  In  her  dying  message  she 
spoke  of  the  world  of  glory  to  which  she  was  going  to  be  happy 

for  evermore.  • 

W.  B.  Wood  was  a  local  preacher,  active  and  efficient.     He 
preached  much  and  well.     He  was  a  man  of  fine  personal  pres- 
ence.   He  was  hopeful,  and  energetic,  and  successful.    He  filled 
places  of  honor  and  of  trust.     In  politics  he  was  a  whig,  and 
active  in  the  service  of  his  party.     He  filled  the  office  of  Judge 
of  Probate  of  his  County  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was  on  the 
bench  as  Circuit  Judge  for  quite  awhile,  being  repeatedly  chosen 
to  that  position.     He  was  the  Colonel  of  the  sixteenth  Alabama 
Kegiment  in  the  Confederate  service.     He  was  in  a  number  of 
battles,  and  did  valiantly,  and  won  distinction  and  promotion. 
In  one  engagement  he  commanded  the  brigade  to  which  he  be- 
longed.   He  was  transferred  from  the  colonelcy  of  his  Regiment 
to  the  presidency  of  the  military  court  of  Longstreet's  corps,  in 
which  position  he  continued  until  the  court  expired  with  the 
Confederacy.     He  bore  the  titles  of  Reverend,  Judge,  and  Col- 
onel, and  honored  them  all.     His  wife,  Mrs.  Sarah  B.  Wood,  was 
a  worthy  companion;  in  social  worth,  and  in  piety,  and  m  be- 
nevolence fully  his  equal.     He  died,  at  his  home  at  Florence, 
Alabama,  April  3,  1891,  having  served  his  generation  well.  ^ 

Huntsville,  Madison,  Athens,  Limestone,  Tuscumbia,  Chicka- 
saw, Russellville,  Franklin,  Cypress,  Florence,  Trinity,  Somer- 
ville,  Decatur,  and  a  few  works  to  the  colored  people  were  the 
appointments  which  continued  through  the  years.  Larkins- 
ville.  West  Huntsville,  Courtland,  Rogersville,  and  Driskill's 
came  in  as  appointments  later  on.  The  addition  of  pastoral 
charges  through  twenty  years  was  not  very  rapid 


CHAPTEE  XXXIII. 

The  Bascom  Female  Institute  at  Huntsville,  Alabama. 

IN  the  dosing  year  of  the  fifth  decade  of  this  nineteenth  cen- 
tury the  Methodist  congregation  at  Huntsville,  Alabama, 
was  the  most  refined,  intelligent,  wealthy,  and  influential  of  any 
congregation  of  any  denomination  in  all  the  Tennessee  Valley. 
In  tlat  year  the  Eev.  Edward  C.  Slater,  than  whom  a  more  ele- 
gant, competent,  and  popular  preacher  was  rarely  found,  had 
chari^e  of  the  Huntsville  Station.     He,  or  some  one  else,  at  that 
time  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  at  Huntsville,  Alabama, 
an  Institution  of  high  grade  for  the  education  of  females.     Dr. 
Slater  led  in  the  agitation  of  the  enterprise,  and  general  interest 
ensued.     When  formulating  the  plans  of  the  proposed  Institu- 
tion it  was  decided  to  place  it  under  the  patronage  and  fostering 
care  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.     It  was  an  ac- 
knowledged fact  that  Huntsville  needed  greater  facilities  for 
the  education  of  the  girls  of  the  place  than  were  then  accessible, 
and  it  was  thought  that  the  place  had  attractions  which  would 
commend  it  as  an  educational  center;  and  it  was  supposed  that 
under  such  stimulus  the  fund  for  the  building  and  equipping 
the  School  could  be  easily  secured.     Voluntary  contributions 
were  expected  in  great  numbers  and  large  amounts,  but  when 
the  effort  to  secure  funds  had  been  exhausted  only  about  ten 
thousand  dollars  had  been  secured,  and  some  of  that  in  doubt- 
ful subscription.     Thirty-five  hundred  dollars  were  paid  out  in 
the  purchase  of  grounds  for  the  School,  and  the  plans  adopted 
for  buildings,  furniture,  instruments,  apparatus  provided  for  an 
outlay  of  about  fifty  thousand  dollars.     The  friends  of  the  ad- 
venture were  surprised,  embarrassed,  and  mortified.     Absolute 
failure  seemed  inevitable.     In  the  extremity  Daniel  B.  Turner, 
Thomas  S.  McCalley,  William  H.  Moore,  and  William  J.  McCal- 
ley  proposed  to  take  charge  of  the  Institution  and  manage  it 
for  eighteen  years,  erect   all   necessary  buildings,  provide  or- 
namentations,  instruments,   and  everything  necessary   to  the 
(658) 


The  Bascom  Female  Institute  at  Huntsville,  Alabama.      659 


on-o-oing  of  the  School,  and  keep  all  in  repairs  and  order 
for  "the  term  of  years,  and  educate  free  of  charge  eight  pupils, 
and  the  Board  of  Trustees  were  to  turn  over  to  the  said  four 
crentlemen  the  uncollected  subscription  and  pay  to  them  by  cer- 
tain  process  four  thousand  dollars.  That  proposition  was  ac 
cepted  by  the  Trustees  and  was  carried  out  by  the  four  men 
named  and  making  it.  The  permanent  College  buildings  were 
ready  for  occupancy  by  the  opening  of  1853.  That  contract  be- 
tween the  Trustees  and  the  men  who  built  the  house  and  man- 
aged the  School  was  made  in  1852. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Alabama  by  an  act  approved  Jan- 
uary 27,  1852,  incorporated  the  School  as  the  Bascom  Female 
Institute  to  be  located  in  or  near  the  town  of  Huntsville  in  the 
County  of  Madison.  The  Trustees  named  in  the  act  of  incor- 
poration were:  Pleasant  B.  Eobinson,  Thomas  McCalley,  William 
A  Thompson,  AVilliam  Sandf ord,  Kobert  S.  Brandon,  William  H. 
Moore,  Benjamin  S.  Pope,  Samuel  B.  Turner,  W.  D.  F.  Sawrie, 
Irvin  Windham,  Richard  Angell,  John  B.  Trotman,  Archibald 
E.  Mills,  Eobert  A.  Young,  David  P.  Bibb,  and  William 
McDowell.  By  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Alabama 
passed  December  21,  1855,  the  name  was  changed  to  Huntsville 

Female  College. 

The  School  was  opened  in  temporary  quarters,  with  tempora- 
ry provisions,  and  with  inadequate  outfit.  Mrs.  Jane  H.  Childs, 
who  has  been  mentioned  in  another  part  of  this  History,  and  who 
had  charge  of  a  private  School  at  the  time  in  Huntsville,  took 
charge  of  the  Bascom  Female  Institute  at  its  first  opening  in 
the  f^'all  season  of  1851,  her  School  making  the  nucleus  of  the 
Institute,  and  acted  as  Vice-President.  When  she  had  charge  of 
the  Institute  the  Rev.  Robert  A.  Young  was  in  fact  the  President. 
He  was  appointed  to  that  position  in  the  first  part  of  Novem- 
ber, 1851,  at  least  he  was  announced  for  that  position  at  that 
time  as  a  preacher  of  the  Tennessee  Conference. 

At  the  opening  of  the  next  session  in  the  latter  part  of  1852, 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Cross  took  charge  of  the  Institute  as  Presi- 
dent. 

At  the  opening  of  the  session  of  the  Institute  in  the  latter 
part  of  1855,  just  a  few  months  before  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  State  by  enactment  changed  the  name  to  Huntsville  Female 
College,  the  Rev.  George  M.  Everhart,  a  member  of  the  Tennes- 


660 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


see  Annual  Conference,  assumed  the  duties  of  President.  He 
continued  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  that  position  till 
some  time  in  1859,  when  he  withdrew  from  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  South,  and  joined  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.  While  President  of  the  College  he,  through  some 
means,  became  possessed  of  a  financial  claim,  which,  in  after 
years,  through  the  courts  of  the  country,  he  secured,  and  which 
so  embarrassed  the  College  as  to  result  in  alienation  from  the 

Church. 

The  Eev.  Alexander  R.  Erwin  succeeded  Everhart  as  President 
of  the  College,  but  lived  only  a  few  months.  The  Rev.  John  G. 
Wilson,  an  excellent  scholar  and  a  magnificent  preacher,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  Presidency  of  the  College  upon  the  death  of  Dr. 
Erwin,  and  continued  in  that  position  till  the  College  was  sus- 
pended by  the  prevalence  of  the  war  between  the  States.  After 
the  war  was  over  he  re-opened  the  College,  and  continued  in 
charge  of  it  for  quite  awhile. 

Through  all  the  years  from  the  time  it  was  permanently  opened 
to  the  time  of  the  interruption  by  the  civil  war  the  College  did 
good  work,  and  prospered,  and  sent  forth  from  its  halls  many 
daughters  sufficiently  polished  to  adorn  palaces,  and  sufficiently 
cultured  to  be  the  companions  of  princes. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  Wokk  of  Methodism  in  Alabama  under  the  New 
Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction. 

ON  February  25,  1846,  the  Alabama  Conference  commenced 
a  session  in  Mobile,  Alabama,  which  lasted  a  week  or 
more.  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew  in  descending  the  river  by 
Steamboat  to  the  seat  of  the  Conference  was  detained  and  be- 
lated a  couple  of  days.  The  Rev.  Elisha  Callaway  was  elected 
President  of  the  Conference  and  presided  over  the  deliberations 
of  the  body  till  the  Bishop  arrived.  The  business  went  on 
well,  the  Conference  received  a  good  class  of  recruits,  and  on 
Sunday  the  Bishop  ordained  twenty-three  deacons  and  twelve 

ftlders 

The  Church  in  the  bounds  of  the  Conference  had  done  wMt 
was  considered  the  handsome  thing  in  Missionary  work     The 
collections  of  the  year  aggregated  over  six  thousand  dollars. 
At  Saint  Francis  Street  Church  on  Monday  evening,  March  A 
was  celebrated  the  anniversary  of  the  Conference  Society,    ihe 
Eev.  Jesse  Boring,  D.D.,  presided  over  the  meeting,  and  the  Kev. 
William  Murrah  conducted  the  opening  devotional  exercises 
The  usual  reports  of  the  Board  of  Managers  were  presented 
and  the  usual  business  transacted.     Addresses  were  delivered 
bv  the  Kev.  Thomas  H.  Capers  and  the  Eev.  A.  H  Mitchell, 
D  D     The  address  of  Dr.  Mitchell  was  powerful  and  impress- 
ive  and  under  its  influence  enthusiasm  ruled  the  hour.     At 
the  conclusion  of  the  addresses,  it  was  enthusiastically  proposed 
to  raise  two  hundred  dollars  to  insure  the  establishment  of  a 
Mission  in  China.    The  sum  proposed  for  the  purpose  was  sup- 
posed to  be  commensurate  with  large  benevolence  and  ample 
resources     The  amount  was  contributed  almost  exclusively  by 
the  preachers,  and  was  made  up  faster  than  the  Secretary  could 
write  the  names  of  the  contributors.     A  woman  in  the  audience 
asked  that  the  women  present  be  allowed  to  contribute  one 
hundred  dollars  to  the  enterprise,  and  as  soon  as  the  Treasurer 

(661) 


662 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


could  count  the  five-dollar  bills  which  went  flying  from  all 
parts  of  the  house  the  amount  was  in  hand.  Then  Dr.  Jeffer- 
son Hamilton  proposed  that  the  amount  for  China  be  brought 
up  to  five  hundred  dollars,  and  immediately  twenty  persons 
contributed  ten  dollars  each,  making  the  amount  proposed. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  were  added  to  that  before  the 
meeting  adjourned.  A  few  evenings  previous  at  the  anniver- 
sary of  a  Female  Missionary  Society  in  Saint  Francis  Street 
Church  three  hundred  dollars  were  given,  and  at  a  similar 
meeting  at  Franklin  Street  Church  two  hundred  dollars  were 
given.  That  anniversary  meeting  of  the  Conference  added  a 
measure  of  zeal  to  the  Church  in  Alabama,  gave  an  impetus  to 
the  cause  of  Missions,  and  added  a  note  to  the  song  of  the  ever- 
increasing  hosts  of  the  redeemed. 

The  Kev.  Jesse  Boring  was  appointed  presiding  elder  of  the 
Mobile  District,  and  three  preachers  were  appointed  to  the  city 
charges  as  follows:  Saint  Francis  Street,  Thomas  O.  Summers; 
Franklin  Street,  Thomas  W.  Dorman;  West  Ward,  John  W. 
Ellis,  Jr. 

The  preachers  who  served  the  various  charges  in  the  city  of 
Mobile,  including  the  District,  the  Stations,  and  the  Missions, 
from  1846  to  1864  were  the  following:  The  Kev.  Charles  McLeod, 
one  year;  the  Rev.  T.  W.  Dorman,  ten  years;  the  Rev.  C.  C. 
Gillespie,  two  years;  the  Rev.  C.  D.  Oliver,  one  year;  the  Rev. 
O.  R.  Blue,  one  year;  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hearn,  five  years;  the 
Rev.  T.  P.  C.  Shelman,  one  year;  the  Rev.  Jefferson  Hamilton, 
seven  years;  the  Rev.  AV.  H.  Milburn,  three  years;  the  Rev.  T. 
P.  Crimes,  one  year;  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Hutchinson,  one  year;  the 
Rev.  S.  O.  Capers,  one  year;  the  Rev.  Greenberry  Garrett,  three 
years;  the  Rev.  Jacob  S.  Hughes,  a  part  of  one  year;  the  Rev. 
Augustus  H.  Powell,  a  part  of  one  year;  the  Rev.  John  W. 
Starr,  Jr.,  a  part  of  one  year;  the  Rev.  P.  P.  Neely,  two  years; 
the  Rev.  James  A.  Peebles,  three  years;  the  Rev.  William  M. 
Lovelady,  one  year;  the  Rev.  T.  J.  Koger,  two  years;  the  Rev. 
Matthias  Maass,  one  year;  the  Rev.  Edwin  Baldwin,  four  years; 
the  Rev.  William  M.  Motley,  one  year;  the  Rev.  Joshua  T. 
Heard,  four  years;  the  Rev.  A.  McBride,  three  years;  the  Rev. 
T.  C.  Weir,  two  years;  the  Rev.  G.  R.  Talley,  one  year;  the 
Rev.  Mark  S.  Andrews,  two  years;  the  Rev.  Charles  Qiiell- 
maltz,  one  year;  the  Rev.  Allen  S.  Andrews,  two  years;  the 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      663 


Rev.  Abram  Adams,  three  years;  the  Rev.  B.  B.  Ross,  five 
years;  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Mitchell,  two  years;  the  Rev.  John  B. 
Baldwin,  two  years;  the  Rev.  William  Spillman,  three  years; 
the  Rev.  J.  G.  Rush,  ons  year;  the  Rev.  S.  H.  Cox,  four  years; 
the  Rev.  T.  Y.  Ramsey,  two  years;  the  Rev.  Robert  B.  Craw- 
ford, two  years;  the  Rev.  William  Shapard,  one  year;  the  Rev. 
R.  K.  Hargrove,  two  years;  the  Rev.  James  W.  Glenn,  one  year. 
In  Mobile,  in  1853,  there  was  solicitude  and  sadness,  lamenta- 
tion and  death.  The  yellow  fever  prevailed  there  that  year  as 
an  epidemic,  and  cut  down  the  virtuous  and  the  vicious  to- 
gether. In  the  month  of  September  of  that  fatal  year  three  of 
the  Methodist  preachers  in  the  city,  the  Rev.  Augustus  H. 
Powell,  the  Rev.  Jacob  S.  Hughes,  and  the  Rev.  John  W. 
Starr,  Jr.,  and  in  the  order  here  named,  fell  before  the  dreadful 
destroyer. 

The  Rev.  Augustus  H.  Powell,  who  was  a  native  of  Virginia, 
and  who  was  educated  at  the  Military  Institute,  in  his  native 
State,  and  who  was  admitted  to  the  Alabama  Conference  on 
trial  in  January,  1847,  and  who  was  reputed  studious  and  pious, 
competent  and  faithful,  had  just  passed  into  his  twenty-seventh 
year  by  a  few  weeks  when  he  was  released  from  earth's  toils 
and  hasted  to  the  courts  of  God. 

The  Rev.  Jacob  S.  Hughes  was  also  a  native  of  Virginia.  He 
commenced  preaching  when  about  twenty-four  years  old,  and 
was  about  thirty-seven  years  of  age  when  he  died.  It  was  said 
of  him  that  he  was  "  a  man  of  rare  philanthropy  and  tenderness 
of  heart,  a  useful  and  often  eloquent  preacher,  and  a  most  dili- 
gent and  successful  pastor."  He  had  charge  of  Franklin  Street 
Church  when  he  was  discharged  from  earthly  service. 

The  Rev.  John  W.  Starr,  Jr.,  a  native  of  Georgia,  was  on 
trial  in  the  Alabama  Conference,  was  in  charge  of  Wesley 
Chapel,  in  Mobile,  and  was  nearly  twenty-three  years  old,  when 
.he  died.  He  was  amiable,  pious,  and  educated.  He  accom- 
panied the  bodies  of  Powell  and  Hughes  to  their  graves,  and 
eight  days  after  joined  their  glorified  spirits  on  the  other  shore. 
No  preacher  in  his  day  was  more  securely  enthroned  in  the 
affections  of  the  Methodists  of  Mobile  than  the  Rev.  Dr.  T.  W. 
Dorman.  He  was  kind  in  his  associations  and  fervent  in  his 
attachments.  Others  may  have  excelled  him  in  pulpit  elo- 
quence and  in  pulpit  eminence,  and  in  the  achievement  of  far- 


664 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alahama, 


reaching  results.     His  negative  virtues  rather  than  bis  con- 
structive  talents  may  have  challenged  admiration,  and  there 
may  have  been  about  him  a  measure  o£  display  in  excess  of  his 
actual  achievements,  yet  he  secured  and  held  most  firmly  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people  whom  he  served  with  such 
system,  punctuality,  and  industry.     He  was  born  in  Maryland, 
brought  up  in  the   District  of   Columbia,  lived  m  Yirgmia, 
where  he  realized  acceptance  with  God,  and  was  licensed  to 
preach,  and  afterward  settled  in  Montgomery,  Alabama.      In 
January,  1840,  he  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Alabama  Con- 
ference '  He  filled  for  years  the  leading  appointments  m  the 
Alabama  Conference.     He  was  for  years  the  Secretary  of  the 
Alabama  Conference,  and  a  most  efficient  one.     He  died  m 
Mobile,  Alabama,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four,  July  2,  1869.     He 
surrendered  to  death  in  anticipation  of  eternal  life  and  endless 
rest     His  grave  in  the  cemetery  at  Mobile  is  marked  by  a 
monument  made  of  marble  on  which  are  engraved  suitable 
mottoes.     His  children  honor  him. 

The  Eev.  Jefferson  Hamilton,  D.D.,  was  a  factor  m  Mobile 
Methodism.     He  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.     He  joined  the 
New  England   Conference,  at   Springfield,  Massachusetts,  in 
May  1831,  then  in  his  twenty-sixth  year.     In  June,  1837,  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Mississippi  Conference,  and  was  sta- 
tioned at  New  Orleans  for  1838.     At  the  close  of  1838  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Alabama  Conference,  and  stationed  for  1839 
at  Mobile.     These  dates  are  correct,  all  other  statements  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding.     He  died  at  Opelika,  Alabama,  De- 
cember 16,  1874     While  delivering  his  dying  messages  to  and 
for  his  friends  and  kindred  he  said:  "I  have  never  been  a 
boastful  Christian,  have  entertained  humble  views  of  myself, 
but  I  do  profess  to  have  a  clear  knowledge  of  the  doctrine  of 
salvation  by  faith,  and  a  conscious  experience  that  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin.     I  believe  that  sanctifica- 
tion,  or  holiness  is  a  doctrine  taught  in  the  Bible,  as  separate 
and  distinct  from  justification,  received  and  retained  by  faith; 
and  trusting  these  truths,  I  die  and  go  to  God.     Tell  my  chil- 
dren and  my  grandchildren  never  to  bring  a  reflection  upon  the 
Methodist  Church,  for  in  the  end  it  will  be  found  to  be  an  im- 
portant portion  of  the  true  Church  of  God,  and  to  have  trans- 
lated  from  earth  to  heaven  a  vast  multitude  of  sanctified  spirits." 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction,      665 


In  the  period  beginning  with  1845  and  extending  to  1865 
there  was  a  decrease  in  the  number  of  white  members  in  Mobile 
of  one  hundred  and  forty-three,  while  for  the  same  period  there 
was  an  increase  in  the  number  of  colored  members  in  that  city 
of  fourteen  hundred  and  fourteen.     Being  ignorant  of   the 
characteristics  and  incidents  of  the  various  administrations  of 
that  period,  as  well  as  of  the  delicate  and  complex  combina- 
tions, and  the  conflicting  and  competing  influences  of  that  time, 
it  is  impossible  to  state  here  the  causes  of  the  decrease  in  the 
white  membership,  or  the  causes  of  the  remarkable  increase  in 
the  colored  membership.     No  conjecture  can  divine  the  causes. 
At  the  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  beginning  Jan- 
uary 26,  and  closing  February  3,  1848,  the  Eev.  Nehemiah 
A.  Cravens  and  the  Eev.  Otis  Sexton  were  appointed  to  the 
Cahawba  Circuit     The  town  of  Cahawba,  at  the  confluence  of 
the  Alabama  and  Cahawba  Eivers,  was  then  one  of  the  aj)- 
pointments    of    that    Circuit,   and   there   was  then  only   one 
house  of  worship  at  the  place,  a  house  built  by  the  contribu- 
tions   of    the  citizens,  and   occupied   in  common   by   all   the 
denominations.     At  that  date  there  were  not  a  dozen  Metho- 
dists at  Cahawba,  though  the  town  had  existed  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century.    Mr.  Jacob  Hoot  and  Mrs.  Catharine  Hoot, 
husband  and  wife,  Mr.  John  Gwin  and  Mrs.  Jane  Gwin,  hus- 
band and  wife,  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Luker  and  Mrs.  Luker,  husband 
and  wife,  Mr.  Julius  Snead,  and  Mrs.  Leecy  Wood,  are  all  that, 
can  now  be  named  as  Methodists  in  that  town  at  that  time. 
That  Mrs.  Wood  was  the  mother  of  Hon.  P.  G.  Wood,  an  active- 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  and  for 
some  years  Judge  of  Probate  of  Dallas  County,  Alabama. 

On  the  night  of  September  4,  1848,  there  was  closed  at  Ca- 
hawba a  most  intensely  interesting  meeting,  which  had  contin- 
ued eighteen  days,  and  resulted  in  eighty-two  professing  the 
attainment  of  pardoning  mercy,  and  seventy-three  white  and 
one  hundred  and  one  colored  persons  joining  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South.  On  Sunday  morning,  September  3, 
of  that  meeting,  a  Lovefeast  was  held  which  was  an  occasion  of 
great  spiritual  power.  The  young  converts  and  the  old  Chris- 
tians related  personal  experience,  and  spoke  so  promptly  and  so 
feelingly,  and  the  time  was  so  closely  occupied,  that  there  was 
neither  opportunity  nor  occasion  to  sing  a  line.  At  the  close 
43 


666 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


of  the  Lovefeast  twenty-four  persons  were  baptized  by  the  usual 
mode,  and  at  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  nine  persons,  enamored 
of  the  idea  of  modes,  were  immersed  in  the  Alabama  River,  in 
the  presence  of  almost  the  entire  town.  On  Monday  evening 
following  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered,  the  young  con- 
verts participating,  and  the  entire  audience  were  overwhelmed 
with  the  demonstrations  of  the  divine  presence.  The  preachers 
of  the  Circuit,  Cravens  and  Sexton,  were  assisted  in  that  meet- 
ing by  the  Revs.  J.  J.  Hutchinson,  J.  A.  Heard,  W.  W.  Thomas, 
Stedman,  and  McDaniel.  It  is  supposed  that  Stedman  was 
John  Stedman  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.  That 
meeting  gave  Methodism  a  commanding  influence  in  Cahawba. 
The  Rev.  Otis  Sexton  devoted  his  entire  time  to  Cahawba  from 
that  meeting  till  the  session  of  the  Conference  in  the  next  Jan- 
uary, and  Cravens  took  care  of  the  other  appointments  of  the 
Circuit. 

At  the  close  of  that  ecclesiastical  year  Cahawba  was  set  up  as 
a  Station,  and  the  Rev.  James  L.  Cotton  was  appointed  to  it  for 
1849;  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  there  were  in  the  Society  there 
eighty-three  white  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  colored  members. 
The  Rev.  James  L.  Cotton  was  returned  there  for  1850,  and 
that  year  there  was  a  decrease  in  the  membership  of  twenty- 
three  white  and  two  colored  members. 

On  April  14,  1849,  William  Curtis  and  his  wife,  Ann  L.  Cur- 
tis, of  Cahawba,  Alabama,  made  a  deed  to  a  lot,  fifty  by  seventy- 
five  feet,  on  Mulberry  Street,  in  the  town  of  Cahawba,  on  which 
was  to  be  erected  a  house  of  worship  for  the  use  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  The  lot  was 
given  to  the  Church  by  the  jmrties  making  the  deed.  Mr.  Cur- 
tis at  that  time  was  not  a  member  of  the  Church.  Alanson 
Saltmarsh,  Joseph  Babcock,  Enoch  G.  Ulmer,  Abner  Jones, 
"William  Gwin,  Joseph  L.  Bassett,  and  Benjamin  F.  Saffold 
were  the  Trustees  named  in  that  deed.  Immediately  on  the 
securement  of  that  lot  by  deed  a  house  of  worship  was  erected. 
It  was  a  substantial  brick  house,  ample  in  its  dimensions,  con- 
venient in  its  arrangements,  and  comfortable  in  its  outfit.  That 
house  of  worship  stood  in  a  good  state  of  preservation  and  was 
occupied  by  the  white  congregation  until  Cahawba  was  aban- 
doned after  the  war  between  the  States. 

June  4,  1850,  a  deed  was  made  to  another  lot  in  the  town  of 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      667 


Cahawba,  by  Joel  E.,  George  W.,  Thomas  M.,  and  Peter  E. 
Matthews,  and  on  that  lot  was  erected  a  large  frame  building 
for  the  use  of  the  colored  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South.  The  preacher  who  ministered  to  the  white 
people  also  preached  to  the  Negroes.  On  Sunday  afternoon 
the  Negroes  had  their  services  in  such  instances. 

There  were  usually  in  the  charge  at  Cahawba  seventy  odd 
white  members,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  odd  colored  mem- 
bers. The  highest  number  ever  reported  of  white  members 
was  eighty-three,  and  the  highest  number  of  colored  members 
'  was  three  hundred  and  forty.  At  the  close  of  1849  and  at  the 
close  of  1858  there  were  eighty- three  white  members,  and  at 
the  close  of  1863  there  were  three  hundred  and  ^forty  colored 
members.  The  lowest  number  of  white  members  ever  reported 
in  connection  with  that  charge  was  forty-six,  and  the  lowest 
number  of  colored  members  was  one  hundred  and  thirty-five. 
At  the  close  of  1859  there  were  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
colored  members,  and  at  the  close  of  1864  there  were  forty-six 
white  members.  The  membership  fluctuated  according  to  the 
circumstances  of  the  times  and  the  administrations  of  the 
years. 

During  the  period  from  first  setting  off  Cahawba  as  a  Station 
to  1865  the  preachers  in  charge  of  it  were:  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Cot- 
ton four  years;  the  Revs.  J.  A.  Heard,  W.  M.  Lovelady,  D.  Car- 
michael,  AV.  W.  Thomas,  W.  H.  McDaniel,  T.  P.  Crimes,  and  J. 
S.  Moore,  each  one  year;  the  Revs.  B.  S.  Williams,  R.  S.  Wood- 
ward, and  J.  Barker,  each  two  years. 

The  house  of  worship  built  by  the  citizens  of  Cahawba  for 
the  common  use  of  the  various  denominations  was  erected  about 
1840.  Previous  to  that  date  public  worship,  when  had,  was  held 
in  the  Courthouse.  For  a  long  while  the  only  Methodists  in 
the  town  of  Cahawba  were  Jacob  Hoot  and  the  members  of  his 
family.  Joseph  Babcock  and  a  number  of  the  persons  compos- 
ing his  family  were  baptized  at  the  same  hour,  and  he  became 
noted  for  his  piety,  and  was  a  pillar  in  the  Church.  Dr.  Alan- 
son  Saltmarsh  contributed  in  building  the  house  of  worship  lib- 
eral sums,  and  afterward,  at  one  time,  gave  fifteen  hundred  dol- 
lars to  liquidate  the  debt  on  the  house;  and  he  was  liberal  in  his 
contributions  in  meeting  the  current  expenses  of  the  pastoral 
charge.     Hiram  Francis  and  William  Gwin  were  class  leaders 


668 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


of  the  Society.  Mrs.  Catherine  Hoot,  Mrs.  Lethea,  or  Leecy 
Wood,  the  mother  of  Judge  P.  G.  Wood,  Mrs.  Jane  Gwin,  Mrs. 
Luker,  and  Mrs.  Bush  were  women  of  marked  piety,  and  the  ex- 
tensive work  of  grace  had  in  1848  was  traceable  to  a  prayer- 
meeting  held  by  those  true  and  godly  women. 

The  w^ork  of  saving  the  souls  of  the  people  went  on  success- 
fully in  the  year  1846  throughout  Alabama.  There  was  a  pro- 
found religious  awakening,  divine  power  prevailed,  and  there 
was  an  extensive  ecclesiastical  ingathering.  At  Centenary  In- 
stitute, in  the  month  of  May  of  that  year,  a  meeting  was  held  in 
which  forty  students  claimed  to  experience  the  renewing  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  In  one  meeting  on  the  Tombecbee  Circuit,  held  in 
July,  twenty-one  persons  were  regenerated,  and  twenty-five  were 
inducted  into  the  Church.  At  Warsaw,  in  Sumter  County, 
there  was  a  number  of  accessions  to  the  Church.  Thirty-one 
were  received  into  the  communion  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  at  Marion,  Perry  County.  In  July  over  thirty 
were  added  to  the  Church  on  Prairie  Hill  Circuit.  At  Eutaw, 
Greene  County,  was  held  a  meeting  of  twenty  days'  duration,  in 
which  seventy  converts  were  numbered.  On  Gaston  Circuit 
over  sixty  were  received  into  the  membership  of  the  Church  in 
four  weeks.  In  July  sixty-six  were  inducted  into  the  commun- 
ion of  the  Church  on  the  Autauga  Circuit.  There  was  a  sweep- 
ing work  on  the  Troy  Circuit.  In  all  there  were  admitted  to 
the  fellowship  of  Christians  on  that  Circuit  four  hundred  and 
sixty-five.  At  Jones's  Society,  on  that  Circuit,  twenty-six 
joined,  a  large  number  of  whom  professed  regeneration.  At 
another  place  fifteen  joined,  and  at  Kennon's  seventeen  gave  in 
their  allegiance  to  the  cause.  In  the  Pike  County  Valley  in 
that  Circuit  seventy-four  found  peace,  and  joined  the  Church. 
There  was  a  sublime  work  at  Blountsville  that  year,  and  over 
one  hundred  and  thirty  were  gathered  into  the  fold  in  the 
bounds  of  Blount  Circuit.  In  August  a  meeting  was  held  at 
Talladega  in  which  twenty-five  made  profession,  and  twenty-one 
joined  the  Church.  At  Oak  Bowery  many  found  peace.  At 
Monroeville  and  at  Puryearville,  in  the  Bellville  Circuit,  great 
revivals  prevailed.  Religious  influence  swept  over  the  Harpers- 
ville  Circuit  At  Harpersville,  Clear  Creek,  Weogufka,  and 
Chapel  were  witnessed  pentecostal  times.  At  a  Camp-meeting 
at  Chapel  there  were  upward  of  one  hundred  conversions,  and 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      669 


seventy-nine  assumed  the  vows  of  the  Church.  In  eight  weeks 
on  that  Harpersville  Circuit  there  were  over  two  hundred 
added  to  the  Church,  and  a  much  larger  number  than  that  con- 
verted. 

The  above  are  specimens  of  the  work  as  it  went  on  through- 
out the  bounds  of  the  State,  and  yet  the  actual  gain  in  num- 
bers for  the  year  was  only  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  white 
and  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty-nine  colored  members. 

A  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  was  held  at  Tuskaloosa, 
Alabama,  beginning  January  27,  and  closing  February  4,  1847. 
The  Rev.  John  C.  Keener  was  then  closing  his  second  and  last 
year  at  that  place,  and  on  him  fell  the  duty  of  providing  and  as- 
signing homes  to  the  preachers.  The  Conference  was  then  a 
mounted  brigade,  and  the  care  of  all  the  horses  was  no  small 
charge.  Bishop  Joshua  Soule  was  two  days  late  in  reaching 
the  seat  of  the  Conference,  arriving  there  on  Friday,  or  in  time 
to  preside  over  the  Conference  that  day.  During  his  absence 
the  Rev.  Elisha  Calloway  presided  over  the  deliberations  of  the 
body.  Bishop  Soule's  friends  then  lamented  that  the  infirmi- 
ties of  age  were  coming  fast  upon  him,  and  yet  he  lived  more 
than  twenty  years  after  that. 

At  that  session  of  the  Conference  the  Rev.  Giles  P.  Sparks 
was  assigned  to  Tuskaloosa  Station  for  that  year,  and  at  the 
next  session  held  in  Montgomery,  Alabama,  beginning  January 
26,  and  closing  February  3, 1848,  he  was  returned  to  Tuskaloosa 
for  that  year,  but  he  was  not  able  to  do  much  work.  He  left 
Montgomery,  the  seat  of  the  Conference,  after  the  appointments 
were  announced,  for  his  home  in  Tuskaloosa,  with  a  cold,  which 
developed  into  pneumonia  before  he  reached  home,  and  during 
the  remaining  months  of  his  life  he  was  under  physical  disabil- 
ities. Feebleness  and  suffering  prevented  his  doing  more  than 
preaching  a  few  times  during  the  months  of  that  year.  He  died 
at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  September  26,  1848.  The  physicians 
and  the  people  of  Tuskaloosa  attended  him  with  assiduity  and 
supported  him  with  great  cheerfulness  and  liberality  during  his 
afilictions,  and  attended  his  funeral  as  true  mourners.  He  was 
a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  was  about  thirty-three  years  old 
when  he  died.  He  was  educated  at  Oxford  and  La  Grange, 
Georgia.  He  was  a  local  preacher  a  few  years,  and  for  some 
time  taught  in  East  Alabama.     He   was  endowed  with  fine 


670 


Historij  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      671 


mental  powers,  and  a  sensitive  disposition,  and  he  acquired  stu- 
dious habits.  He  was  a  popular  preacher,  chaste  in  diction,  and 
graceful  in  manner.  He  left  a  wife  and  two  sons.  His  wife, 
Mrs.  Ann  E.  Sparks,  the  daughter  of  Eichard  Burt,  of  Georgia, 
died  at  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  August  2,  1853,  in  her  thirty-sec- 
ond year.  Her  sons  were  nine  and  eleven  when  she  died.  She 
was  a  woman  of  great  faith  and  deep  piety;  an  example  of  holi- 
ness. 

Tuskaloosa  had  another  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference 
December  7-15, 1853.  Bishop  Eobert  Paiae,  who  was  to  preside 
over  that  session  of  the  Conference,  was  absent,  being  detained 
at  home  by  affliction  in  his  household.  The  Eev.  Greenberry 
Garrett  was  elected  President,  and  presided  over  the  entire 
business  of  the  occasion,  and  did  the  work  well. 

One  of  the  noted  events  of  that  session  of  the  Conference  was 
the  holding  of  a  Memorial  Service  for  the  brethren  who  had 
fallen  during  the  year.  Nine  of  the  preachers  of  the  Conference 
had  brushed  the  dews  and  passed  the  crossing  on  the  dark  river, 
and  had  joined  the  innumerable  throng  who  encompass  the 
throne  on  high,  and  look  upon  the  face  of  God.  These  men 
who  had  fought  the  last  battle  and  achieved  the  final  victory, 
and  had  received  their  royal  robes  and  fadeless  crowns  were: 
The  Eevs.  John  Boswell,  William  Weir,  Thomas  H.  P.  Scales, 
Jacob  S.  Hughes,  Wesley  E.  Eounsaval,  Augustus  H.  Powell, 
David  W.  Pollock,  Thomas  W.  Manning,  and  John  W.  Starr, 
Jr.  By  apppointment  of  the  Conference  on  Sunday  afternoon 
the  Eev.  E.  V.  LeVert  preached  a  sermon  in  memory  of  these  fal- 
len and  ascended  heroes.  It  was  a  time  of  mingled  sorrow  and 
joy.  It  was  a  time  of  great  weeping.  Tears  are  associated  with 
joys  reached  through  sufferings.  Crowns  are  won  by  crosses 
borne. 

The  Missionary  Anniversary  held  on  the  evening  of  the  fourth 
day  of  that  session  of  the  Conference  was  an  event  redolent  of 
hope  and  of  happiness.  The  Eev.  Thomas  O.  Summers,  filled 
with  high  aims,  delivered  an  address,  on  the  occasion,  of  thun- 
dering sound  and  learned  length.  Then  Dr.  Benjamin  Jenkins, 
a  member  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  and  at  that  time  a 
Missionary  to  China,  delivered  a  lecture  on  the  Celestial  Em- 
pire. At  the  close  of  that  Lecture,  the  Eev.  James  S.  Belton, 
who  had  just  been  admitted,  without  the  usual  years  of  trial,  into 


full  connection  in  the  Alabama  Conference,  and  elected  to 
deacon's  and  elder's  orders,  not  ordained  because  the  Bishop 
was  absent,  and  who  was  getting  ready  to  leave  as  a  Missionary 
for  China,  stated  to  the  audience  the  considerations  which  in- 
duced him  to  devote  himself  to  the  China  Mission.  After  listen- 
ing to  the  sublime  statement  in  which  was  presented  the  potent 
reasons  which  induced  him  to  make  direct  effort  to  disenthrall 
the  heathen,  the  audience,  by  a  donation,  made  him  a  life-mem- 
ber of  the  Parent  Society,  and  subscribed  over  three  hundred 
dollars  to  pay  his  passage  to  China.  Dr.  Jenkins  also  obtained 
a  good  sum  to  secure  a  press  for  the  use  of  the  Mission.  A 
thousand  dollars  was  raised  at  that  meeting.  Twenty-two 
thousand  dollars  was  the  amount  of  the  collection  for  Missions 
for  the  year  in  the  bounds  of  the  Conference  territory.  The 
Methodists  in  Alabama  at  that  time  were  beginning  to  realize 
what  was  involved  in  the  work  of  Missions.  The  savage  is  de- 
spoiled and  enthralled.  Naught  at  his  command  can  bate  a  jot 
the  dire  evils  of  his  lot.  The  barbarous  tribe  dwells  in  a  moral 
waste  where  the  good  is  interdicted,  where  the  fragrant  is  no 
sooner  blown  than  blasted.  Truth  divine  and  power  omnific 
only  can  bring  release  from  such  a  fate.  The  deadly  gloom  and 
fearful  grief  of  such  a  State  should  quicken  the  sympathies  of  all 
Christians,  and  the  Church  should  speed  on  her  rapid  course  to 
reclaim  the  lost,  and  to  disseminate  among  them  the  joyous  rays 
of  the  heavenly  world. 

One  of  the  darling  ideas  of  Dr.  Summers  was  that  by  their 
baptism  children  are  matriculated  in  the  school  of  Christ,  and 
that  pastors  of  congregations  should  so  recognize,  and  that 
the  Church  should  take  oversight  of  and  care  for  tbe  matricu- 
lates. At  the  Conference  at  Tuskaloosa,  in  December,  1853,  he 
gave  emphasis  and  prominence  to  his  idea,  and  fair  promises 
were  made  and  strong  resolutions  were  adopted  pledging  fidelity 
on  this  behalf  in  the  future.  There  were  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Alabama  Conference  at  that  time  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven 
Sunday-schools,  all  provided  with  Superintendents,  eleven  hun- 
dred and  fifty-nine  teachers,  and  eight  thousand  three  hundred 
and  ninety-four  scholars. 

A  discussion  was  had  before  the  Conference  on  the  subject  of 
Education,  and  Landon  C.  Garland,  then  Professor  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Alabama,  and  afterward  for  many  years  President  of  the 


672 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


same  Institution,  and  also  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  South,  at  Tuskaloosa,  and  in  point  of  in- 
tellectuahty  and  intelligence,  principle  and  piety,  was  seldom  sur- 
passed, was  called  on  for  his  views  on  the  general  subject,  and, 
although  he  responded  reluctantly,  he  delivered  a  masterly  ad- 
dress full  of  philosophy  and  wisdom. 

The  preachers  who  administered  the  affairs  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  at  Tuskaloosa  from  the  time  of  the 
decease  of  Brother  Sparks  till  the  close  of  1865  were-  The  Kevs 
F.  G.  Ferguson,  C.  D.  Oliver,  J.  J.  Hutchinson,  Samuel  Arm- 
strong, and  John  Matthews,  each  one  year.     The  Kevs.  T  P  C 
Shelman  and  J.  B.  Cottrell,  each  two  years.     The  Rev  O  K 
Blue  four  years,  and  the  Rev.  T.  O.  Summers,  D.D.,  three  years. 
Cottrell  had  some  friction  with  members  who  were  supposed  to 
be  gay,  disorderly,  and  immoral,  but  possibly  not  more  than  was 
often  had  with  others  at  other  places.     Blue  left  the  pastoral 
charge  before  his  second  year  of  his  second  term  was  out      He 
left  the  charge  at  Tuskaloosa  for  some  sort  of  position  with  the 
military  forces  of  the  Confederate  States.     His  career  in  connec 
tion  with  the  military  service  was  as  brief  as  it  was  brilliant     He 
found  by  actual  personal  experience  that  it  was  easier  to  advocate 
secession  with  ballots  than  to  defend  it  with  bullets.     In  a  few 
months  after  his  departure  for  the  army  he  was  back  at  the  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference  for  an  ecclesiastical  appointment.    Hence- 
forth lie  stayed  out  of  the  military  service.     He  has  been  a  true 
preacher,  able  and  efficient.     He  was  popular  at  Tuskaloosa. 

In  1865  the  Society  at  Tuskaloosa  had  one  hundred  and  sev 
enty-seven  white  members,  fifty-nine  less  than  there  were  twenty 
years  before  and  five  hundred  and  three  colored  members  two 
hundred  and  forty-one  more  than  there  were  twenty  years  be- 
fore. A  good  increase  of  colored  members,  and  a  fearful  de- 
crease of  white  members  that. 

The  Alabama  Conference  held  its  session  at  Montgomery,  Ala- 
bama, beginning  January  26,  and  closing  February  3  1848 
Bishop  Robert  Paine  presiding.  The  Rev.  John  Christian 
Keener  at  that  time  closed  one  year  in  charge  of  Montgomery 
Station,  and  severed  his  connection,  under  Episcopal  prero^a 
tive,  with  the  Alabama  Conference.  He  had  already  displayed 
talents  and  worth  which  suggested  him  for  larger  cities  wider 
fields,  and  more  important  posts.     He  was  too  gifted  to  be  sac 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      673 


rificed  out  of  consideration  to  those  who  would  reject  and  crush 
one  because  "  with  feelings  of  mingled  indignation,  disgust,  and 
pity  "  he  had  exposed  "  the  meanness  "  of  those  who  would  com- 
mand ministerial  service  without  fee  or  other  compensation,  and 
who  would  rudely  treat  the  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  consign 
him  to  rude  quarters  and  expose  him  to  unnecessary  fatigue  for 
their  own  convenience  and  pleasure.  He  had  already  exhibited 
gifts  as  a  writer.  While  in  Tuskaloosa,  Alabama,  he  wrote  three 
Letters  addressed  to  the  author  of  a  *'  Discourse  on  the  Dangers 
and  Advantages  of  Protracted  Religious  Efforts."  Said  Letters 
were  published  in  the  Southern  Christian  Advocate.  They  were 
in  defense  of  special  and  protracted  efforts  for  quickening  the 
Church,  and  saving  those  who  are  under  condemnation.  At 
that  session  of  the  Conference,  at  the  close  of  his  one  year  in 
Montgomery,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Louisiana  Conference, 
and  Stationed  in  Poydras  Street  Church,  New  Orleans.  There 
in  that  Conference,  in  various  relations  as  a  Methodist  preacher, 
he  worked  until  he  was  ordained  a  Bishop  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
cox^al  Church,  South. 

For  that  year  1848  Montgomery  was  left  to  be  supplied,  and 
it  has  been  said  that  the  Rev.  W.  F.  Samford,  a  local  preacher, 
was  the  one  depended  on  to  supply  it,  but  that  in  fact  the  Rev. 
William  H.  Milburn  filled  the  Station  that  year,  and  he  was 
there  beyond  all  doubt  the  next  year. 

After  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Milburn,  the  Revs.  Joshua  T.  Heard,  C. 
D.  Oliver,  O.  R.  Blue,  T.  AV.  Dorman,  A.  H.  Mitchell,  James  A. 
Heard,  Edwin  Baldwin  were  each  in  charge  of  Montgomery  Sta- 
tion two  years,  and  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  here  named. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  H.  N.  McTyeire  was  in  charge  of  that  Station 
three  years,  or  on  the  third  year  till  he  was  consecrated  a  Bish- 
op in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 

At  the  close  of  1853  the  colored  people  in  Montgomery  were 
separated  from  the  white  charge  and  for  four  years  the  Rev. 
James  W.  Brown  served  the  colored  charge,  then  the  Revs.  B. 
S.  Williams  and  C.  N.  McLeod  served  it  each  one  year,  then  it 
was  supplied  one  year;  then  the  Rev.  R.  B.  Craw^ford  served  it 
one  year:  then  for  two  years  it  was  under  the  pastoral  care  of 
the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  white  congregation;  then  it  was 
separated  from  the  white  congregation  in  Montgomery,  and 
served  by  J.  W.  Jordan. 


674 


llistovy  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


There  is  on  record  a  statement  to  the  effect  that  Dr.  Summers, 
on  Sunday  morning,  December  18, 1853,  had  the  pleasure  of  ad- 
dressing the  Sunday-school  and  also  of  preaching  in  the  base- 
ment story  of  a  mammoth  Church  then  verging  to  completion  in 
the  city  of  Montgomery,  Alabama.  That  mammoth  Church  was 
finally  completed,  aud  was  dedicated  March  3,  1856,  Bishop 
George  F.  Pierce  preaching  the  sermon  on  1  Corinthians  i.  23, 
24,  to  a  throng  which  crowded  every  available  spot  where  stand- 
ing and  seeing  could  be  had. 

The  membership  at  ^Montgomery  in  1845  was  two  hundred 
and  twelve  white  and  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  colored 
members;  and  in  1865  was  two  hundred  and  fifty  white  mem- 
bers, and  the  colored  members,  including  those  at  Stone's  Chap- 
el, were  twelve  hundred  and  forty-three.  The  increase  in  the 
white  members  duriug  the  twenty  years  was  exceedingly  small, 
while  the  increase  of  colored  members  during  that  period  was 
very  gratifying. 

The  revival  influences  were  not  as  great  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Alabama  Conference  duriug  1847,  the  statistics  of  which  were 
reported  at  Montgomery  at  the  session  above  noted,  as  they  had 
been  in  other  years.  At  some  points,  however,  the  arm  of  the 
Lord  was  gloriously  revealed,  and  he  bestowed  on  the  Church 
according  to  the  multitude  of  his  loving-kinduesses,  and  the 
people  were  redeemed.  At  the  village  of  Arbacoochee,  near  the 
line  of  Randolph  and  Benton  Counties,  thirty-six  were  added  to 
the  Church.  At  Mount  Pleasant,  in  Monroe  County,  a  dozen 
were  converted  and  a  larger  number  added  to  the  Church.  At 
Ebenezer,  in  Centerville  Circuit,  there  were  seventy-five  conver- 
sions, and  to  the  Societies  at  the  different  points  in  the  Circuit 
more  than  one  hundred  were  added.  At  Village  Springs,  on 
Jones's  Valley  Circuit,  there  were  forty-eight  conversions  and 
forty-nine  accessions,  and  at  Pleasant  Hill,  on  the  same  Circuit, 
there  were  between  fifty  and  sixty  conversions,  and  at  other 
points  on  that  Circuit  there  were  added  ninety-six  white  and 
forty-eight  colored  members.  At  Bethel,  on  Talladega  Circuit, 
there  were  fifty-seven  added  to  the  Church,  and  at  Cold  Water, 
on  the  same  Circuit,  there  were  sixty  conversions  and  forty- 
three  accessions.  In  one  quarter  of  the  year  one  hundred  and 
forty  were  added  to  the  Church  on  the  Blount  Circuit.  At  the 
town  of  Tuskegee  forty-five  were  converted  and  twenty-seven 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      675 


added  to  the  Church,  and  at  Enon,  in  Macon  County,  fifty  were 
added  to  the  Church. 

In  that  same  year  1847  a  new  Camp-ground  was  estab- 
lished at  Wesley  Chapel,  four  miles  from  Socopatoy,  in  Coosa 
County,  and  in  October  of  that  year  a  Camp-meeting  was  held, 
under  the  superintendence  of  the  Rev.  Andrew  S.  Harris,  which 
lasted  eleven  days,  and  resulted  in  forty-eight  conversions. 
Camp-meetings  were  held  there  annually  for  seven  years. 
Wesley  Chapel  Society  was  kept  up  till  after  the  civil  war  be- 
tween the  States.  It  is  said  that  Mrs.  Ann  Jordan  gave  the 
land  on  which  that  Camp-ground  was  built,  and  that  she  was 
one  of  the  principal  tenters  while  the  meetings  were  continued. 
She  died  in  1888,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two.  The  other  princi- 
pal tent-holders  at  that  place  were:  Aaron  Spiney,  John  Dris- 
kill,  a  local  preacher  and  the  father  of  the  Rev.  Ambrose  F. 
Driskill,  James  Prather,  Richard  Plunkett,  Robert  W^ood,  Wil- 
liam Norwood,  Ephraim  Spiney,  and  William  Garrett.  The  hos- 
pitality of  said  tent-holders  secured  desirable  results  in  the  meet- 
ings at  that  place. 

W^illiam  Lowther,  in  the  year  1847,  obtained  part  in  the  in- 
heritance of  the  saints,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  South,  at  Mount  Zion  in  the  Crawford  Circuit,  a 
Circuit  long  called  by  that  name,  though  previously  called  Rus- 
sell. Mount  Zion  is  north-west  of  Columbus,  Georgia,  aud  not 
more  than  nine  miles  from  that  place.  Mr.  Lowther  was  a  na- 
tive of  Georgia,  and  became  a  citizen  of  Alabama  in  1841,  and 
died,  in  the  same  community  in  Alabama  in  which  he  first  took 
up  abode  in  the  State,  June  30, 1889,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 
Through  all  the  years  from  1847  to  1889  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Society  at  Mount  Zion.  Ever  free  from  malice  and  guile 
and  hypocrisies  and  envies,  he  was  a  pillar  in  the  Church  of 
God.  He  was  a  faithful  steward  during  the  time  of  his  con- 
nection with  the  Church,  and  was  an  active  Sunday-school 
teacher  and  officer  through  a  long  period  of  service.  Perhaps 
no  man  in  that  section  of  the  State  exerted  a  better  influence 
and  did  a  more  faithful  part  than  the  sweet  spirited  and  saintly 
William  Lowther.  He  was  affable  without  levity,  and  sedate 
without  moroseness.  He  was  contented  and  happy,  and  never 
sought  public  notoriety  or  applause.  He  was  of  sound  judg- 
ment, just,  and  tolerant.     He  was  attentive  to  the  sick,  kind  to 


676 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


the  poor,  and  gentle  toward  all  men.  The  delicacy  with  which 
he  bestowed  his  alms  made  them  doubly  welcome  and  doubly 
valuable.  He  was  well  reported  of  for  good  works,  and  h©  laid 
up  for  himself  a  good  foundation,  and  has  laid  hold  on  eternal 
life. 

The  Crawford  Circuit  was  continued  in  its  original  boundary 
until  the  close  of  1857,  when  it  was  divided  into  two  Circuits, 
one  still  called  Crawford,  and  the  other  Russell.  During  the 
years  before  that  division  that  Circuit  had  from  thirteen  to  fif- 
teen appointments  extending  over  the  country  from  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Opelika  to  the  neighborhood  of  Seale  and  from  Wa- 
coochee  to  Mount  Olivet  south-west  of  Uchee,  and  during  the 
years  previous  to  the  division  the  white  meaibers  within  the 
bounds  of  the  Circuit  numbered  from  six  to  more  than  nine 
hundred.  That  Crawford  Circuit,  covering  the  area  above 
mentioned,  was  the  first  Circuit  to  which  the  author  of  this 
History  was  appointed.  There  in  the  relation  of  junior  preach- 
er he  commenced  his  itinerant  work.  It  was  in  that  Circuit,  in 
1857,  he  first  knew  the  Aliens,  Bakers,  Bankses,  Barnetts,  Ben- 
netts, Borums,  Boykins,  Bullards,  Byrds,  Calhouns,  Cappses, 
Cherrys,  Coles,  Dunlaps,  Edwardses,  Faulkenberrys,  Frazers, 
Greens,  Gibsons,  Harrises,  Hayses,  Himeses,  Hurts,  Johnsons, 
Keetings,  Laneys,  Lockharts,  Lowthers,  McTyeires,  Pages,  Per- 
rys,  Prestons,  Smiths,  Tates,  Threadgills,  Trotters,  and  Wil- 
liamses.  Men  and  women  of  these  names  were  pillars  in  the 
Church  of  God,  and  saints  in  the  household  of  faith. 

The  Alabama  Conference  held  its  annual  session  at  Greenes- 
borough,  Alabama,  January  17-24, 1849.  Bishop  Robert  Paine 
was  delayed  by  sickness  and  reached  the  seat  of  the  Conference 
one  day  late.  In  his  absence  the  Rev.  Jefferson  Hamilton  was 
elected  President.  At  the  Missionary  Anniversary,  held  on 
Monday  evening  of  the  Conference  session,  the  Rev.  A.  H. 
Mitchell,  D.D.,  and  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Milburn,  then  lately  come 
from  Illinois,  made  addresses  in  the  interest  of  the  cause  in 
band. 

Throughout  the  territory  of  the  Conference  during  that  ec- 
clesiastical year  then  closed,  the  year  1848,  the  unction  from  on 
high  rested  on  the  Church,  and  large  numbers  of  souls  had  a 
happy  transition  from  nature  to  grace,  and  affiliated  with  the 
people  of  God.     At  Asbury,  Hamilton,  Mellard's,  Rehoboth,  and 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      677 


©ther  points  on  the  Autauga  Circuit  there  was  a  manifestation 
of  living  power,  and  over  one  hundred  whites  and  a  number  of 
blacks  joined  the  Church.  At  Bethlehem,  on  the  Coosa  Circuit, 
a  fine  class  was  received  into  the  Church,  and  a  number  were 
happy  in  the  experience  of  regeneration.  On  the  Harpers ville 
Circuit  there  were  more  than  sixty  accessions  to  the  Church  in 
six  weeks.  On  the  Cedar  Bluff  Circuit  the  work  was  extensive. 
Throughout  the  Talladega  Circuit,  which  embraced  Tallassee- 
hatchee,  Chockolocko,  and  Talladega  Valleys,  the  work  was  pro- 
found and  extensive.  Throughout  the  Randolph  Circuit  there 
was  a  deep  current  of  divine  influence,  and  scores  were  inaugu- 
rated into  the  divine  favor.  At  Auburn  and  at  one  other  place 
on  the  Auburn  Circuit  over  ninety  joined  the  Church.  At 
Mount  Meigs  there  were  fifty  justified,  and  more  than  that 
many  accessions.  The  Choctawhatchee  Circuit  had  twenty-two 
appointments,  and  at  Abbeville,  Clayton,  Dawkins's  Camp- 
ground, Epworth,  Elizabeth  Chapel,  and  Wright's,  on  that  Cir- 
cuit, there  was  a  divine  work  which  resulted  in  a  large  number 
of  accessions.  Over  two  hundred  were  added  to  the  Church  on 
Columbia  Mission.  There  were  more  than  seventy  conversions 
on  Oak  Grove  Circuit,  and  the  Lower  Peach  Tree  Circuit  had 
great  times,  while  on  the  Havana  Circuit  seventy  white  and 
fifty  colored  persons  were  received  into  the  fellowship  of  Chris- 
tians in  one  quarter  of  the  year.  The  region  between  the 
Tombigbee  and  Warrior  Rivers  was  visited  by  divine  influences, 
and  at  Clinton,  Ebenezer,  Eutaw,  Pine  Grove,  Sardis,  and 
Springfield  there  were  grand  times,  and  the  refining  fire  there, 
as  at  other  places,  purified  the  Church.  Selma,  Dayton,  and 
Demopolis  received  the  unction  from  on  high,  and  at  each  of 
said  places  souls  were  made  inexpressibly  happy.  In  the 
bounds  of  the  Conference  the  increase  that  year  was  reported 
at  two  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  whit«  and  eight 
hundred  and  sixteen  colored  members. 

Greenesborough  Station  had  a  noble  set  of  men  and  women 
connected  with  it  through  all  the  period  from  1845  to  1865. 
Dr.  Joseph  A.  Moore  was  a  steward  there  from  1841  till  1849, 
and  Dr.  Pleasant  W.  Kittrell  was  a  stevvard  there  from  1844  till 
1850.  These  two  men  were  active,  punctual,  and  efficient  in 
Church  work  until  1849,  when  they  both  became  somewhat  de- 
linquent    Some  time  after  that  Dr.  Kittrell  moved  to  Texas. 


678 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


John  Du  Boise  and  Joseph  W.  Houck.  and  their  wives,  who 
were  sisters  were  pillars  in  the  Church  of  God.  They  were 
members  at  Greenesborough  from  1835  till  bevond  the  period 

mtnl  o     T      :r^  "'"  ""''''■     ^»  ^'^•-'  -ho  has  often  been 
mentioned  in  these  pages,  was  a  local  preacher,  and  Houck  was 

cTosS  /h  1«««''"*^,-*'^"^  ""''''  ^^^'--g  --'^  island 
closing  with  1868  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  Quarterly  Con- 

W  Hon  r\'f  '°'  Greenesborough  Station,  and  JosepL 

th^nT    W  '  """'  P""'""*  **  °°«  ^'"'^'^^  a'ld  eight  of 

toem.  He  was  a  man  of  God,  and  after  the  type  of  Willian- 
Carrosso,  the  noted  class-leader  of  England 

Ch?rcr!  ?■  '^°''r°°  '''"^  "  ^""S  '^-"^  association  with  the 
Church  at  Greenesborough.  In  1835  he  contributed  fifty  dol- 
lars  for  the  support  of  the  ministry,  at  that  place,  and  in  1836 
he  was  the  class-leader  there,  and  for  seventeen  years  after  that 
he  was  steward,  and  subsequently  he  was  Superintendent  of  the 
ounday-scnool. 

J.  W.  Walton  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  a  man  of  sound 
judgment,  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Greenes- 
boroi^h,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Kev.  James  M.  Boatwright. 
in  1839,  and  was  steward  there  for  more  than  twenty  years  be 
ginning  .,th  1847.  In  the  Canebrake  region  of  Akbama  he 
made  large  property  and  possessed   great  wealth.     He   con- 

Sv     T   "iSr/'""  ^''""'^  ^""^  '"l^'P  ^^^  Southern  Univer- 
sity    In  1869  he  moved  to  Gallatin,  Tennessee.     He  now,  in 
1892,  lives  near  Birmingham,  Alabama,  seventy-five  years  old 
and  m  penury.     He  has  children  to  relieve  his  wants 

Mrs.  Ehzabetli  Hunt  were  received  into  the  Society  at  that 
place  by  certificate,  and  the  first  Quarterly  Conference  for  that 
year  elected  Gideon  Nelson  a  steward.  While  in  itself  not  a 
promise  of  accession  of  power,  and  while  not  a  revelation  of 
we  conceived  plans  to  be  executed  in  great  advancements,  and 
while  not  o  be  recorded  here  as  one  of  many  fabulous  d^eds 
yet  It  is  a  fact  that  at  the  Quarterly  Conference  held  for  that 
S  ation  ,n  September,  1847,  Sam  Dillard,  a  colored  member,  was 
brought  forward  as  a  candidate  for  the  ministry.  No  re;om! 
mendation  had  been  secured  from  either  the  Society  of  which  he 

quired,  and  for  that  reason  the  case  was  indefinitely  postponed. 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      679 


Dr.  William  Thomas  Webb  was  elected  steward  for  Greenes- 
borough Station,  in  18-18,  and  he  continued  in  that  office  until 
the  close  of  1850,  when  Henry  A.  Stoleuwerck  was  elected  to 
that  position  in  his  place.  Three  or  four  years  later  he  was 
again  elected  steward,  and  then  in  about  two  years  he  tendered 
his  resignation,  and  it  was  accepted. 

Stolenwerck  continued  in  the  office  of  steward  for  more  than 
fifteen  years,  and  beyond  the  time  to  be  recounted  in  this  His- 
tory. He  died  in  1891.  His  first  wife  was  the  daughter  of  Dr. 
Gaston  Drake,  of  Greenesborough,  Alabama,  and  his  last  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Thompson,  of  Camden,  Wilcox  County, 

Alabama. 

Warren  E.  Kennedy,  than  whom  a  more  excellent  man  sel- 
dom appeared  in  the  Church  at  that  place,  was  elected  steward 
in  the  first  part  of  1849,  and  continued  in  that  office  far  beyond 
the  time  to  which  this  History  extends. 

Dr.  Gaston  Drake,  a  man  of  great  personal  worth,  was  elected 
steward,  in  May,  1851,  in  place  of  David  Berkley,  who  had  re- 
moved to  Texas,  and  he  was  continued  in  that  office  till  beyond 
the  time  reviewed  in  this  History.     He  was  industrious,  prompt, 

punctual,  and  useful. 

As  an  indemnification  in  a  ministerial  crisis,  at  the  Quarterly 
Conference  in  January,  1853,  on  motion  of  T.  M.  Johnson,  a 
Kesolution  was  adopted  pronouncing  it  absolutely  expedient  to 
found  a  District  Parsonage.  What  further  was  done  toward 
the  work  in  that  good  cause  this  deponent  saith  not. 

R  G.  Hammill  was  a  local  preacher  in  that  Station  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  R.  S.  Hunt  was  a  class-leader,  and  in 
1853  these  two  worthy  brothers  were  appointed  to  superintend 
the  Sunday-school  of  the  colored  people.  That  bestowed  honor 
and  rank,  and  was  an  award  to  modesty,  integrity,  and  worth. 

John  H.  Y.  Webb  appeared  in  official  position  in  connection 
with  that  Station  as  early  as  the  first  part  of  1855,  and,  though 
more  than  a  third  of  a  century  has  elapsed,  he  is,  in  1892,  still 
•  there,  faithful,  true,  and  honored. 

At  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  at  Greenesborough,  Decem- 
ber 1,  1855,  the  Rev.  James  K.  Armstrong  was  recommended  to 
Alabama  Annual  Conference  for  admission  on  trial,  and  the 
Conference  at  its  next  session  admitted  him. 

December  1,  1855,  according  to  a  detailed  report  made  to  the 


6H0 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Quarterly  Conference,  though  the  ideal  standard  was  still  un- 
attained,  the  Church  at  Greenesborough  was  in  a  firm  and 
healthy  state.  The  stewards,  so  it  was  claimed,  were  men  of 
ability,  enterprise,  and  efficiency;  and  the  current  expenses  of 
the  Church  were  liberally  provided  for,  and  cheerfully  and 
promptly  liquidated.  It  seems,  however,  that  the  Church  at 
that  place  had  long  indulged  the  liberty  and  the  luxury,  if 
liberty  and  luxury  it  was,  of  debtor,  for  it  is  stated  in  the  re- 
port above  referred  to  that  "the  old  debts  have  all  been  paid, 
and  this  Church  for  the  first  time  in  its  history  is  free  from 
debt."  Credit  may  be  necessary  to  commerce,  and  commerce 
may  be  the  signs  and  the  means  of  opulence,  and  debit  and 
credit  may  be  words  peculiar  to  civilized  and  Christian  nations, 
but  debt  is  not  assuring  to  a  Church.  Public  worship  at  that 
time  was  well  attended,  though  the  prayer  meetings  and  class- 
meetings  were  greatly  neglected,  and  were,  evidently,  treated 
as  of  little  utility  by  the  majority  of  the  members  of  the  So- 
ciety. Singing,  which  is  an  important  part  of  divine  service, 
may  have  been  good  or  indifferent.  The  report  states  that  the 
music  was  specially  engaged  in  with  spirit  and  pleasure,  and 
had  been  greatly  improved  by  the  concentrated  efforts  of  several 
brethren  who  had  taken  that  part  of  worship  under  their  own 
paternal  care.  There  was  a  well  regulated  Sunday-school  in  the 
charge,  having  connected  with  it  the  Infant  Class  and  the  Bible 
Class.  That  Society,  at  that  time,  was  composed  of  gentlemen 
and  ladies  of  gre»)t  personal  worth,  and  yet  that  was  a  season 
of  profound  tranqu-illity,  that  sort  of  tranquillity  which  prevails 
where  zeal  and  ardop  have  disappeared.  There  was  a  tendency 
to  gayety  rather  than  to  pensiveness  and  piety.  There  was  a 
tendency  to  conformity  to  the  world  just  in  the  measure  that 
religious  sociability  was  lacking.  Pastimes  were  rather  sought 
and  relished  than  class-meetings  and  religious  interviews. 

At  the  Quarterly  Conference,  July  5,  1856,  the  names  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  Greenes- 
borough,  were  entered  on  the  record,  and  said  Trustees  were 
ordered  not  to  allow  the  Church  to  be  used,  after  that  date,  for 
other  than  religious  services,  and  meetings  under  the  control  of 
the  Church  and  the  Southern  ministry.  There  had  been  usur- 
pation and  there  had  been  desecration  of  the  sacred  place;  and 
there  was  a  rally  of  authority  for  rescue  and  protection. 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction,      681 


Through  the  period  now  under  review  there  was  the  same 
fluctuation  in  the  white  membership  at  Greenesborough  as  at 
other  places.  In  1846  there  were  one  hundred  and  seventy 
white  members,  five  years  later  there  were  only  one  hundred 
and  thirty,  and  in  1864  there  were  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight,  counting  probationers.  The  colored  members  increased 
throughout  the  period:  two  hundred  and  thirty  in  the  begin- 
ning, and  four  hundred  and  thirty-three  at  the  close,  counting 

the  probationers. 

The  Alabama  Conference  held  a  session  at  Columbus,  Missis- 
sippi, January  16-24,  1850.     The  Eev.  Ebenezer  Hearn,  by  ap- 
pointment of  the  Bishop,  presided  over  the  deliberations  of  the 
first  day.     Bishop  William  Capers  presided  the  remainder  of 
the  time.     Bishop  Eobert  Paine  was  present  most  of  the  Ses- 
sion.    At  that  day  there  was  no  such  thing  as  a  Joint  Board  of 
Finance,  but  each   Conference  had   authority  to  adopt  and 
recommend  such  plans  and  rules  as  to  them  appeared  necessary 
to  raise  supplies  for  the  respective  allowances  recognized  by 
the  Discipline;  and  the  Conference  appointed  annually  a  com- 
mittee to  estimate  the  sums  requisite  for  necessitous  superan- 
nuated ministers,  widows,  and  orphans.     At  that  session  of  the 
Alabama  Conference  there  was  adopted  a  Financial  Plan,  and 
it  was  enacted  that:  "  There  shall  be  a  Joint  Board  of  Finance, 
composed  of  one  lay  member  from  each  District  in  the  Confer- 
ence, an  equal  number  of  ministers  and  a  chairman."     That 
Plan  embodied  substantially  what,  many  years  afterward,  was- 
put  in  the  Discipline  providing  for  a  Joint  Board  of  Finance. 
The  illustrious  lay  members  elected  at  that  time  on  that  Board 
were:  Charles  Gascoigne,  of  Mobile,  B.  O.  Glover,  of  Demopo- 
lis,  William  Godfrey,  of  Gainesville,  T.  C.  Billup,  of  Columbus, 
Alfred  Battle,  of  Tuskaloosa,  J.  G.  L.  Huey,  of  Talladega, 
Daniel  Pratt,  of  Prattville,  J.  Thorington,  of  Montgomery,  and 
A.  McGehee,  of  Eufaula. 

The  Delegates  elected  then  to  the  General  Conference  were: 
T.  O.  Summers,  W.  Murrah,  J.  Hamilton,  A.  H.  Mitchell,  T. 
W.  Dorman,  E.  Calloway,  G.  Garrett,  and  J.  T.  Heard.  The 
Eeserves:  E.  Hearn,  G.  Sheaffer. 

At  the  next  session  of  the  Annual  Conference,  and  which  was 

held  at  Auburn,  Alabama,  January  8-15,  1851,  Bishop  Capers 

again  presiding,  and  at  which  the  Kev.  James  E.  Glenn,  then 
44 


682 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


venerable  in  years,  was  present,  the  new  Financial  Plan  approved 
itself  by  the  achievements  attained  under  its  operations.  Pre- 
vious to  that  year  the  claimants  on  the  Conference  Collections 
had  been  paid  about  forty  cents  on  the  dollar,  under  the  new  order 
at  that  time  they  were  paid  about  seventy  cents  on  the  dollar. 
That  session  of  the  Conference  was  the  first  ever  held  in  the 
State  further  east  than  Montgomery.  Though  Auburn  was 
then  only  a  small  country  town,  it  was  a  pleasant  place,  and  the 
hospitality  of  the  citizens  was  unbounded,  and  the  Conference 
was  admirably  entertained. 

The  Missionary  Anniversary  at  that  time  and  place  was 
marked  by  enthusiasm.  Impromptu  speeches  were  features  of 
the  occasion,  and  some  of  them  were  most  felicitous,  and  pro- 
duced most  admirable  effects.  At  that  anniversary,  at  Auburn, 
the  ladies  of  the  congregation  made  Thomas  Eady,  a  member 
of  the  Church  at  that  place,  and  who  for  ,many  years  was  the 
sexton  of  the  Church,  a  life  member  of  the  Missionary  Society, 
by  a  contribution  of  twenty  dollars;  and  a  School  girl  who  had 
been  favored  with  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Kev.  Thomas  Y. 
Ramsey  when  she  was  a  pupil  at  Centenary  Institute,  at  Sum- 
merfield,  made  him,  by  a  contribution  of  twenty  dollars,  a  life 
member  of  the  Missionary  Society.  Twelve  thousand  seventy- 
one  dollars  and  thirty-nine  cents  were  collected  that  year  just 
then  closing  for  Missions  in  the  bounds  of  the  territory  em- 
braced in  the  Conference.  Enon  Circuit,  in  the  Eufaula  Dis- 
trict, paid  that  year  to  Missions  one  thousand  and  twenty-two 
dollars,  and  Franklin  Street  Church,  Mobile,  paid  for  the  same 
object  one  thousand  seven  dollars  and  forty-five  cents. 

About  that  time  unusual  enterprise  began  to  show  itself  in 
the  cause  of  Missions  in  the  Alabama  Conference,  distinguished 
attention  to  the  work  followed,  and  the  Methodists  of  Alabama 
enlarged  their  contributions  for  carrying  the  gospel  to  the 
regions  beyond.  Tuskegee  Circuit  had  nineteen  places  for 
preaching  in  it  in  1851,  and  the  First  Quarterly  Conference  for 
that  Circuit  for  that  year  resolved  to  hold  missionary  meetings 
of  two  days  continuance  at  every  appointment  in  the  Circuit, 
and  that  in  addition  the  best  hour  at  all  the  Camp-meetings  on 
the  Circuit  be  devoted  to  the  cause  of  Missions.  The  resolu- 
tions thus  adof)ted  were  carried  out.  The  Crawford  Circuit, 
with  sixteen  appointments,  adopted  and  carried  out  similar 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction. 


683 


resolutions.     The  Glennville  Circuit,  with  eight  appointments, 
had  the  same  kind  of  meetings  for  the  same  purpose,  and  the 
Enon  Circuit,  with  Chunnenueggee  in  it,  held  similar  meet- 
ings.      Enthusiasm   was   intense,   as   attested  by   the   results, 
which  were  infinitely  greater  than  had  been  anticipated.     The 
amount  collected  for  Missions  in  the  bounds  of  the  Conference 
was  twenty-five    thousand   eight   hundred  thirty-one   dollars 
and  sixty-five  cents.     Enon  Circuit,  in  the  Eufaula  District, 
still  held  the  Banner,  having  paid  twenty-nine  hundred  and 
seventy-five  dollars.     The  Tuskegee  Circuit,  in  the  Montgomery 
District,  pressed  hard  for  the  prize,  paying  into  the  treasury 
twenty-nine  hundred  and  twenty  dollars.     Tuskegee  Circuit  at 
that  time  consisted  of  the  following  places,  each  one  of  which 
contributed  to  that  great  sum;  Loachapok*,  Soule  Chapel,  New 
Hope    Providence,  Franklin,  Notasulga,  llocky  Mount,  War- 
rior Stand,  Baldwin's,  Perry  Chapel,  Society  Hill,  Mount  Nebo, 
Asbury    Chapel,   Segrests,    McKendree,   Pay^ie    Chapel,   Fort 
Hull,  Mount  Zion,  and  Texas.     Auburn,  which  wae  then  a  Sta- 
tion, contributed  the  largest  amount  for  Missions  that  year  of 
any  Station  in  the  Conference:  it  paid  four  hundred  and  eighty 
dollars.    At  the  session  of  the  Conference  held  in  Mobile,  Ala- 
bama,  January  7-14,  1852,  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew  presiding, 
at  which  these  sums  for  Missions  were  reported,  it  transpired 
that  the  Alabama  Conference  had  gone  beyond  all  the  Confer- 
ences of  the  connection  in  the  amounts  contributed  to  Missions, 
and  had  taken  the  honor  which  hitherto  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  had  possessed.     But  that  solitary  grandeur  was  not 
all  in  which  the  Alabama  Conference  rejoiced.     The  work  had 
prospered  in  other  respects  during  the  year  1851,  the  year  just 
then  closed.     Great  revivals  had  swept  through  the  State,  and 
there  had  been  an  increase  of  twenty-seven  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  members.     The  Sunday-schools  had  flourished,   and   the 
esprit  de  corps  was  admirable. 

It  became  necessary  at  that  session  of  the  Conference  to  in- 
vestigate the  conduct  and  the  theological  teachings  of  the  Rev. 
William  H.  Milburn,  who  had  been  in  Alabama  three  or  four 
years,  and  had  been  in  Mobile  two  years.  He  was  once  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Illinois  Conference,  and  located  in  September,  1847. 
That  investigation  was  the  only  thing  at  that  time  to  disturb 
the  tranquillity  of  that  occasion.     It  seems  that  Mr.  Milburn 


684 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


liad  been  guilty  of  some  erratic  conduct,  some  questionable  as- 
sociation, not  suited  to  one  occupying  the  position  of  a  Metho- 
dist preacher.  In  some  way  he  associated  with  and  participated 
in  a  ball,  a  sort  of  pantomime,  a  celebration  at  New  Year's  by  a 
Mobile  club.  It  seems  also  that  he  had  given  utterance  to  such 
doctrines  as  induced  the  charge  of  heresy.  For  these  he  was 
called  to  answer.  He  was  so  euamored  of  scientific  exactness, 
and  had  so  entangled  himself  in  the  meshes  of  his  own  re- 
searches and  his  speculative  abstractions,  that  he  spurned  all 
systematic  arrangement  of  theological  doctrines,  and  he  knew 
nothing  as  he  ought,  either  of  science  or  theology.  When 
called  to  answer  for  his  conduct  in  connection  with  the  New 
Year's  pantomime  he  put  in  a  plea  of  good  motive.  When 
called  to  answer  for  his  theological  vagaries,  he  asserted,  in  de- 
fense of  himself,  that  the  preaching  of  theology  was  the  bane  of 
the  Church  and  the  curse  of  the  pulpit.  But  he  made  such  plea 
of  good  motives  in  the  matter  of  the  ball  had  by  the  club,  and 
he  made  such  explanations  of  his  theological  views  as  induced 
the  Conference  to  condone  both  his  questionable  conduct  and 
his  theological  errors. 

About  the  time  of  that  session  of  the  Conference  in  January, 
1852,  the  Kev.  P.  P.  Neely,  D.D.,  preached  two  sermons  in  the 
city  of  Mobile.  He  had  then  just  closed  a  term  of  two  years  in 
the  Station  at  Columbus,  Mississippi,  and  had  been  just  three 
years  in  the  Alabama  Conference,  having  been  transferred  from 
the  Tennessee  Conference.  There  was  a  sojourner  in  the  city  of 
Mobile  at  the  time  here  referred  to,  and,  attracted  by  the  fame 
of  Dr.  Neely's  eloquence,  said  sojourner  joined  the  auditors  who 
sought  to  hear  the  sermons.  That  sojourner  wrote  an  account 
of  the  sermons  and  the  preacher,  and  as  said  production  con- 
tains the  best  portraiture  of  Dr.  Neely  that  can  be  had  it  is 
transferred  to  these  pages.  Notwithstanding  a  deep  shadow 
fell  upon  Dr.  Neely  and  continued  to  rest  upon  him  till  his  sun 
went  down  in  death,  he  continued  in  the  ministry,  and  main- 
tained his  reputation  for  eloquence,  and  attracted  multitudes  to 
his  ministry  as  long  as  he  lived.  But  here  is  the  calm  and  dis- 
passionate estimate  of  the  man: 

"About  the  time  of  the  late  Conference  here,  the  Kev.  P.  P. 
Neely,  D.D.,  preached  two  sermons;  and  as  his  fame  had 
reached  me,  I,  of  course,  heard  him.     How  one  is  often  disap- 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      685 


pointed  in  the  appearance  of  a  person  of  whom  we  have  often 
heard.     Before  seeing  him,  I  had  pictured  Dr.  Neely  as  a  slight, 
graceful  man,  of  spirituelle  expression;  but  he  is  tall,  and  large- 
framed,  florid  complexion,  light  eyes  and  hair.     His  voice  is 
soft,  sweet,  yet  withal  a  little  husky.     He  reads  the  hymns  and 
Scripture  lessons  pleasantly,  but  not  impressively.     And  upon 
standing  up  to  preach,  you  are  grieved  to  perceive  what  appears 
to  be  a  manuscript  volume  before  him.     With  the  exception  of 
the  eye  in  the  main  kept  book-ward,  you  would  scarce  guess  he 
was  reading.     He  has  a  good  deal  of  action,  and  his  voice  has 
all  the  cadences  suited  to  the  passage.     His  style  is  elaborate, 
but  not  finished;  ornate,  but  not  elegant;   it  has  copiousness, 
but  not  precision;  abounds  in  finely  conceived  attenuative  pas- 
sages, but  lacks  the  bullet-like  accuracy  and  telling  power  of  the 
short,  terse  sentences.     The  smooth,  liquid  sounds  predominate. 
He  does  not  seem  to  have  made  the  harsh,  grating  sounds  a  study. 
His  voice,  together  with  the  effects  he  produces  by  it,  is  aston- 
ishing.    It  has  no  compass  of  tones,  and  its  volume  is  limited, 
yet  i^s  influence  over  you  is  very  great.     It  propitiates,  then 
wins    you.     You   cannot  resist   its   soft   and  touching  sweet- 
ness.    It  blends  too  in  beautiful  accord  with  the  style  and  mat- 
ter of  the  discourse.     I  am  mistaken  if  much  of  his  power  does 
not  lie  here.     His  view  of  a  subject  is  marked  by  adaptation  to 
popular  apprehension,  rather  than  original  or  profound  thought. 
It  is  not  a  bold  and  comprehensive  grasp  of  it,  but  rather  an 
embellished   reproduction  of  what  has  been  already  thought 
and  said.     His  presentation  of  it  tends  to  excite  emotion  more 
than  to  stimulate  reflection,  and  hence  he  is  effective.     It  is  no 
mean  office,  so  to  reclothe  old  thoughts,  animating  them  with 
the  breath  of  a  rich  life,  bringing  them  again  to  our  acquaint- 
ance as  unknown  and  yet  well  known.     The  passions  he  awak- 
ens are   admiration,  pity,  and  love;   rarely  fear,  never  terror. 
His  passion  is  his  strength,  without  it  his  adornment  would  be 
tinsel,  his  moving  appeals  but  as  '  sounding  brass  or  tmklmg 
cymbLl;'  his  rhetoric  faulty  to  the  last  degree,  and  his  whole 
discourse  but  a  declamation. 

To  sum  him  up,  I  should  say  he  has  more  fancy  than  imagi- 
nation; excelling  in  embellishment  rather  than  creation;  more 
feeling  than  thought,  passion  than  reason;  less  cultivation  than 
natural  vigor;   prolixity  without   condensation;  greater   afflu- 


686 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


ence  of  language  than  finish  of  expression;  more  power  than 
you  can  well  account  for.  His  genius  is  luxurious,  not  ascetic: 
it  singing  robes,  but  not  the  purged  ear  or  the  rapt  vision;  dis- 
porting itself  in  descriptions,  never  girding  up  its  loins  for  a 
pilgrimage  in  the  pathless  realms  of  thought;  delighting  in  sen- 
timent more  than  principles:  breathing  dulcet  sounds  of  melo- 
dy, but  never  reaching  the  lofty  pitch  of  harmonic  sublimity." 

With  Bishop  William  Capers  presiding,  the  Alabama  Confer- 
ence met  at  the  classic  town  of  Marion,  Perry  County,  Alaba- 
ma, December  1,  1852,  and  continued  in  session  eight  days. 
The  year  was  noted  as  a  year  of  success.  The  patient  labors  of 
the  men  of  God  had  been  rewarded  with  satisfactory  results. 
Great  ingatherings  were  had  in  many  pastoral  charges,  and 
there  was  an  increase  of  twenty-one  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
white  and  two  hundred  and  seventy-three  colored  members  dur- 
ing the  year.  The  interest  in  education  increased,  the  Sunday- 
schools  flourished,  and  the  zeal  in  Missions  continued,  though 
the  amount  collected  on  that  account  was  not  quite  as  much  as 
the  preceding  year.  Twenty-one  thousand  one  hundred  nine- 
ty-six dollars  and  eighty-eight  cents  had  been  gathered  for  the 
cause.  A  large  class  of  preachers  was  admitted  on  trial,  thirty- 
one  in  all. 

Noteworthy  events  transpired  on  the  Cedar  Bluff  Circuit  dur- 
ing the  year  1852.  Though  contrary  to  the  list  of  appointments 
published  in  the  Minutes,  yet  it  is  a  fact  that  the  Rev.  Thomas 
P.  Crymes  was  in  charge  of  the  Cedar  Bluff  Circuit  that  year. 
That  Circuit  at  that  time  had  in  it  the  then  village  of  Gadsden, 
and  that  village  was  at  that  time  in  Cherokee  County.  The 
Second  Quarterly  Conference  for  that  Circuit  for  that  year 
was  held  at  Gadsden,  in  July.  The  meeting  was  continued  for 
twelve  days,  and  twenty-five  persons  professed  justification,  and 
thirty  were  received  into  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 
The  Third  Quarterly  Conference  for  that  charge  for  that  year 
"was  held  at  Spring  Creek  Camp-ground,  in  September,  in  con- 
junction with  a  Camp-meeting.  One  hundred  conversions  and 
fifty  accessions  to  the  Church  were  reported  as  the  result  of  that 
meeting.  But  notwithstanding  all  that  revival  work  one  of  the 
most  unseemly  things  occurred  at  Gadsden  that  same  year.  The 
Methodists  and  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians  preached  and 
worshiped  in  the  same  house  at  that  place,  each  denomination 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction,      687 

having  its  days  and  hours  for  its  own  service.     On  one  occasion 
there  was  a  most  fearful  collision  of  these  two  denomma  ions; 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterians  occupying  the  house  and  utilizing 
the  hour,  and  the  Methodists  claiming  the  hour  as  theirs  by  the 
stipulations  in  force.     The  Rev.  T.  P.  Crymes,  the  preacher  was 
present,  and,  bold  in  the  maintainance  of  his  right,  claimed  his 
hour.     The  Cumberland  people,  aggressive  m  their  movements, 
claimed  to  be  in  actual  occupancy  of  the  house  and  the  hour. 
Crymes  arose  at  his  place  in  the  house  and  made  announcements 
of  his  services  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.    Words  and  menace 
ensued  and  the  scene  was  not  assuring,  was  not  religious      Itie 
C^rbe'rland  Presbyterians  appeared  before  the  Grand  Jury  o 
the  County  of  Cherokee  and  obtained  an  indictment  against  the 
Rev    Thomas  P.  Crymes   for  disturbing  public  worship.     He 
^Z^Lo  the  indictment  and  was  actually  tried  for  t^e  crime 
alleL^ed  in  the  court-house  in  the  town  of  Center     While  he 
had  counsel,  he  acted  as  his  own  attorney,  made  the  speech  m 
his  own  defense.     He  was  persistently  prosecuted  and  bi  terly 
persecuted,  but  he  was  acquitted  by  the  verdict  of  the  Court, 
^he  autclous  and  revengeful  conduct  of  the  enemies  of  Mr^ 
Crymes  did  their  cause  no  good,  and  they  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
have  reaped  the  fruits  of  their  own  doings.     The  Methodists 
have  evef  been  in  advance  of  the  party  who  led  that  unrighteous 
assault  upon  the  Rev.  Thomas  P.  Crymes. 

The  mention  of  Gadsden  gives  opportunity  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  "he  name  of  one  of  the  most  noted  Metliodists  ever  m 
that  sec  ion  of  the  State.  General  1).  C.  Turrentme  lived  m  the 
^1  ty^^^^^^  for  nearly  four  decades,  and  died  there  Sep- 

leXr  11,  1883,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year.  He  was  a  native  of 
G^org  a!  His  n.ra^  first  appeared  on  the  records  of  Alabama 
Me'Ssm  in  the  Wills  Valley  Circuit.  L.  M.  Nicholson,  David 
Methoaism  m^^^^^tine,  a  Committee  of  arbitration  in  a 

SLIf  iL'sy  be^en  Brothers  Bristo  and  Watt,  of  WillB 
Valley  Circuit,  on  July  24,  1841,  rendered  a  dec.sion  winch  is 
on  ecord  in  tU  Journal  of  that  Circuit.  Upon  moving  to  the 
"cinTty  of  Gadsden  General  Turrentine  organized  a  Sunday- 
Tchoo  with  five  scholars,  and  he  continued  in  the  Supenntend- 
8CU001  w  „  ,  ijooi  there  for  thirty-four  years.  Who 
:Sh  ll  he  posUion  of  Superintendent  of  a  Sunday-school 
longer  than  that?    lu  that  position  he  was  distinguished  and 


688 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


successful  It  was  an  humble  position  which  he  filled,  and  routine 
work  in  which  he  engaged,  but,  in  conducting  a  Sunday-school 
and  teaching  and  training  the  children,  committed  to  his  care, 
in  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  he  did  a  work  grand  in  its  import 
and  far  reaching  in  its  results.  He  was  a  man  of  great  firmness, 
persistence,  and  energy.  Mrs.  Caroline  Turrentine,  the  wife  of 
General  Turrentine,  was  a  woman  of  much  worth,  a  member  of 
the  Church,  a  thorough  Methodist,  and  a  devoted  Christian. 
She  performed  her  part  in  the  drama  of  life  punctually  and  well. 
At  the  Camp-grounds  in  the  section  of  the  State  in  which  he 
lived  General  Turrentine  had  provision  for  tenting,  and  he 
helped  to  entertain  the  crowds  who  had  to  be  entertained  at  the 
Camp-meetings.  He  and  his  wife  were  fine  Camp-meeting  sing- 
ers, and  great  workers  at  a  Camp-meeting  sei-vice,  and  they  would 
sing  and  pray  for,  and  talk  with  penitents,  who  were  seeking  the 
pardoning  mercy  of  the  Lord  Almighty.  At  the  house  of  Gen- 
eral Turrentine  was  dispensed  as  generous,  and  graceful  a  hos- 
pitality as  was  ever  bestowed  anywhere,  by  any  one.  He  kept 
open  house,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  the  preacher  and 
his  family,  with  a  most  cordial  welcome,  to  stay  at  General  Tur- 
rentine's  home  weeks  at  a  time.  Firm  as  the  everlasting  hills, 
unyielding  as  the  everlasting  rocks,  these  two,  General  D.  C. 
Turrentine  and  his  wife,  Caroline  Lucy  Turrentine,  adhered  to 
their  principles,  maintained  the  faith,  and  went  to  their  reward 
in  full  triumph. 

The  preachers  who  had  charge  of  the  Station  at  Marion  and 
who  dispensed  the  gospel  to  that  congregation  from  1845  to  1865 
were:  the  Eev.  T.  H.  P.  Scales,  John  M.  Vestal,  T.  P.  Holman,  T. 
Y.  Kanisey,  E.  J.  Hammill,  P.  P.  Neely,  James  A.  Peebles,  Josiah 
Bancroft,  T.  W.  Dorman,  W.  Shapard,  A.  H.  Mitchell  and  W. 
C.  Harris.  Neely  was  there  four  years,  Kamsey  three,  Dorman 
and  Shapard  two,  and  the  others  one.  Peebles  and  Bancroft 
served  in  the  capacity  of  junior  preachers,  and  sometimes  Ham- 
burgh was  associated  with  Marion.  At  the  close  of  1845  there 
were  at  Marion  one  hundred  and  fifteen  white  and  seventy-two 
colored  members,  and  at  the  beginning  of  1865  there  were  one 
hundred  and  one  white  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-three  colored 
members,  the  members  at  Hamburgh  included. 

The  twenty-third  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  convened 
at  Talladega,  Alabama,  December  13, 1854,  and  continued  the  ses- 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      689 


sion  until  December  21,  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew,  presiding. 
That  was  a  very  important  session  of  the  Conference.     Twenty- 
three  preachers  were  admitted  on  trial;  eighteen  were  continued 
on  trial;  sixteen  were  admitted  into  full  connection;  three  weBe 
re-admitted;  the  Kev.  Edmund  Baldwin,  an  elder  in  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church,  applied  for  admission  according  to  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Discipline,  and  was  received  into  the  Conference; 
ten  were  discontinued;  four  located;  one,  the  Eev.  Stephen  Olm 
Capers,  was  expelled;  three,  the  Eev.  Thomas  J.  Campbell  the 
Eev  Lewis  S.  Oslin,  and  the  Eev.  John  Gross,  had  died.    There 
had  been  a  magnificent  work  of  grace  that  year,  the  Lord  had 
appeared  in  his  glory  to  the  worshiping  assemblies,  and  there 
had  been  an  increase  of  sixteen  hundred  and  sixty-seven  white 
and  seventeen  hundred  and  fifty-three  colored  members,  and 
seven  local  preachers.    Four  thousand  three  hundred  thirty- 
five  dollars  and  sixty-nine  cents  had  been  collected  for  the  Su- 
perannuated Preachers,  and  the  Widows  and  Orphans  of  Preach- 
ers and  to  make  up  the  deficiencies  of  those  who  had  not  received 
the'ir  regular  allowance.     Ninety-two  cents  in  the  dollar  was  the 
amount  paid  the  claimants.     Twenty  thousand  nine  hundred 
seventy  dollars  and  ninety-five  cents  had  been  contributed  for 
Missions.     Eleven  hundred  seventeen  dollars  and  fifty-five  cents 
had  been  contributed  for  the  purchase  of  Sunday-school  Books. 
Twelve  hundred  ninety  dollars  and  thirty  cents  had  been  con- 
tributed for  the  American  Bible  Society;  that  amount  was  re- 
ported in  some  instances  the  Agents  failed  to  report  the  amount 
raised  for  that  purpose.     Two  hundred  and  thirty-nine  Sunday- 
schools  were  reported.     Eight  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  were 
collected  at  the  Missionary  Anniversary  at  Talladega. 

The  Conference  gave  considerable  attention  to  the  subject  of 
education  evinced  great  enthusiasm  on  the  subject,  and  adopted 
aggressive  measures  for  the  establishment  of  Colleges  and  the 

fostering  of  Schools.  .    „   ^  v        i,    i,  ^ 

The  Eevs.  Thomas  J.  Campbell  and  Louis  S.  Oslin,  who  had 

died  during  the  year,  had  died  of  consumption.     They  died  in 

peace  and  triumph.  ^,      _      .  . 

The  Eev.  T.  H.  Foster  was  transferred  to  the  Louisiana 
Conference  and  died  during  the  next  year.  The  Eev.  W.  Monk 
was  transferred  to  the  East  Texas  Conference.  The  Eev.  C.  C. 
Gillespie  and  the  Eev.  E.  S.  Finley  were  transferred  to  the 


690 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Texas  Conference.     The  Rev.  J.  W.  Ellis,  Sr.,  and  the  Rev.  J. 
C.  Stewart  were  transferred  to  the  Pacific  Conference. 

A  sermon  was  preached  before  the  Conference  on  the  second 
day  of  its  session  by  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Mitchell,  D.D.,  on  Denomi- 
national Education:  the  Text  Deuteronomy  vi.  7.  The  tradi- 
tion is  that  the  sermon  was  preached  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Synodical  Female  Institute,  which  was  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Presbyterians.  The  sermon  is  still  in  existence,  having 
been  published.  There  is  a  sentence  in  the  sermon  in  which 
occur  the  words  "to  be  fed  upon  the  husks  of  Calvinism."  The 
Rev.  Mr.  McCorkle,  who  then,  and  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Talladega, 
was  present,  and  heard  the  sermon.  Dr.  Mitchell  had  an  en- 
gagement to  dine  with  Brother  McCorkle  that  day.  Mr.  Mc- 
Corkle was  full  of  humor,  wit,  and  satire.  Dr.  Mitchell  and 
the  other  guests  of  the  occasion  having  reached  the  residence 
of  Mr.  McCorkle,  were  seated,  possibly,  in  the  preacher's  study. 
Dr.  Mitchell  observed  a  large  number  of  Newspapers  in  the 
room,  and  remarked:  "  Brother  McCorkle,  I  see  you  have  and 
read  an  array  of  Newspapers."  Brother  McCorkle  replied: 
"Yes,  Doctor,  I  supply  myself  with  them  'to  be  fed  upon  the 
husks  of  Calvinism.' "  Dr.  Mitchell  did  not  pursue  the  con- 
versation further.  Very  soon  they  repaired  to  the  dining-room 
where  the  repast  of  the  hour  was  served  and  enjoyed. 

The  various  preachers  who  served  Talladega  during  the 
period  from  1845  to  1865  were:  The  Revs.  O.  R.  Blue,  one  year; 
T.  H.  P.  Scales,  one  year;  E.  J.  Hammill,  three  years;  Joseph 
Phelan,  one  year;  J.  W.  Starr,  one  year;  D.  Carmicheal,  two 
years;  J.  C.  McDaniel,  one  year;  J.  S.  Moore,  one  year;  B.  B. 
Ross,  one  year;  T.  P.  Crymes,  one  year;  James^S.  Lane,  a  local 
preacher,  one  year;  T.  F.  Mangum,  two  years;  C.  W.  Miller,  a 
preacher  from  Kentucky,  a  part  of  one  year;  T.  J.  Gouch,  a 
preacher  from  Missouri,  the  part  of  the  year  after  Miller  left; 
R.  B.  Crawford,  two  years.  Talladega  was  in  a  Circuit  till  the 
close  of  1857,  when  it  was  made  a  Station.  At  the  close  of  the 
first  year  as  a  Station  it  had  one  hundred  and  forty-three  white 
members,  and  sixty-five  colored  members.  At  the  beginning  of 
1865  there  were  one  hundred  and  five  white  and  one  hundred 
and  four  colored  members. 

Than  the  Rev.  E.  J.  Hammill  no  more  popular  preacher  was 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      691 

ever  at  Talladega,  hence  he  was  returned  there  two  or  three 
different  times.     Notwithstanding  his  popularity,  on  one  occa- 
sion, and  by  one  man,  he  was  treated  most  unseemly  and  beaten 
most  unmercifully.     The  first  Trustee  named  in  the  deed  to  the 
first  lot  conveyed  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Talla- 
dega, Alabama,  was  James  M.  McCann,  and  he  it  was  who 
maltreated  the  man  whose  office  it  was  to  minister  in  holy 
things  in  the  very  house  of  worship  of  which  he  had  been  a 
Trustee.     There  were  some  reports  in  circulation  in  the  com- 
munity detrimental  to  one  or  more  of  the  members  of  the 
Church,  and  the  matter  was  of  such  a  serious  nature  that  it  was 
absolutely  necessary  to  take  cognizance  of  it.     Mr.  Hammill, 
as  a  faithful  pastor  of  the  flock,  had  the  matter  investigated  as 
the    ecclesiastical    law    to  which    he   was   amenable    directed. 
When  the  unsavory  report  was  traced  to  its  origin  and  the  mat- 
ter was  adjusted  upon  its  merits,  the  guilt  was  attached  to  Mrs. 
McCann,  one  of  the  members  of  the  Church,  and  the  wife  of 
James  M.  McCann,  and  by  the  decision  of  the  ecclesiastical 
court  she  was  put  under  penalties  due  to  her  untoward  conduct. 
That  enraged  Mr.  McCann,  and  he  proceeded  to  avenge  himself 
on  Mr.  Hammill,  the  preacher.     He  waylaid  Mr.  Hammill,  and 
in  the  darkness  of  the  evening,  as  Mr.  Hammill  was  on  his  way 
to  the  Church,  where  a  congregation  was  assembling  for  divine 
service,  an4  a  Sunday  evening  it  was,  just  as  Mr.  Hammill 
reached  the  corner  of  the  block  in  which  the  Church  was  located 
'  and  was  turning  down  to  the  Church,  Mr.  McCann  came  upon 
him  in  a  cowardly  and  dastardly  way,  and  delivered  upon  him 
indignity,  and  numerous,  furious,  and  dangerous  blows.     Even 
after  he  had  been  made  to  suspend  his  blows,  by  some  persons 
who  happened  to  come  upon  the  scene,  and  after  he  had  prom- 
ised to  desist  from  further  assaults  and  indignities,  he  returned 
to  Mr.  Hammill,  and  gave  him  a  number  of  most  violent  blows. 
Mr.  Hammill  was  a  meek  man,  and  held  the  doctrine  of  non- 
resistance.     He  believed  that  violence  should  never  be  resisted 
by  force,  and  on  that  occasion  he  acted  according  to  his  creed^ 
and  he   made   no   effort  to   repel   his   assailant.     He  was  so 
wounded  and  prostrated  that  he  could  not  proceed  on  his  way, 
and  he  was  conveyed  to  the  house  just  at  hand,  where  he  was 
cared  for.     James  M.  McCann,  the  miscreant,  received  condign 
punishment,  the  divine  vengeance  recompensed  him.     He  died 


692 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


in  the  poor  house  in  the  County  of  Talladega,  Alabama.  He 
lived  in  odium  and  died  in  poverty.  He  lived  in  sin,  and  died 
in  shame. 

The  Kev.  E.  J.  Ham  mill  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  in 
1818.  When  an  infant  he  was  carried  to  the  city  of  New  York, 
North  America.  It  was  the  purpose  of  his  father  to  make  him, 
through  the  proper  channels,  a  priest  in  the  Church  of  Kome, 
and  to  that  end  he  sent  him  to  the  Romish  Church  Schools  in 
the  city  of  New  York;  but,  before  he  reached  his  majority,  he 
went  to  Columbus,  Georgia,  and  there  he  was  justified,  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  was  licensed  to  preach. 
He  professed  the  attainment  of  Christain  Perfection.  After 
that  he  went  to  Irwinton,  Alabama,  where  he  was  recommended 
as  a  suitable  person  to  be  admitted  on  trial  in  the  traveling 
connection,  and  in  December,  1841,  he  was  admitted  to  that  re- 
lation by  the  Alabama  Conference,  and  appointed,  for  1842,  to 
Talladega  and  Mardisville.  For  twenty-seven  years  he  worked 
in  Alabama  as  an  itinerant  preacher,  filling  good  appointments 
and  responsible  positions.  He  married  a  Miss  Simmons,  whose 
father  lived  at  the  time  at  Hillabee,  in  the  bounds  of  the  Coosa 
Circuit,  which  Circuit  Mr.  Hammill  served  one  year.  Mr. 
Hammill  thought,  spoke,  and  gesticulated  very  rapidly.  He 
was  a  man  of  intense  and  enthusiastic  nature,  and  a  man  of 
faith,  prayer,  and  consecration.  He  was  a  man  of  intense  po- 
litical convictions,  and  the  course  of  conduct  and  the  tide  of 
events  in  the  South  did  not  please  him.  He  was  conscientious- 
ly opposed  to  the  doctrine  of  Secession  as  advocated  and  adopted 
by  the  leaders  of  the  Southern  people.  He  was  bitterly  op- 
posed to  the  purpose  and  effort  to  establish  a  government  of 
Confederate  States  in  the  South.  His  political  alliances  made 
him  offensive  to  those  who  held  the  prevailing  sentiments  in 
the  South,  and,  under  the  pressure,  in  1869,  he  left  Alabama, 
and  went  to  Missouri  or  Illinois,  and  united  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  preached  as  an  itinerant  in  his  new 
field.  He  died  in  the  communion  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  was  in  a  Rail  Road  car  in  transit  from  Illinois  to 
Alabama,  and  died  suddenly,  in  the  early  part  of  1892. 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Phelan  located  and  lived  in  the  bounds  of 
the  Talladega  Circuit.  The  Rev.  John  C.  McDaniel,  in  1857, 
withdrew  from  the  Methodists  and  united  with  the  Baptists. 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction,      69ii 


The  principal  persons  and  officials  at  Talladega  during  the 
period  now  under  review  were  the  Rev.  James  S.  Lane,  a  local 
preacher  and  a  man  of  much  worth,  James  G.  L.  Huey,  Sunday- 
school  Superintendent  and  class  leader,  A.  J.  Cotton,  George  Mil- 
ler, James  S.  Chambers,  J.  W.  Martin,  class  leaders,  John  B.  Huey, 
H.  H.  Hammill,  John  L.  Harris,  Thomas  J.  Cross,  John  A.  Win- 
bourn,  Charles  Carter,  Joseph  H.  Johnson,  C.  M.  Shelley,  W.  J. 
Rhodes,  J.  B.  M.  Landers,  Abner  Jones,  J.  H.  Vandiver,  stew- 
ards, William  H.  Thornton,  steward  and  class  leader.  Some  of 
these  men  were  there  through  all  that  period  from  1845  to  1865, 
others  were  there  only  a  part  of  the  time. 

As  the  lives  of  these  men  whose  names  are  here  grouped  are 
reviewed  the  conviction  is  reached  that  it  is  not  a  pleasing  act 
nor  an  easy  task  to  transfer  to  the  written  page  all  the  facts  of 
history.  Men  do  not  always  appear  to  as  good  advantage  in 
groups  as  they  do  apart  and  alone.  The  aggregated  follies  of  a 
community  present  a  scene  appalling.  The  real  life  and  final 
end  of  even  men  who  have  avouched  the  Lord  to  be  their  God 
admonish  of  frailty  in  human  nature  and  of  contingency  in  hu- 
man destiny.  An  ideal  excellence  is  not  always  maintained, 
and  a  happy  exit  is  not  always  secured. 

The  Rev.  James  S.  Lane  was  for  about  six  years  a  member  of 
the  Georgia  Conference.  He  located  in  December,  1847,  and 
moved  to  Alabama,  and  made  his  home  in  Talladega.  He  was 
associated  with  the  town  of  Talladega  from  1848  till  1864.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Alabama  Conference  for  the  year  1855,  but 
he  did  not  leave  Talladega.  The  last  record  made  of  him  on  the 
Quarterly  Conference  Journal  for  Talladega  Station  bears  date 
October  29,  1864,  "character  of  J.  S.  Lane,  L.  E.,  passed." 
About  that  time,  or  a  few  months  thereafter,  he  moved  to  Tex- 
as. He  was  about  forty-seven  years  old  when  he  left  Tallade- 
ga. He  was  associated  with  several  Schools  in  Texas,  and  did 
much  for  education  in  that  State.  He  inspired  an  interest  in 
the  citizens  of  Georgetown  and  vicinity  in  the  Southwestern 
University;  he  canvassed  in  the  interest  of  that  Institution. 
He  was  re-admitted  to  the  traveling  connection  in  the  North- 
west Texas  Conference  in  November,  1869.  He  did  efficient 
work  in  the  ministry  in  Texas.  He  was  a  man  of  social  attain- 
ments, and  in  conversation  he  was  wise  and  instructive.  He 
was  s'trongly  attached  to  the  views  and  principles  of  the  South. 


694 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


He  was  free  from  sordidness  and  selfishness.  He  was  full  of  ar- 
dor. He  had  dark  eyes  and  black  hair.  He  died  December  8, 
1882,  and  was  buried  at  Georgetown,  Texas.  His  remains  were 
buried  a  long  way  from  his  native  land  of  Georgia. 

On  January  1, 1838,  James  G.  L.  Huey,  a  native  of  South  Car- 
olina, and  then  in  his  twenty-fifth  year,  cast  his  lot  with  the 
denizens  of  Talladega,  Alabama,  and  on  a  beautiful  Sabbath  in 
the  flowery  month  of  May,  1842,  he  presented  himself  at  the  al- 
tar of  the  little  Meeting  House  which  stood  on  the  hill  above 
the  magnificent  Spring  in  the  town  of  Talladega,  a  candidate 
for  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  By  proc- 
ess provided,  he  was  received;  and  he  was  immediately  selected 
by  the  women  who  had  hitherto  guided  the  affairs  of  the  Sun- 
day-school, to  take  charge  of  the  Sunday-school  as  Superintend- 
ent. He  was  the  Superintendent  of  that  Sunday-school  from 
then  till  1867.  He  was  also  one  of  the  class  leaders  of  the  So- 
ciety. He  kept  up  a  good  Sunday-school  through  all  the  years 
in  which  he  managed  its  affairs.  It  was  a  good  Sunday-school 
not  only  in  the  numbers  constituting  it,  but  in  the  character  of 
its  pupils  and  teachers  and  in  the  work  performed.  For  suffi- 
cient reasons  it  is  impossible  to  catalogue  the  teachers  and  pu- 
pils connected  with  that  School  through  the  quarter  of  a  centu- 
ry its  destinies  were  guided  by  Brother  Huey,  but  a  few  ought 
to  be  named.  Miss  Susan  Dixon  was  a  tower  of  strength  in  that 
School.  She  was  endowed  with  the  powers  of  investigation,  and 
furnished  with  stores  of  Biblical  knowledge,  and  she  had  firm- 
ness of  will,  and  personal  influence.  Mrs.  S.  F.  Kice,  Mrs.  Re- 
becca Moody,  Miss  Mary  Jane  Douglass,  Miss  Charlotte  Walker, 
Miss  Sarah  J.  Shelley,  Miss  Mary  C.  Shelley,  Miss  Alabama 
Stephenson,  Miss  Martha  Stephenson,  were  noble  women  of 
brilliant  lives  who  rendered  valuable  aid  in  the  good  Cifuse. 
James  E.  Shelley,  Charles  M.  Shelley,  Henry  E.  Shelley,  H.  H. 
Hammill,  John  B.  Huey,  and  William  H.  Thornton  were  men 
who  wrought  well  in  the  sublime  work.  However  pleasant  and 
profitable  it  might  be  to  study  the  political  systems  of  extinct 
empires,  and  to  search  for  the  beauties  of  ancient  classics,  a 
sublimer  work  was  enterprised  in  that  School.  The  Bible  was 
studied,  expounded,  and  revered.  The  Bible  was  considered  not 
the  symbol  of  power,  but  power  itself,  not  the  semblance  of  truth, 
but  truth  itself.  • 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      695 

James  G.  L.  Huey  was  of  French  and  Irish  extraction,  and 
blended  in  himself  the  various  characteristics  of  his  ancestors, 
the  generous  and  impulsive  predominating.     Evidently  he  had 
the  elements  of  stability  in  him  or  he  could  not  have  continued 
in  the  routine  work  of  Sunday-school  Superintendent  for  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century.     He  served  the  general  interests  of  the  Church 
with  fidelity  and  liberality.     He  was  ever  ready  to  assume  re- 
sponsibility for  the  Church  and  act  in  her  interest  whenever 
and  in  whatever  her  cause  was  to  be  advanced  and  protected.    He 
not  only  guided  her  Sunday-school  work,  but  was  prompt  and 
prominent  in  her  class-meetings,  prayer  meetings,  and  general 
public  services.     He  was  ready,  if  need  be,  to  render  even  police- 
duty  in  the  interest  of  the  divine  cause.     An  instance,  attesting 
the  truth  of  this  averment,  is  on  record.     In  the  days  when  such 
a  thing  as  police  force  was  not  known  in  Talladega,  and  when 
the  men  and  women  sat  apart  in  a  Methodist  audience,  a  special 
meeting  was  in  progress  at  the  old  Meeting  House.     During 
one  of  the  services  of  that  meeting  two  wicked  persons,  in  a 
state   of  intoxication,  moved  around  on    the    outside    of   the 
Church  and  with  boisterous  speech  disturbed  the  congregation. 
Finally  they  walked  up  to  one  of  the  windows  on  the  side  of  the 
house  occupied  by  the  women  and  poured  forth  a  volley  of  in- 
solent utterances.     Huey  sprang  up  instantly,  and  with  deter- 
mined bearing  and  rapid  step  passed  out  of  the  house  and  to 
where  the  insolent  disturbers  of  the  peace  were  standing.     Ja- 
cob D.  Shelley,  a  man  of  extraordinary  worth  in  the  communi- 
ty, and  a  very  pillar  in  the  Church,  actuated  by  the  same  motives 
which  moved  Huey,  went  with  him.     These  two  class  leaders, 
having  provided  themselves  with  suitable  cudgels,  chastised  the 
base   fellows    in    real   good    style.     They  felled  them    to  the 
ground  with  quick  and  heavy  blows.     The  culprits  plead  for 
mercy,  and  were  permitted  to  depart  with  their  wounds  and 
their  shame ;  and  were  left  to  reflect  upon  their  relation  to  mor- 
al suasion  and  the  effectiveness  of  physical  force.     Huey  and 
Shelley  returned  to  their  places  in  the  congregation,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  divine  worship  as  complacently  as  if  they  had 
been  to  join  angels  in  a  hymn  of  praise.     General  Huey  was 
public  spirited,  and  held  a  commission  as  General  of  Alabama 
troops,  and  was  commissioned  to  act  as  a  visitor  to  the  United 
States  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  previous  to  the  war  be- 


696 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


tween  the  States.  He  was  the  trusted  Fiscal  Agent  and  Deputy 
Treasurer  of  the  Confederate  States.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Senate  of  Alabama  from  Talladega  County,  in  1845.  He  was 
one  of  the  moving  spirits  in  the  building  of  the  East  Alabama 
Female  Institute  at  Talladega;  and,  after  the  Masons  and  Meth- 
odists had  both  failed  in  the  effort  to  sustain  it  as  a  Female 
School,  he  was  the  chief  agent  in  inducing  the  State  of  Alabama 
to  take  it  for  a  Deaf  Mute  Institute.  He  abstained  strictly  from 
the  use  of  all  intoxicants.  The  destitute  shared  his  alms;  and 
the  sick  shared  his  kind  offices;  and  he  visited  and  tendered  his 
sympathies  to  the  grief  stricken  mourner;  and  he  was  at  the 
obsequies  of  even  the  humblest.  He  was  twice  married,  and 
his  first  wife  was  the  mother  of  seven  children,  all  of  whom,  ex- 
cept two,  preceded  him  to  the  grave.  Hon.  Benjamin  M.  Huey^ 
distinguished  as  a  Senator  in  the  General  Assembly  of  Alaba- 
ma, from  Perry  County,  is  his  son.  General  Huey  left  Talla- 
dega about  the  latter  part  of  1867,  or  the  first  of  1868,  and  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  days  in  Perry  and  Bibb  Counties,  Alaba- 
ma. He  died  at  his  country  home  in  Bibb  County,  Alabama, 
March  20, 1887,  and  was  buried  at  the  town  of  Marion. 

William  H.  Thornton,  a  native  of  Wilkes  County,  Georgia, 
when  seventeen  years  of  age  entered  the  mercantile  business, 
and  continued  in  that  line  of  business  until  he  was  forty  years 
old.  Being  a  man  of  business,  he  studied  and  learned  the  prac- 
tical things  of  life,  and  did  not  spend  much  time  reveling  in  the 
domain  of  speculation.  While  living  at  Bluff  Springs,  Alaba- 
ma, in  1856,  he  was  elected  Judge  of  Probate  of  Talladega 
County,  and  immediately  moved  to  Talladega,  where  he  resided 
till  he  passed  to  the  grave.  He  held  the  office  of  Judge  of  Pro- 
bate of  Talladega  County  from  the  time  he  was  first  elected 
thereto  until  the  acts  of  reconstruction  went  into  force  after 
the  close  of  the  war  between  the  States.  In  1876  he  was  re- 
stored to,  or  reinstated  in  the  office,  and  then  he  held  it  until 
impaired  health  caused  him  to  resign  in  1884.  He  professed 
religion  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1838, 
and  shortly  thereafter  he  erected  his  home  altar,  and  kept  up 
worship  with  his  family  with  great  punctuality  until  impaired 
health  disqualified  him  for  conducting  religious  services.  He 
was  a  man  of  strong  religious  convictions,  and  did  his  duty 
in  the  Church  of  his   choice  faithfully  and  well.     He  was  in 


HON.  WILLIAM  H,  THORNTON. 


45 


<696) 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      697 


his  place  at  the  house  of  God,  and  was  ever  in  the  front 
rank  as  a  worker  in  the  divine  cause.  He  was  a  man  of  solid 
piety,  who  both  knew  and  loved  Methodist  doctrine  and  disci- 
pline, and  had  natural  and  acquired  abilities  to  transact  the 
temporal  business  of  the  Church.  He  had  positive  convictions 
and  steady  purposes.  He  mingled  firmness  with  gentleness, 
persistence  with  kindness,  and  assertion  with  meekness  in  most 
admirable  harmony.  It  is  said  that  his  most  noticeable  errors 
in  judgment  were  committed  in  excessive  efforts  for  peace  and 
friendship.  It  is  quite  possible  to  sacrifice  right  on  the  altar 
of  friendship,  and  in  what  is  supposed  to  be  the  interest  of 
peace.  Judge  Thornton's  hospitality  was  boundless,  making 
him,  in  dispensing  it,  literally  the  servant  of  the  people.  He 
kept  open  house.  Never  did  preacher  have  a  wiser  counselor, 
a  firmer  friend,  and  a  more  willing  and  efficient  comforter  than 
was  found  in  William  H.  Thornton.  He  married  Miss  Emeline 
E.  White,  a  most  admirable  woman,  and  a  fit  companion.  She 
was  a  Methodist  and  a  Christian.  To  them  were  born  ten  chil- 
dren, and  that  household  was  a  model.  Judge  Thornton  died 
May  17, 1888,  and  his  wife  followed  him  in  less  than  three  years. 
There  was  never  any  family  in  Talladega  who  gave  more 
strength  to  Methodism  than  the  family  of  Judge  William  H. 

Thornton. 

Than  Dr.  J.  H.  Vandiver  no  man  was  ever  more  firmly  at- 
tached to  the  principles  of  Methodism.  Under  every  ordeal  he 
resisted  every  overture  to  desert  the  Church  at  whose  altar  he 
was  dedicated  to  God.  Steady,  tried,  and  true  he  ever  stood  to 
his  post.  The  Church  ever  had  his  personal  presence,  his  best 
counsel,  his  warmest  sympathy,  and  his  benevolent  contribu- 
tions. Under  his  roof  the  Methodist  preacher  and  his  family 
found  shelter  and  hospitality.  Whether  or  not  his  physical 
make-up  and  peculiarities  answered  to  the  descriptions  given  of 
those  of  melancholic  temperament,  he  was  oftener  in  a  state  of 
melancholy  than  in  any  other.  The  melancholy  mood  seemed 
to  be  his  normal  mood,  and  yet  the  most  mirthful  youth  whose 
heart  beat  high  with  hopeful  anticipations  was  never  more  san- 
guine than  he  was  at  times.  If  merit  there  is  in  the  inveterate 
use  of  the  noxious  weed  called  tobacco,  then  Dr.  Vandiver 
possessed  merit  in  a  high  degree,  for  he  was  a  devotee  of  the 
quid.    It  would  be  esteemed  exaggeration  to  state  the  facts  in 


698 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


bis  use  of  tobacco.  In  all  other  habits  he  was  strictly  temper- 
ate. For  a  long  while  he  was  a  physician  in  active  practice* 
afterward  he  was  a  druggist.  He  lived  at  Alexandria  and  ad- 
ministered medicine  in  that  section  before  he  moved  to  Talla- 
dega. 

In  1861  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Harris,  Sister  Savery,  Sister  Hogan, 
and  Miss  Lizzie  Frazier  died  in  peace  and  triumph.  In  1862 
Mariah  Whittaker  died;  and  in  1863  Col.  J.  J.  Woodward,  an- 
other of  the  members,  was  killed  in  the  army;  and  in  the  same 
year  Mrs.  Margaret  Kennedy  and  Mrs.  A.  T.  Plowman  went 
hence.  In  1864  J.  W.  Martin  and  Eliza  Markham  closed  their 
earthly  pilgrimage.     George  McLane  was  killed  in  the  army. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1860  the  order  of  things  carried  Mrs. 
Eachel  M.  Duncan,  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Daniel  Duncan,  to  Tal- 
ladega, where  she  became  a  member  of  the  Society,  and  where, 
on  Decemder  29,  1891,  she  ended  her  pilgrimage.  She  was  a 
woman  of  great  piety. 

The  space  at  command  forbids  a  record  of  the  many  pious 
and  worthy  members  who  wrought  righteousness  and  added 
strength  to  the  divine  cause.  On  the  roll  of  worthy  ones  might 
be  placed  the  names  of  J.  T.  Adams,  Mrs.  Carroll,  Mrs.  Cham- 
bers, the  mother  of  Miss  Marcy,  Mrs.  Donahoo,  Mrs.  John  B. 
Huey,  Mrs.  Harvey  Joiner,  Mrs.  Martin,  Mrs.  Scott,  Mrs.  Ste- 
vens, Mrs.  Thompson,  Mrs.  Dr.  Vandiver,  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Whit- 
son.  Mrs.  Jane  C.  Parsons,  the  wife  of  Governor  Lewis  E.  Par- 
sons, an  ideal  woman  in  practical  sense  and  in  personal  worth, 
was  long  a  working  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  at  Talla- 
dega, and  died  there  in  the  faith. 

The  name  of  Mrs.  Emily  A.  Johnson,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Joseph 
H.  Johnson,  must  go  on  the  calendar.  Dr.  Joseph  H.  Johnson 
and  his  wife  deserve  a  monument.  They  wrought  in  the  field 
assigned  them  in  great  modesty,  and  wrought  that  which  shall 
endure  in  endless  splendor.  Call  it  a  figure  of  speech  if  you 
will,  but  they  gave  sight  to  the  blind,  hearing  to  the  deaf,  and 
speech  to  the  dumb!  Patriotic  and  philanthropic  hearts  will 
ever  swell  with  gratitude  upon  every  review  of  what  these  two 
achieved  in  educating  the  unfortunate  ones  committed  to  their 
care.  The  Alabama  Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum,  a  Scliool  for  the 
education  of  the  indigent  deaf-mutes  of  Alabama,  was  located 
at  Talladega  in  1858,  and  Dr.  J.  H.  Johnson  was  chosen  to  take 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      699 


charge  of  its  affairs.  The  blind  were  also  admitted  to  the 
School.  Dr.  Johnson  was  admirably  fitted  for  the  work  and  po- 
sition assigned  him,  and  met  every  emergency  and  every  expec- 
tation. It  is  no  disparagement  of  Dr.  Johnson  to  say,  that 
from  the  opening  of  the  Institution,  his  wife,  Mrs.  Johnson, 
was  a  light,  a  guide,  a  strength,  and  a  benediction  in  the  Asy- 
lum for  the  deaf,  dumb,  and  blind  at  Talladega,  Alabama.  It 
is  true  that  the  Institution  was  always  under  the  auspices  of  the 
State,  and  not  of  the  Church,  but  it  is  the  glory  of  the  Metho- 
dists of  the  city  of  Talladega  that  of  their  number  there  were 
those  capable  of  filling  such  a  philanthropic  and  noble  position, 
and  capable  of  acquiting  themselves  with  such  credit  in  such 

humane  work- 
There  is  on  record  in  Book  sixteen  in  the  County  Eecords  of 
the  County  of  Talladega  a  warranty  Deed  to  a  parcel  of  ground 
therein  described.  The  Deed  is  made  and  signed  by  John  T. 
Morgan,  and  is  made  to  James  G.  L.  Huey,  Alexander  J.  Cot- 
ton, and  William  H.  Thornton,  Trustees  for  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  South,  at  Talladega,  Alabama,  and  bears  date  Oc- 
tober 10,  1857.  The  description  is  as  follows:  "  Part  of  Lot  No. 
156  in  Talladega,  Alabama,  commencing. at  the  North-west  cor- 
ner of  said  Lot,  and  running  thence  east  ninety-five  feet  along  a 
street  in  front  of  the  New  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  thence 
one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  at  right  angles  with  said  street  run- 
ning in  a  southerly  direction,  thence  west  at  eighty  angles  with 
the  last  mentioned  line  to  the  street,  thence  one  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  to  the  commencing  point;  being  the  same  Lot  on 
which  the  New  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  Edifice  is  now 
standing."  The  facts  of  a  house  being  built  on  the  Lot  before 
it  was  secured  by  Deed,  and  its  being  described  as  the  New  Meth- 
odist Church  edifice  are  explained  by  an  item  of  history. 

One  bleak  Sunday  morning  in  the  first  months  of  1854,  at  the 
close  of  a  class-meeting,  John  T.  Morgan  and  James  G.  L.  Huey 
lingered  at  the  door  of  the  old  Church  after  the  other  members 
of  the  congregation  had  dispersed.  Morgan,  looking  up  and  sur- 
veying the  old  house,  said:  "  The  Methodists  must  have  abetter 
house  of  worship,  and  this  location  will  not  do."  Huey  con- 
curred in  what  Morgan  had  said,  and  added:  "There  is  a  place 
near  this  just  suited  to  our  wants."  The  two  then  walked  to  the 
place  referred  to,  and  after  satisfactory  inspection,  they  resolved 


700 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      701 


to  obtain  possession  of  the  Lot,  and  hold  it  as  the  site  for  the  an- 
ticipated better  house  of  worship  for  the  use  of  the  Methodists. 
Before  the  dawn  of  another  Sunday  they  had  purchased  the  Lot, 
and  it  was  deeded  to  John  T.  Morgan,  hence  after  the  house  of 
worship  was  erected  on  it  he  had  to  convey  it  to  Trustees  as  the 
property  of  the  Church.  Morgan  moved  away  from  Talladega 
before  the  new  Church  was  erected,  but  to  him  and  Huey  belong 
the  honor  of  inaugurating  the  enterprise  of  a  new  Church. 
These  men  both  attained  titles  in  after  years.  For  years  Mor- 
gan represented  Alabama  in  the  United  States  Senate.  The 
new  Church  was  erected  in  the  period  between  the  time  of  the 
incident  and  the  date  of  the  Deed  above  recited,  and  is  the 
Church  now  in  use  by  the  Methodists  of  Talladega.  The  corpse 
of  Leroy  Huey  was  the  first  one  ever  carried  from  the  altar  of 
that  new  Church. 

The  Rev.  Silvester  E.  Swope  served  the  cause  of  Methodism 
in  Alabama  for  many  years.  His  influence  and  labors  as  a  local 
preacher  extended  over  the  country  from  the  Georgia  line  to  the 
Coosa  Eiver,  in  the  original  large  Counties  of  Randolph  and 
Talladega.  He  was  the  most  noted  man  in  the  Fish  Valley  and 
the  Hillabees.  He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  commenced  the 
Christian  life  in  the  State  of  Georgia,  and  it  seems  he  was  con- 
nected with  Methodism  in  Alabama  from  1843  till  his  death.  He 
served  Randolph  and  Hillabee  Circuits  and  Coosa  Mission  as  a 
supply.  He  had  a  warm  place  in  the  affections  of  the  people 
amoug  whom  he  labored  and  preached  so  long.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six,  in  1890,  at  Anniston,  Alabama. 

While  many  faithful  Christians  were  at  Jacksonville,  Alabama, 
during  the  period  from  1844  to  1865,  E.  L.  Woodward  and  J.  F. 
Grant  were  the  two  most  active  and  liberal  men  in  the  support 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  They  were  men  of 
great  worth.  Woodward  was  a  thrifty  merchant.  Grant  was  an 
Editor  of  ability  and  success.  He  was  the  Treasurer  of  the 
State  of  Alabama  for  one  term,  and  he  maintained  his  integrity 
and  his  religion.  Though  busy  with  the  duties  of  his  responsi- 
ble office,  he  found  time  to  attend  the  public  services  of  the 
Church.  He  attended  the  class-meetings  regularly.  Wood- 
ward was  the  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  for  many, 
many  years  at  Jacksonville,  and  was  successful  in  that  work. 

The  twenty-fourth  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  commenced  at  Eutaw,  Ala- 
bama, December  5,  1855,  and  continued  ten  days.  The  reports 
made  to  the  Conference  showed  the  total  increase  in  the  mem- 
bership for  the  year  to  be  fourteen  hundred  and  eighty;  and 
that  the  amounts  necessary  for  the  Superannuated  Preachers, 
and  the  Widows  and  Orphans  of  Preachers,  and  to  make  up  the 
deficiencies  of  those  who  had  not  received  their  regular  allow- 
ance were  settled  at  sixty-two  cents  in  the  dollar;  and  that 
twenty-three  thousand  two  hundred  eighty-four  dollars  and 
twelve  cents  was  collected  during  the  year  for  Missions. 

With  benevolence  abounding,  and  philanthropy  aglow,  the 
great  event  of  that  occasion  was  the  discussion  of  the  question 
of  locating  and  establishing  a  College  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Conference.  The  question  was  intensely  interesting,  and  the 
discussion  was  long  and  warm.  It  was  that  discussion  which 
prolonged  the  session  of  the  Conference  to  ten  days. 

One  member  of  the  Conference,  the  Rev.  Charles  McLeod,  had 
passed  to  his  reward.  He  died  at  the  home  of  Brother  Mayhew, 
near  Bridgeville,  Pickens  County,  Alabama,  October  19,  1855. 
He  started  in  the  itinerant  work  in  November,  1830,  and  he  was 
in  the  local  ranks  about  seven  years  after  that.  He  was  presid- 
ing elder  on  the  Montgomery,  Montevallo,  and  Tuskaloosa  Dis- 
tricts, and  he  was  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Columbus  District 

at  the  time  of  his  death.  „   ,  * 

One  man,  the  Rev.  William  M.  Lovelady,  was  expelled  from 
the  connection.  Four  men  located.  Bishop  Robert  Paine  pre- 
sided over  the  Conference.  ,    ,i    .rr.     1  41 

The  next  session  of  the  Conference  was  held  at  Tuskegee,  Ala- 
bama,  commencing  December  10,  1856,  and  closing,  after  dark, 
December  17,  1856.  Bishop  George  F.  Pierce,  by  some  deten- 
tion did  not  reach  the  seat  of  the  Conference  till  the  second 
day  of  the  session,  and  the  Rev.  E.  V.  Le  Vert  was  elected  Pres- 
ident, and  directed  the  affairs  of  the  Conference  for  one  day. 

At  the  previous  Annual  session  the  Conference  resolved  to  in- 
crease the  Missionary  collections  during  the  year,  and  to  raise 
at  least  thirty  thousand  dollars.  Thirty-two  thousand  sixty-one 
dollars  and  sixty-six  cents  was  paid  into  the  treasury. 

The  increase  of  the  membership  that  year  was  very  satisfac- 
tory Thirty-seven  hundred  and  eighty-nine. 

Four  members  of  the  Conference,  the  Revs.  Thomas  Burpo, 


702 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      703 


James  M.  Wells,  Kobert  S.  Spence,  and  James  S.  Belton,  had 
died  during  the  year. 

The  Eev.  Thomas  Burpo  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
grew  to  manhood  in  Tennessee,  commenced  his  ministry  in  Ala- 
bama as  an  itinerant  on  trial  in  the  Mississippi  Conference,  the 
last  days  of  1823.  In  November,  1831,  he  located,  in  January, 
1847,  he  was  re-admitted  to  the  Alabama  Conference.  He  was  a 
modest  man,  and  a  model  Christian.  He  died  at  his  home  in 
Wilcox  County,  Alabama,  in  January,  1856,  in  the  fifty-second 
year  of  his  age. 

The  Eev.  J.  M.  Wells  was  born,  and  regenerated  in  Georgia, 
and  was  never  out  of  the  ranks  of  an  itinerant  preacher.  He 
joined  the  Alabama  Conference  on  trial  in  December,  1842,  the 
same  month  in  which  he  was  licensed  to  preach.  He  died  at 
North  Port,  Alabama,  January  24,  1856.  His  wife,  who  was  the 
daughter  of  G.  and  A.  Curling,  and  who  was  born  at  Tuskaloosa, 
Alabama,  June  27,  1831,  died  at  North  Port,  October  30,  1857. 
Her  father,  George  Curling,  who  died  in  Tuskaloosa,  in  April, 
1860,  was  for  more  than  fifty  years  a  Methodist.  All  these  were 
buried  in  Tuskaloosa. 

The  Kev.  Robert  A.  Spence  died  at  the  home  of  his  mother  in 
Kemper  County,  Mississippi,  April  27,  1856,  lacking  only  four- 
teen days  of  being  thirty-two  years  old. 

The  Eev.  James  S.  Belton  was  a  man  of  deep  experience  in 
religious  things.  He  had  a  thirst  for  the  acquisition  of  knowl- 
edge and  grace.  He  claimed  a  special  call  to  the  mission  field, 
and  left  his  native  land  for  heathen  shores  that  he  might  be  a 
light  to  those  in  darkness  and  death.  He  was  a  native  of  South 
Carolina,  but  in  childhood  and  youth  was  a  resident  of  Lowndes 
County,  Mississippi.  Before  he  was  nineteen  he  had  graduated 
with  distinction  at  La  Grange  College,  Alabama,  having  been 
previously  licensed  to  preach.  When  only  a  few  months  past 
his  majority,  having  been  ordainod  deacon  and  elder  under  the 
rules  for  ordaining  those  to  be  appointed  to  Mission  fields,  in 
May,  1854,  he  sailed  for  the  distant  shores  of  China.  His  ca- 
reer was  brief.  Failing  health  compelled  him  to  leave  the  land 
which  he  longed  to  reclaim  from  the  follies  of  superstition  and 
idolatry.  He  set  his  face  toward  America,  and  bent  his  eager 
steps  toward  his  Southern  home.  He  recrossed  the  ocean,  but 
death  met  him  and  arrested  his  goings.     He  died  in  the  city  of 


New  York,  United  States  of  America,  March  17, 1856.  His  last 
words  uttered  were:  "praise  the  Lord."  Bishop  Janes  and  his 
wife  and  other  friends  in  New  York  attended  him  during  his 
last  illness  and  administered  to  his  comfort.  Brother  Belton 
was  lovely  in  his  death,  and  those  noble  persons,  here  named, 
who  gave  him  such  kind  words  and  sweet  solace  in  his  affliction 
were  lovely  in  their  deeds.  Belton  was  cut  down  in  young  man- 
hood, but  his  work,  short  as  it  was,  still  lives,  and  his  memory 

is  still  precious. . 

One  of  the  special  incidents  at  the  Conference  at  Tuskegee 
was  the  presentation  of  a  memorial  from  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence for  Montgomery  Station,  praying  the  establishment  of  a 
Eeligious  Journal  in  the  city  of  Montgomery,  under  the  patron- 
age of  the  Alabama  Conference.  A  protracted  debate  on  the 
subject  ensued,  and  the  memorial  was  finally  withdrawn.  The 
champion  of  that  enterprise  exhibited  before  Methodism  on 
that  occasion  for  the  last  time.     He  has  never  appeared  to 

Methodists  since. 

The  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  at  Selma,  Alabama, 
beginning  December   2,  1857,  and   continuing  nine   full  days, 
was  honored  with  the  presence  of  three  Bishops:  Joshua  Soule, 
James  O.  Andrew,  and  John  Early.     Bishop  Early  was  absent 
the  first  day,  and  Bishop  Soule  conducted  the  affairs  of  the 
Conference  until  his  arrival ;  and  they  both  preached  on  Sun- 
day, at  the  same  hour,  in  different  Churches,  and  Bishop  Soule 
ordained  the  deacons  and  Bishop  Early  ordained  the   elders. 
By  the  distribution  of  the  work  in  the  plan  of  episcopal  visita- 
tion. Bishop  Early  was  in  charge  of  the  Conference,  though  all 
three  of  them  present  presided  as  occasion  justified  or  required. 
Some  of  the  members  of  the  Conference  were  displeased,  took 
offense  at  Bishop  Early,  and  at  the  next  General  Conference 
made    complaint    against    the  Bishop's    administration.     The 
truth  of  history  requires  the  statement  that  the  members  of  the 
Conference  had  the  advantage  of  the  Bishop  in  that  under  the 
provisions  of  law  they  had  the  opportunity  to  lodge  complaints 
against  him,  and  he  had  no  opportunity  to  lodge  complaints 
against  them.     The  truth  is  he  was  not  guilty  of  any  maladmin- 
istration.    His  offense  was  in  the  rigid  adherence  to  law.     The 
tones  of  his  voice  were  naturally  short  and  rough.     He  was  in- 
flexible.    Some  of  the  members  of  that  Conference  were  as  im- 


lii 


704 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


The  Work  under  the  Xew  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction,      705 


pulsive  as  the  Bishop  was  rigid,  and  were  as  irritable  as  he  was 
persistent,  and  they  treated  him  with  insolence.  An  instance 
may  be  stated:  Bishop  Early,  at  a  certain  stage  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  Conference,  demanded  that  the  Conference  take  ac- 
tion and  appoint  the  month  within  the  Conference  year  in 
which  the  missionary  collections  should  be  taken  up  through- 
out the  bounds  of  the  Conference,  and  that  the  action  and  the 
month  designated  should  be  according  to  the  law  on  the  subject 
in  the  Discipline.  Objection  was  interposed  to  the  action  sug- 
gested. The  Bishop  urged  that  the  action  be  had  at  once,  and 
that  its  provision  conform  to  the  law,  and,  to  a  member,  who 
was  on  the  floor  opposing  the  proposed  action,  he  responded, 
and  said:  "  This  is  the  law,  Brother.'*  The  member  of  the  Con- 
ference, with  flushed  face,  with  irritated  tone,  and  in  defiant  at- 
titude, said:  "  Sir,  we  know  no  law,  and  have  no  law  down  here." 
Of  course,  though  he  were  hard  to  suppress,  the  Bishop  had  no 
response  to  that  utterance. 

At  that  session  of  the  Conference  one  preacher  was  tried  for 
immorality  in  the  management  of  his  secular  affairs,  and  was 
acquitted,  it  appearing  that  he  was  only  unskillful  and  not  in- 
tentionally criminal;  and  a  most  remarkable  debate  arose  in  the 
case  of  one  preacher  who  was  eligible  to  membership  in  the 
Conference  and  to  deacon's  orders,  barring  the  matter  over 
which  the  discussion  arose.  Of  purpose  he  failed  to  appear  at 
the  appointed  time  and  consummate  a  betrothal  which  existed 
between  him  and  a  lady  in  Virginia.  That  was  a  most  serious 
complication.  The  feast  was  furnished,  the  intended  bride  was 
attired,  the  guests  assembled,  but  the  intended  bridegroom  nev- 
er came,  neither  at  midnight  nor  later.  The  marriage  ceremo- 
ny found  in  the  Eitual  of  the  Church  was  called  into  use  in  the 
effort  to  acquit  the  brother  of  a  charge  of  breach  of  marriage. 
Whether  or  not  the  ceremony  helped,  the  brother  was  acquitted, 
and  passed  to  membership  and  orders.  He  had  been  simply 
unsteady. 

So  far  as  the  records  to  hand  show,  the  fir^  bequests  to  the 
Alabama  Conference  were  reported  at  that  session.  The  follow- 
ing Preamble  and  Kesolutions  were  adopted  by  the  Conference: 

"In  view  of  the  liberal  bequests  made  to  this  Conference  by 
the  late  William  McAlister  and  William  Thompson  and  his 
wife,  Altona  Thompson,  in  their  last  will  and  testament,  that 


their  memories  may  be  perpetuated,  as  an  example  of  benevo- 
lence held  forth  to  the  living,  therefore, 

Kesolved,  1.  That  we  request  T.  O.  Summers  to  prepare  and 
publish  a  biographical  sketch  of  each  of  our  deceased  friends, 
in  our  Church  papers,  to  be  embodied  in  the  printed  minutes 
of  the  Conference  for  the  ensuing  year. 

2.  That  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Demopolis  District  furnish 
Brother  Summers  with  the  necessary  information  of  these,  our 
deceased  friends,  as  soon  as  practicable." 

The  Rev.  James  M.  Hood,  who  died  in  Pickens  County,  Ala- 
bama, in  1864,  left  a  legacy  of  one  thousand  dollars  to  the  An- 
nual Conference,  and  a  Mr.  Mahan,  and  a  Mr.  Jackson,  and  a 
Mr.  Harris,  of  East  Alabama,  all  left  legacies  to  the  Conference. 
These  legacies  all  amounted  to  about  seven  thousand  dollars, 
and  were  paid  over  to  the  legal  Conference  in  1864  in  Confed- 
erate securities,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  when  the  Confeder- 
ate States  Government  collapsed  the  securities  were  gone.  The 
McAlister  Fund  was  never  secured  until  after  the  Confederate 
States  Government  had  passed  out  of  existence,  as  it  was  se- 
cured at  the  end  of  a  contest  in  the  Courts. 

The  Conference  in  session  at  Selma  elected  Delegates  to  the 
General  Conference  which  was  to  meet  in  May,  1858.  They 
were  twelve  in  number,  and  as  follows:  T.  O.  Summers,  J.  Ham- 
ilton, O.  R.  Blue,  A.  H.  Mitchell,  F.  G.  Ferguson,  E.  Wadsworth, 
G.  Shaeffer,  T.  J.  Koger,  J.  J.  Hutchinson,  T.  W.  Dorman,  C.  D. 
Oliver,  P.  P.  Neely. 

Sister  Monaghon,  the  widow  of  the  Rev.  Daniel  Monaghon, 
had  died  during  that  year,  1857,  and  the  Conference  ordered 
the  money  due  her  turned  over  into  the  hands  of  the  preacher 
in  charge  of  Orrville  Circuit,  to  defray  her  funeral  expenses, 
and  to  erect  over  her  grave  a  suitable  monument. 

The  Rev.  L.  B.  McDonald  had  died  August  23,  1857.  He 
died  near  Columbiana,  Alabama.  He  had  been  a  faithful  minis- 
ter of  the  New  Testament,  and  had  been  eminently  useful  in  the 
administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  Church.  He  was  a  native  of 
Giles  County,  Tennessee,  and  was  in  the  forty-third  year  of  his 
age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  joined  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  in  August,  1833,  and  about  the  same  time  entered 
the  La  Grange  College,  where  he  remained  as  a  student  until 
December,  1837.     He  was  a  presiding  elder  for  six  years. 


it 


706 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


At  that  Conference  Union  Springs,  with  the  Hev.  William  H. 
Ellison  as  preacher  in  charge,  was  added  to  the  list  of  appoint- 
ments, and  Dr.  Ellison  was  in  charge  there  for  the  two  years, 
1858  and  1859.  In  the  first  of  these  two  years  he  organized  a 
Society  there,  composed  of  ten  women  and  one  man.  The  Society 
for  a  time  met  in  private  houses.  The  first  class-meetiug  was 
held  in  the  parlor  of  R.  Powell,  and  the  prayer  meetings  were 
held  in  the  residence  of  Sister  Paulk.  The  great  burden  then 
on  that  new  and  small  Society  was  the  burden  of  building  a 
house  of  worship.  It  is  said  that  Dr.  Powell  made  the  first  sub- 
scription, in  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  to  the  enterprise. 
In  the  process  of  time  the  Church  was  erected,  the  same  one  in 
use  now,  1892,  and  was  dedicated,  by  Bishop  George  F.  Pierce, 
in  1859.  The  Powells,  Brauscombs,  and  Judge  PuUum  were 
amoDg  the  first  members  at  that  place. 

The  next  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  was  held  at  Ma- 
con, Mississippi,  beginning  November  24,  and  closing  December 
3, 1858,  Bishop  Robert  Paine  presiding.  During  the  year  then 
reported  there  was  an  increase  of  thirteen  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  white  members,  twenty-seven  hundred  and  sixty-seven 
white  probationers,  and  seven  hundred  and  eighty  colored  mem- 
bers, and  ten  hundred  and  fourteen  colored  probationers. 

The  next  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  was  held  at  Eu- 
faula,  Alabama,  beginning  November  30,  and  closing  December 
8,  1859,  Bishop  H.  H.  Kavanaugh,  presiding.  At  that  Confer- 
ence Robert  K.  Hargrove  was  received  into  full  connection  and 
ordained  a  deacon,  with  thirteen  others.  He  was  afterward 
elected  and  consecrated  to  the  Episcopacy.  Three  preachers 
had  died  during  the  year.  The  Rev.  Francis  M.  Crain,  a  native 
of  Autauga  County,  Alabama,  and  who  had  been  preaching  six 
or  seven  years,  died  near  Greenesborough,  Alabama,  a  little  past 
thirty  years  of  age.  The  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Abeniathy,  a  native 
of  Alabama,  and  who  was  licensed  to  preach  in  Macon  County 
in  his  native  State,  and  who  had  not  yet  reached  elder's  orders, 
died  in  the  bounds  of  Socapatoy  Circuit.  The  Rev.  Dennis  B. 
Leyne,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  who  was  brought  up  in  the  faith 
of  the  Romish  Church,  and  who  was  justified  in  Clarke  County, 
Alabama,  and  who  had  been  in  the  itinerant  ministry  from  Jan- 
uary, 1846,  died  at  the  Navy- Yard,  near  Pensacola,  Florida. 
The  Rev.  W.  E.  M.  Linfield,  and  the  Rev.  Samuel  Armstrong 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      707 


were  transferred  to  the  Louisiana  Conference.     Linfield  died  in 
Mississippi,  and  Armstrong  in  Texas. 

At  Montgomery,  Alabama,  December  12-21,  1860,  the  Ala- 
bama Conference  held  its  session,  Bishop  J.  O.  Andrew  presid- 
ing, and  Bishop  Joshua  Soule  also  present.     The  country  was 
gre'atly  agitated  at  that  very  time.     While  the  Conference  was 
in  session  three  of  the  preachers,  the  Rev.  P.  P.  Neely,  the  Rev. 
J.  B.  Cottrell,  and  the  Rev.  William  P.  Harrison  attended  po- 
litical meetings,  and  delivered  speeches  in  favor  of  Secession. 
Cottrell  made,  so  it  was  said,  the  most  fiery  and  rousing  speech 
of  the  occasion.    AVhile  the  Conference  was  in  session  the  State 
of  South  Carolina  adopted  her  order  of  Secession,  and  Mont- 
gomery was  wild  with  excitement.     A  little  fire  alarm  in  the 
city  put  everything  on  nervous  tension.    There  was  fearful  look- 
ing for  of  insurrection  and  fiery  indignation.    Bishop  Joshua 
So^ule  advised  the  preachers  of  the  Conference  to  be  dispassion- 
ate and  conservative,  and  to  eschew  the  subject  of  the  times,  Se- 

CGSSIOH. 

Three  members  of  the  Conference  and  one  preacher  on  trial 
in  the  Conference  had  died  during  the  year:  The  Rev.  John 
Foust,  the  Rev.  R.  R.  Dickinson,  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Hightower,  and 
the  Rev.  Peter  J.  Walker. 

The  next  session  of  the  Conference  was  held  at  Greenes- 
borough,  Alabama,  December  11-19,  1861,  Bishop  John  Early 

presiding.  ,         _,  ^ 

At  Auburn,  Alabama,  December  3-9,  1862,  Bishop  George  F. 
Pierce  presiding,  the  next  session  was  held.  Three  preachers 
had  died  during  the  year:  The  Revs.  Thomas  J.  Roger,  Le^vnis 
P.  Golson,  and  James  F.  R.  Brandon.  No  memoirs  were  pub- 
lished, -ii/r-     • 

The  Alabama  Conference  held  a  session  at  Columbus,  Missis- 
sippi beginning  November  25,  and  closing  December  2,  1863, 
Bishop  j'lmes  O.  Andrew  presiding.  At  that  session  the  Con- 
ference resolved  to  divide  into  two  Conferences,  one  to  be  called 
Montgomery  and  the  other  Mobile.  Bishop  Andrew  presided 
at  the  first  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference,  and  also  at  the 
last  session  The  Alabama  Conference  in  its  existence  included 
a  period  of  just  thirty-one  years.  The  lines  fixed  for  the  two 
Conferences  were  as  follows:  The  Montgomery  Conference  to 
include  West  Florida,  except  Apalachicola,  and  all  of  Alabama 


708 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


east  of  the  line  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Mobile  River,  thence 
up  that  and  the  Alabama  River  to  the  town  of  Selma;  thence 
up  the  Alabama  and  Tennessee  Rivers  Railroad  to  Montevallo; 
thence  along  the  Ely  ton  road  to  the  Cahawba;  thence  up  said 
river  to  the  eastern  line  of  Blount  County,  and  along  the  said 
line  to  the  Southern  boundary  of  the  Tennessee  Conference. 
The  Mobile  Conference  included  all  the  other  part  of  the  Terri- 
tory which  had  been  included  in  the  Alabama  Conference. 

The  tirst  session  of  the  Mobile  Conference  was  held  at  Tuska- 
loosa,  Alabama,  November  23-28,  1864;  and  the  first  session  of 
the  Montgomery  Conference  was  held  at  Tuskegee,  Alabama, 
December  7-13,  1864  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew  presided  at 
the  sessions  of  both  Conferences.  The  General  Conference  in 
session  in  New  Orleans,  April  7, 1866,  adopted  a  Resolution  de- 
claring "  that,  though  the  division  of  the  Alabama  Conference 
was  irregular,  we  approve  of  its  division  into  what  are  known 
as  the  Mobile  and  Montgomery  Conferences,  the  circumstances 
justifying  the  separation." 

The  last  session  of  the  Montgomery  Conference  was  held  at 
Union  Springs,  Alabama,  December  8-14,  1869;  and  the  last 
session  of  the  Mobile  Conference  was  held  at  Selma,  Alabama, 
December  15-21,  1869.     Bishop  Robert  Paine  presided  at  both 

sessions. 

By  action  of  the  General  Conference  the  territory  in  Alabama 
was  provided  for  by  the  organization  of  the  North  Alabama  and 
the  Alabama  Conferences  in  1870. 


CHAPTER  XXXyr 

The  Work  op  Methodism  in  Alabama  among  the  Colored 
People  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction. 

THE  pleasing  opportunity  of  augmenting  the  sacramental 
host,  and  the  animating  scene  of  Ethiopia  stretching  out 
her  hands  to  God,  inspired  the  Methodists  of  Alabama,  and, 
prompted  by  the  generous  impulses  imparted  to  them  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  they  went  forth  evangelizing  the  Negroes  and  ele- 
vating the  slaves  in  their  midst.  They  did  much  to  relieve  the 
wants  and  woes  of  the  colored  people,  and  to  bring  them  to  the 
observance  of  the  will  and  word  of  God.  The  Methodist 
preachers  followed  apostolic  precedent,  and  preached  the  gospel 
to  the  poor,  and  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of 
sight  to  the  blind;  and  many  of  the  converts  among  the  en- 
slaved race  beautifully  exemplified  the  indwelling  power  im- 
parted to  them.  About  the  time  the  new  ecclesiastical  jurisdic- 
tion was  established  in  the  South  and  was  fully  under  way  in 
the  affairs  appertaining  thereto  there  were  in  the  State  of  Ala- 
bama about  eighteen  Missions  to  the  people  of  color.  From 
that  time  the  work  was  carried  on  with  great  vigor,  with  en- 
larging liberality,  and  with  ever-increasing  good  results.  The 
Methodists  did  more  for  the  colored  people  in  Alabama  than 
any  other  denomination  in  the  State. 

A  long  line  of  worthy  men  served  Missions  to  the  people  of 
color  in  Alabama.  Among  them  may  be  named  the  Revs.  T.  S. 
Abernathy,  W.  B.  Adams,  Thomas  Burpo,  James  W.  Brown,  B. 
F.  Blow,  Dugal  Carmichael,  Elisha  Calloway,  Lewis  P.  Golson, 
J.  0.  Huckabee,  J.  W.  Jordan,  C.  N.  McLeod,  J.  W.  McCann, 
Alexander  McBride,  P.  R.  McCrary,  James  M.  Patton,  W.  M. 
Shockley,  Charles  Strider,  O.  B.  Stanley,  Henry  Urquhart, 
John  Williamson,  James  M.  Wells,  and  F.  H.  Wardlaw.  Others 
who  served  a  year  or  two,  and  a  number  of  worthy  local  preach- 
ers, are  not  named  in  this  list. 

The  Mobile  State  Street  Colored  Mission  had  a  good  brick 

(709) 


710 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Church,  with  a  spacious  gallery,  and  at  the  close  of  1856  had 
five  hundred  and  forty-four  members  and  eighty-nine  proba- 
tioners. The  Mobile  Little  Zion  Colored  Mission  had  at  that 
time  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  members  and  ninety-one 
probationers;  and  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars  were 
paid  that  year  for  repairing  the  house  of  worship.  The  Eev. 
Greenberry  Garrett  served  those  two  Missions  that  year. 

As  a  specimen  of  the  w^ork  in  its  environments  and  achieve- 
ments the  following  statement,  which  is  exact,  may  be  made. 
Dayton  Colored  Mission  was  served  in  1856  by  the  Rev.  A.  Mc- 
Bride  and  the  Rev.  F.  Jeter,  who  reported  fifteen  preaching 
places,  five  Churches,  three  hundred  and  seventy-four  members, 
three  hundred  and  thirty-eight  catechumens,  fifteen  hundred 
and  eighty-three  preached  to,  forty-two  adults  and  forty-three 
children  baptized,  fourteen  members  expelled,  six  hundred  fif- 
teen dollars  and  eighty  cents  received  from  the  Mission  on  the 
salaries  of  the  missionaries.  There  was  still  some  opposition 
to  the  Mission,  but  on  the  whole  it  was  promising,  and  the  hope 
was  entertained  that  the  planters  would  give  it  more  efficient 
support. 

That  year,  1856,  the  work  among  the  colored  people  was 
at  the  highest  point  of  prosperity  attained  for  it,  and  there 
were  then  in  the  bounds  of  the  Alabama  Conference  thirty-sev- 
en Missions  to  that  people. 

About  1855  or  1856  an  incident  occurred  which  may  serve  to 
show  the  measure  of  simplicity,  and  the  standard  intelligence 
on  the  part  of  the  people  and  their  teachers  of  that  time.  The 
Rev.  Charles  L.  Hays,  then  a  member  of  the  Georgia  Confer- 
ence on  the  superannuated  list,  living  in  Russell  County,  Ala- 
bama, was  employed  ag  a  preacher  on  the  Uchee  Mission,  which 
Mission  lay  in  the  bounds  of  Russell  and  Macon  Counties.  An- 
drew Chapel,  in  Macon  County,  where  Dr.  Calhoun,  Benjamin 
Borum,  Mrs.  Green,  the  Threadgills,  and  others,  held  member- 
ship, being  in  the  midst  of  a  Negro  population,  was  one  of  the 
preaching  places  of  the  Mission.  There  the  venerable  preacher 
dispensed  the  gospel.  In  instructing  the  catechumens  he  used 
the  Catechism  prepared  by  Bishop  William  Capers  for  the  use 
of  the  Methodist  Missions.  Just  at  the  Chapel  lived  the  Rev. 
Richard  Webb,  a  preacher  of  the  Primitive  Baptist  persuasion, 
a  man  who,  by  creation  and  creed,  by  birth  and  bent,  by  preach- 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      711 


ing  and  practice,  was  opposed  to  the  Methodists  and  Missions. 
He  seems  to  have  conceived  the  idea  of  breaking  down  both  the 
one  and  the  other.     He  made  the  charge  and  gave  out  the  re- 
port that  the  Rev.  Charles  L.  Hays  was  instructing  the  Negroes 
in  the  doctrines  of  the  Abolitionists,  and  that  the  Catechism 
which  he  used  was  replete  with  the  doctrines.     The  entire  Na- 
tion was,  at    that   time,  under  intense   excitement  about   the 
emancipation  of  the  slaves,  and  conjectures  about  a  general  up- 
rising of  the  slaves  and  the  escape  of  fugitives  were  indulged  in 
the  homes  and  social  circles  of  the  land.     The  charges  so  em- 
phatically made  and  so  industriously  circulated  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Webb  created  intense  excitement  in  the  community  immediate- 
ly concerned.     The  citizens  about  Andrew  Chapel  were  in  hu- 
mor to  treat  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hays  as  a  cullion,  and  were  ready,  if 
the  accusations  could  be  established,  to  inflict  upon  him  indig- 
nities and  banishment,  if  not  something  worse.     For  a  man  to 
use  his  ministry  to  induce  the  very  people  committed  to  his  care 
to  demand  emancipation  was  in  their  eyes  a  crime  not  to  be  en- 
dured.    Under  the  tension  of  the  hour  a  day  was  appointed  for 
assembling  the  community  and  investigating  the  accusations 
against  Mr.  Hays.     At  the  appointed  time  a  large  concourse 
thronged  the  grounds  at  Andrew  Chapel.     Webb  was  there  ta 
implead.     Hays  was  there  to  ascertain  his  doom.     Webb  pre- 
sented his  bills  of  indictment,  and  proceeded  to  the  establish- 
ment of  the  same.     In  a  speech  of  great  length,  and  with  ravings, 
and  rantings,  he  reviewed  the  Catechism.     His  whole  speecb 
was  very  satisfactory  to  himself,  but  only  his  peroration  was. 
pleasing  to  his   auditors.     The   termination   was   appreciated.. 
Precedents,  statutes,  and  tactics  were   all  ignored  in   his  ha-^ 
rangue,  and  as  he  was  approaching  the  collapse  of  his  effort, 
Mrs.  Green  spoke  in  a  decided  tone  and  declared  she  was  not 
convinced  that  the  Catechism  contained  unsound  or  unsafe  doc- 
trine, and  her  slaves  should  still  be  instructed  therein.     About 
the  time  Webb  caught  his  breath  for  the  termination  of  his  in- 
coherent oration,  Benjamin  Borum,  an  exhorter  in  the  Church„ 
and  who  owned  a  goodly  number  of  slaves,  accosted  him  with 
declaration  and  interrogation:  "  Wabb,  you  han't  got  the  sense 
you  ought  to  ha'  been  born  with!     Don't  you  know  Congress 
has  examined  that  book,  and  approved  it?    And  don't  you  know 

they'd  not  a  done  it  had  it  had  abolition  teachings  in  it?**    To 
46 


712 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


these  questions  Webb  responded:  "No,  I  don't  know  any  such 
a  thing."  Borum,  being  bold  as  a  lion,  continued:  "Well,  sir» 
they  have.  You  turn  to  the  leaf  on  which  the  title  o'  that  book 
is  printed,  and  you'll  see  that  Congress  has  endorsed  its  con- 
tents." Webb  turned  to  the  leaf  referred  to  and  read:  "En- 
tered according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year, ,  by  Wil- 
liam Capers,  in  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 

District  of  South  Carolina."      When  Webb  had  finished 

that  reading  he  was  dumb!  He  had  not  wherewith  to  answer. 
He  was  demolished!  He  retired  from  the  contest  with  the  over- 
powering conviction  on  his  mind  that  he  had,  without  knowing 
it,  set  himself  dogmatically  against  a  book  the  contents  of 
which  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  had  carefully  exam- 
ined and  sent  forth  with  official  endorsement.  Borum's  igno- 
rance gave  him  confidence,  Webb's  ignorance  brought  him  defeat. 
Ignorance  ended  that  battle  and  settled  that  contest.  Ignorance 
did  what  neither  logic  nor  sword  could  have  done,  for  in  that 
case  both  logic  and  sword  would  have  been  impotent.  The 
skillful  dialectician  was  not  needed  in  that  case.  It  only  re- 
quired the  boldness  born  of  ignorance  to  meet  the  ignorance 
which  gave  birth  to  the  original  attack.  Brother  Hays  was  as 
ignorant  as  the  other  two,  for  when  asked  what  he  understood 
by  the  words:  "Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,"  etc.,  he 
said:  "I  thought  it  meant  that  Congress  didn't  have  anything 
agin  the  book."  In  that  instance  gross  darkness  covered  the 
teachers.  Here  were  two  preachers  and  an  exhorter,  leaders  of 
the  people,  who  had  no  knowledge  concerning  the  law  of  copy- 
right. 

The  mention  of  ignorance  recalls  a  scene  in  the  history  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  at  the  town  of  Camden, 
Wilcox  County,  Alabama.  The  house  of  worship  in  which  the 
scene  occurred  was  built  in  1844,  at  least  the  deed  to  it  bears 
date  August  21,  1844  In  1861  the  Eev.  James  W.  Glenn  was 
stationed  at  Camden,  and  he  had  one  of  his  local  preachers  ar- 
rested on  the  charge  of  trading  intoxicants.  The  accused  de- 
manded a  trial  before  the  whole  Society,  and  with  open  doors, 
and  the  preacher  acceded.  The  hour  fixed  for  the  trial  was  Sun- 
day morning,  and  notice  was  made.  The  whisky  dealer  rallied 
his  patrons.  The  day  arrived,  a  beautiful  Sunday  it  was,  and 
the  house  was  crowded,  the  sensation  was  complete.     The  in- 


The  Work  under  the  New  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction.      713 


vestigation  proceeded.  The  accused,  in  pompous  and  hectoring 
style,  made  his  defense.  He  commenced  his  oration  in  these 
words  following:  "Fellow  citizens,  Through  the  ignorance  of 
the  preacher  I  have  been  arraigned  before  you  this  day."  When 
the  vote  was  taken  on  the  question  of  the  guilt  of  the  accused 
the  thundering  voices  pronounced  him  innocent,  notwithstand- 
ing his  traffic  in  the  alcoholic  beverages  was  as  public  as  his 

trial. 

At  the  time  of  manumission  there  were  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  the  bounds  of  the  State  of  Ala- 
bama, twenty-five  thousand,  or  more,  colored  members  and  pro- 
bationers. The  Methodists  of  Alabama  had  a  responsibility  im- 
posed upon  them  in  the  slave  population  of  the  State.  The 
thousands  of  that  people  who  worshiped  at  Methodist  altars  and 
received  the  divine  word  and  sacraments  at  the  hands  of  Meth- 
odist ministers  are  witnesses  that  they  met  their  obligation,  and 
conserved  the  interests  committed  to  their  hands. 


CHAPTEE  XXXVI. 


Polemics. 

DUKING  the  entire  period  covered  by  this  History,  begin* 
ning  with  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into  the  State 
and  extending  to  1865,  ecclesiastical  controversies  prevailed  in 
Alabama.  The  Methodists  were  in  at  the  beginning  and  at  the 
finale.  It  seems  that,  in  one  particular,  at  least,  the  Methodists 
have  been  like  Ishmael;  their  hand  against  every  man,  and  every 
man's  hand  against  them.  In  the  whole  of  their  doctrines,  poli- 
ty, and  customs  there  are  none  like  them;  and  while  the  other 
denominations  can  never  agree  among  themselves  about  many 
things,  they  agree  in  antagonizing  Methodism.  Through  the 
years  over  which  this  History  extends  the  Episcopalians  and 
the  Presbyterians,  naming  them  in  alphabetical  order,  were  too 
few  in  number  and  confined  to  too  few  localities  to  be  much  in 
the  way  of  the  Methodists.  Only  in  certain  localities  did  they 
operate.  As  late  as  1865  the  Episcopalians  and  the  Presby- 
terians together  did  not  have  in  Alabama  fifteen  thousand  mem- 
bers. Wherever  the  Episcopalians  existed  they  poured  con- 
tempt on  the  Methodists  as  being  only  a  Society,  late  in  arrival, 
without  orders,  sacraments,  and  divine  recognition.  The  only 
honor  which  they  conferred  on  the  Methodists  was  to  proselyte, 
wherever  they  could,  their  preachers  and  members.  Wherever 
the  Old  School  Presbyterians  existed  they  were  stout  and  per- 
sistent in  their  efforts  to  demolish  the  Arminian  doctrines  of 
the  Methodists.  The  Cumberland  Presbyterians,  whose  shib- 
boleth was  union,  had  a  way  of  trying  to  proselyte  the  Metho- 
dists and  the  Old  School  Presbyterians  to  their  negative  creed  by 
the  intimation  that  they  could  unite  on  the  doctrines  thereof 
which  were  neither  Arminian  nor  Calvinistic.  All  these,  the 
Episcopalians  and  the  Presbyterians,  engaged  diligently  in  an- 
tagonizing the  polity  and  customs  of  Methodism.  They  all 
were  of  one  heart  and  mind  in  ridiculing  class-meetings,  and 
Lovefeasts,  and  in  pouring  contempt  on  an  itinerating  ministry. 
(714) 


Polemics, 


715 


For  a  number  of  years  the  Baptists  of  Alabama  were  engaged 
in  a  controversy  among  themselves.    In  the  fourth  decade  of 
this  century  a  controversy  which  commenced  with  them  in  the 
first  half  of  the  preceding  decade  on  the  subject  of  Baptist  State 
Conventions,  Theological  Schools,  Sunday-schools,  Missionary 
Societies,  Bible  Societies,  and  Tract  Societies  culminated  in  a 
division  of  the  denomination  in  Alabama.     That  division  of  the 
denomination  produced  a  deplorable  state  of  things  among  them. 
Members  were,  in  many  instances,  excommunicated  for  their 
opinions  on  the  matters  in  controversy.     That  wing  of  the  de- 
nomination which  fought  their  brethren  on  the  subject  of  Mis- 
sionary Societies,  and  kindred  agencies,  and  called  themselves 
Primitive  Baptists,  and  were  in  some  sections  of  the  State  the 
strongest  party,  were  in  line  against  the  Methodists,  and  right 
well  did  they  prosecute  the  conflict.    While  contesting  the  valid- 
ity of  Societies  they  made  unceasing  war  upon  the  Arminian 
creed  so  tenaciously  held  by  the  Methodists.     The  Primitive 
Baptists  were,  in  creed,  as  sound  Antinomians  as  were  ever  found 
in  Alabama.     They  wore  themselves  out  trying  to  demonstrate 
that  human  beings  could  not  do  anything  which  would  either 
hinder  or  help  the  divine  cause.     Not  until  the  sixth  decade  of 
this  century  did  the  Baptists  begin  to  recover  from  the  effects 
of  their  own  strifes  and  divisions.     About  that  time  the  wing  of 
the  denomination  which  adopted  Conventions,  Sunday-schools, 
Missions,  and  Education  began  to  gain  strength,  and  increase. 
In  some  places  they  had  already  grown  very  strong;  and  by  that 
time  the  Primitive  Baptists  had  already  declined.     The  Mis- 
sionary Baptists  waxed  valiant  in  fight  against  the  Methodists, 
and  the  battle  went  on.     The  Methodists  themselves  belonged 
to  the  militant  host.     They  had  on  the  armor,  that  they  might 
be  able  to  stand  in  the  evil  day. 

The  Methodists  preached  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  set  forth 
all  doctrines  necessary  to  be  believed  and  contained  all  pre- 
cepts necessary  to  be  obeyed.  They  instruct  in  the  science  of 
salvation  perfectly.  The  Methodist  preacher  never  failed  to  set 
out  that  Jesus  Christ  suffered  death  on  the  cross  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  mankind;  and  made  there  a  full,  perfect,  and  sufficient 
sacrifice,  oblation,  and  satisfaction  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world. 
He  never  failed  to  emphasize  the  universality  of  the  provisions  of 
the  atonement.    It  was  constantly  held  everywhere  that  because 


II 


716 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Polemics. 


717' 


of  the  corruption  of  the  nature  of  every  man,  that  naturally  ia 
engendered  of  the  offspring  of  Adam,  every  one  needed  the  re- 
generation of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Conviction  followed  by  repent- 
ance  and  terminating  in  faith  which  secures  justification  was 
never  lost  sight  of  in  the  ministry  of  a  Methodist  preacher,  in 
the  time  with  which  this  History  deals.  The  power  of  all, 
through  prevenient  grace  by  Jesus  Christ,  to  seek  God  and 
obtain  divine  recognition  was  always  set  out  with  great  force,  if 
not  with  technical  precision,  yet  in  popular  form.  That  Chris- 
tians are  to  maintain  good  works,  and  that  good  works  are  pleas- 
ing and  acceptable  to  God  in  Christ  was  incorporated  into  Meth- 
odist Sermons,  and  everywhere  the  injunction  "  work  out  your 
own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling  "  was  enforced  with  great 
zeal.  A  conscious  experience,  in  which  the  Spirit  himself  testi- 
fies that  the  individual  is  a  child  of  God,  was  held  as  an  attain- 
able state.  The  Methodists  have  ever  held  that  a  Christian  may 
be  made  perfect  in  love  in  this  life;  and  that  one  may  depart 
from  grace  given,  and  fall  into  sin,  and  be  lost  forever;  that  the 
punishment  of  the  wicked  in  a  future  state,  and  the  reward  of 
the  righteous  are  alike  eternal.  The  diversions  which  could  not 
be  used  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  were  denounced  as  per- 
nicious. Baptism  was  administered  to  adults  and  infants  alike, 
and  by  any  mode  preferred.  The  Episcopal  form  of  govern- 
ment was  recognized  with  presiding  elders  and  an  itinerant  min- 
istry. A  "  desire  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come,  and  to  be  saved 
from  their  sins  "  was  the  only  condition  required  of  those  who 
sought  admission  into  the  fellowship  of  Methodists.  Class- 
meetings  and  Lovefeasts  were  held,  and  shouting  was  a  common 
thing. 

During  the  period  covered  by  this  History  a  few  Campbell- 
ites  and  Universalists  were  in  the  State.  They  had  little  to  do 
but  dispute,  and  they  seemed  delighted  with  that  occupation. 

Excursions  into  the  State  of  Alabama  were  constantly  made 
by  the  agents  of  the  Mormons  for  the  purpose  of  gathering  re- 
cruits for  the  Mormon  settlements  in  the  West.  Some  deluded 
women,  enamoured  of  the  prospect,  and  some  men,  of  voluptu- 
ous tendencies,  were  from  time  to  time  converted  to  the  doctrines 
of  polygamy,  and  induced  to  emigrate  to  the  land  inhabited  by 
the  people  calling  themselves  Latter-day  Saints. 

The  Methodists,  engaged  to  spread   scriptural  holiness  over 


the  lovely  land  of  Alabama,  and  under  vow  to  be  "  ready  with 
faithful  diligence  to  banish  and  drive  away  all  erroneous  and 
strange  doctrines  contrary  to  God's  word,"  were  active  champi-^ 
ons  in  the  polemics  of  the  day.     They  entered  the  lists  and  ex- 
posed every  atrocity  and  every  heresy.     Throughout  the  Stated 
there  were  those  specially  engaged  in  vindicating  Methodist 
doctrine,  polity,  and    usage.     The    heterogeneous   forces   who 
seemed  inspired  with  the  sole  purpose  to  arrest  and  destroy 
Methodism  were  met,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  repelled.     In  the' 
regular  ministrations  of  the  pulpit,  sermons  were  preached  on 
the  various  doctrines  in  controversy.     Special  occasions,  when 
the  multitudes  were  convened,  at  such  times  and  places  as  Quar- 
terly Meetings  and  Camp-meetings  were  utilized  in  defending 
the  doctrines  of  Methodists  and  in  refuting  the  views  of  assail- 
ants.    Some  of  the  themes  on   such  occasions  were:   Election 
and  Keprobation;  Possibility  of  Apostasy;  Apostolic  Succes- 
sion;  Validity  of  Orders;  Terms  of  Church  Membership;  Bap- 
tism; Eestricted  Communion,  and  the  Witness  of  the  Spirit. 
Debates,  in  which  the    antagonists  would   meet  and  discuss 
points  of  difference,  were  common.     The  Eevs.  E.  V.  Le  Vert, 
James  A.  Clement,  Walter  H.  McDaniel,  E.  J.  Hammill,  Daniel 
M.  Hudson,  and  W.  P.  Harrison  were  noted  controversialists. 

The  Rev.  E.  V.  Le  Vert  rendered  long  and  efficient  service  in 
contending  for  the  faith  as  the  Methodists  had  received  it. 

The  Rev.  James  A.  Clement,  a  native  of  Greenesborough,  Al- 
abama, was,  while  in  the  active  ministry,  a  polemic  of  splendid 
gifts  and  superior  skill,  a  master  in  controversy.  He  could 
state  the  questions  of  faith  with  precision,  delineate  the  doc- 
trines of  the  gospel  with  logical  clearness,  and  authenticate 
them.  He  could  excoriate  his  antagonist  with  such  dexterity 
as  made  the  performance  almost  enjoyable.  A  book,  written 
and  published  by  him,  bearing  the  title:  "Baptist  Pretensions 
to  Antiquity,"  is  a  work  unique  and  engaging. 

The  Rev.  Walter  Houston  McDaniel  was  endowed  with  the 
constitutional  elements  of  a  controversialist.  He  was  of  Scotch 
descent,  a  native  of  White  County,  Tennessee.  He  was  about 
medium  height,  of  stout,  square  build,  and  of  rough  exterior. 
His  hair  was  red  and  bristly.  His  forehead  and  chin  were 
broad,  and  his  face  was  covered  with  discolored  spots  called 
freckles.     He  was  educated  at  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Semi- 


718 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


nary  at  Maryville,  Tennessee.  Four  years  and  five  months  he 
spent  at  the  Seminary,  paying  his  way  there  with  money  which 
he  made  by  splitting  rails.  He  read  Greek  and  Latin  readily. 
He  had  nothing  of  the  polish  and  refinement  supposed  to  be  ob- 
tained by  acquaintance  with  literature.  He  chewed  tobacco, 
and  kept  his  lips  discolored  and  his  shirt  bosom  besmeared  with 
the  liquid  secreted  by  the  parotid,  submaxillary,  and  sublingual 
glands.  He  had  a  misunderstanding  with  one  of  the  Professors 
of  the  Seminary  at  which  he  was  educated,  and  left  the  School 
in  the  middle  of  the  session.  He  repudiated  the  Calvinistic 
doctrine  taught  in  that  School.  He  joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  at  a  place  in  the  upper  end  of  Jackson  County, 
Alabama.  In  his  twenty-seventh  year  he  was  licensed  to 
preach  at  Liberty  Church,  in  Saint  Clair  County,  Alabama,  Ash- 
yille  Circuit,  Alabama  Conference,  May  3,  1834.  His  license 
was  signed  by  Jesse  Ellis,  the  preacher  then  in  charge  of  the 
Ashville  Circuit.  In  December  of  the  year  in  which  he  was  li- 
censed to  preach  he  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Alabama 
Conference.  In  due  course  he  was  ordained,  and  he  continued 
in  the  itinerant  work  so  long  as  he  lived,  though  he  was  super- 
annuated for  some  years.  He  died  near  Kandolph,  Bibb  Coun- 
ty, Alabama. 

He  dressed  in  a  niggardly  style  and  was  narrow  in  his  concep- 
tions of  the  enterprises  of  the  Church.  He  owned  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war  between  the  States  a  fine  plantation  on  the  Ca- 
hawba  River,  and  twenty-five  slaves.  He  would  take  from  the 
box  of  shoes  purchased  for  his  slaves  on  the  plantation  a  pair 
©f  brogans  for  his  own  use.  As  a  preacher  he  went  among  the 
people  clad  in  brogan  shoes,  a  dime  hat,  and  other  apparel  to 
match.  When  presiding  elder  he  was  known  to  make  speeches 
in  which  he  would  denounce  men  for  preaching  for  money,  and 
then  receive  a  donation  made  to  him  for  his  speech  from  some 
penurious  member  of  the  Church  who  would  not  do  anything  to 
support  the  institutions  of  Christianity.  He  would  denounce 
preachers  for  being  in  search  of  money,  and  then  carry  a  mangy 
pig  in  a  sack  and  drive  a  lousy  calf,  which  one  would  give  him 
upon  suggestions  made  in  hints,  for  miles  across  a  whole  Cir- 
cuit and  beyond.  He  did  much  to  retard  the  development  of 
liberality  in  the  Church,  and  he  did  much  harm  to  the  cause  of 
Missions. 


. 


Polemics. 


ll^j 


After  all  he  was  a  magnificent  preacher,  and  a  champion  in 
controversy.     He  served  the  Talladega  District  as  presiding  eld- 
er for  four  years,  beginning  with  1851.     There  he  found  Two 
Seed  Baptists,  Primitive  Baptists,  commonly  called  Hardshells, 
Missionary  Baptists,  the  two  last  named  very  numerous.     He 
opened  the  battle  against  all  these,  and  exposed  their  peculiar 
dogmas  with  the  merciless  logic  of  truth.     In  the  course  of  his 
controversies  he  had  a  great  many  personal  experiences.     One 
or  two  may  be  related.     He  was  preaching  a  sermon  at  Bethel, 
in  Howell's  Cove,  four  miles  from  the  town  of  Talladega,  on 
Baptism.     In  the  congregation  was  a  woman,  dressed  in  an  or- 
dinary attire  and  a  sun-bonnet,  of  the  Baptist  persuasion,  who, 
at  one  of  the  first  stages  of  the  sermon,  responded  to  a  state- 
ment made  by  the  preacher:   "That's  a  lie."     A  little  further 
on  she  again  said:  "  That's  a  lie."     All  through  the  part  of  the 
sermon  pertaining  to  Baptism  she  repeated  the  language  which 
was  so  much  more  direct  than  polite.     After  the  preacher  had 
finished  his  argument  on  the  theme  in  hand,  he  delivered  an  ap- 
peal to  the  emotions,  in  an  eloquent  exhortation,  in  which,  or 
under  which,  the  congregation  broke  down  in  tears.     The  wom- 
an who  had  delivered  the  emphatic  language,  calling  in  question 
the  preacher's  veracity,  was  among  those  who  were  in  a  flood 
of  tears.     The  congregation  retired  from  the  Church,  and  stood 
about  the  yard  in  groups,  and  indulged  comments  on  the  sermon. 
The  woman  who  had  gained  notoriety  by  her  burning  and  in- 
dignant utterances,  said,  and  the   preacher  overheard  it:   *'I 
would  not  have  minded  it,  if,  after  telling  his  lies,  the  confound- 
ed old  fool  had  not  made  me  cry." 

It  was  in  1857,  perhaps,  that  he  went  on  a  visit  to  Alexandria 
Camp-ground  in  Calhoun  County,  Alabama,  to  attend  a  Camp- 
meeting.  The  Baptist  Church  in  the  vicinity  of  Alexandria  had 
a  numerous  membership,  and  dominated  everything  in  that  sec- 
tion of  the  country.  There  was  also  a  place  in  that  section 
known  as  Post  Oak,  and  in  that  community  there  was  a  Baptist 
Church  bearing  the  name  of  Poet  Oak.  About  that  time 
**  Post-Oak  Circuit,'*  a  very  exquisite  little  Book  respectfully  in- 
scribed to  the  people  called  Methodists:  to  the  Jonathan  that  is 
in  them,  was  having  a  sensational  notice.  It  was  a  book  which 
presented  in  a  very  unique  manner  the  subject  of  Church  financ 
es.     Mr.  McDaniel,  for  that  reason,  did  not  like  the  book.     On 


720 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


Sunday  at  11  o'clock  A.M.,  he  preached  on  Baptism  to  a  vast 
throng,  and  crowds  of  them  were  Baptists.  He  preached  one 
of  his  sublimest  and  profoundest  sermons  on  the  subject.  The 
Baptists  literally  quailed  under  the  master  strokes  of  his  logic 
and  his  severe  castigations  of  the  pretensions,  superstitions,  and 
follies  held  by  that  sect  of  people. 

The  Kev.  Mr.  McDaniel  thought,  in  order  to  appease  the 
Baptists  present,  to  throw  in  a  few  mollifying  utterances  in  the 
close  of  his  powerful  sermon,  and  in*  this  behalf,  with  that  mag- 
nanimity which  scorns  all  sectarianism,  he  stated  in  a  general 
way  that  in  all  the  denominations  there  were  some  things  which 
he  disapproved,  and  in  the  correction  of  which  all  would  be  im- 
proved. He  then  gave  a  specific  instance  in  the  case  of  the 
Methodists.  They  were,  he  charged,  in  their  work,  pressing  the 
subject  of  money  and  Missions  too  much  into  notice  for  the  gen- 
eral good.  Then  he  made  special  refererence  to  the  book  bear- 
ing the  title  of  "Post-Oak  Circuit."  Though  that  book  was 
written  by  a  Methodist  Preacher,  published  by  a  Methodist 
Publishing  House,  and  purchased  and  perused  by  hundreds  of 
Methodists  he  denounced  it  as  of  mischievous  tendency.  With 
great  emphasis,  he  said:  "Down  with  Post-Oak!  Down  with 
Post-Oak!  "  Only  a  few  persons  in  that  vast  audience  had  ever 
heard  of  the  book  bearing  that  title,  while  all  but  a  few^  knew 
of  the  adjoining  community  and  the  Baptist  Church  in  it  called 
Post-oak.  Of  course,  the  only  thought  of  that  vast  assembly,  a 
few  persons  excepted,  was  that  the  preacher  referred,  when  he 
said:  "Down  with  Post-Oak,"  to  the  community  and  Baptist 
Church  of  that  name:  and,  consequently,  instead  of  mollifying, 
the  denunciation  only  irritated  the  Baptists  more,  and  intensi- 
fied their  wrath  to  the  very  verge  of  resentment.  There  was  in 
the  audience  a  short,  corpulent  woman,  a  Mrs.  Vice,  the  wife  of 
John  Vice,  who  was  a  member  of  Post-oak  Baptist  Church. 
About  the  time  the  preacher  wound  up  and  closed  out  what  he 
had  to  say,  finishing  all  with  his  denunciation  of  Post-Oak,  the 
dumpy  woman,  Mrs.  Vice,  commenced  swaying  her  body  back 
and  forth,  slapping  her  hands,  and  shouting.  Swaying,  slapping, 
and  shouting,  she  said:  "Glory,  glory  to  God,  halleluiah!  I  live 
in  Post-Oak,  I  drink  water  outner  spring  which  runs  frum 
undner  post-oak  tree,  and  I'm  glad  I  do;  glory,  glory  to  God, 
halleluiah!     I  want  to  know  your  name,  you  ol',  ugly,  freckled- 


Polemics, 


721 


faced  preacher  you,  your  name  an't  in  the  book.     I  want  to  know 
your  name,  you  ol',  ugly,  freckled-faced  preacher  you,  glory, 
glory  to  God,  hallelujah!"     A  fat  Negress,  hard  by,  made  ex- 
clamations in  accord  with  those  of  Mrs.  Vice.     The  Eev.  Mr. 
McDaniel  perceived  that  things  were  in  a  bad  plight,  and  that 
he  did  not  understand  matters.     He  inquired  of  Dr.  Vandiver, 
who  was  sitting  by,  what  the  point  in  the  affair  was.     Dr.  Van- 
diver  knew  the  country,  and  knew  Mrs.  Vice,  and  he  took  in  the 
situation  at  once,  and  gave  McDaniel  the  information  which  he 
sought.     McDaniel  then  undertook  to  explain.     He  stated  that 
he  had  no  reference  to  the  country  or  the  Church  called  Post- 
oak,  but  to  a  book  bearing  that  name.     His  explanation  was  re- 
ceived as  an  invention  and  a  fabrication,  and  only  intensified  the 
rage,  and  made  matters  worse.     The  scene  was  unparalleled  as 
a  scene  in  religious  service.     It  made  things  ridiculous,  and  ef- 
fectually killed  the  impression  of  the  sermon  of  the  hour.    The 
Baptists  retired  jubilant  and  happy.     McDaniel  and  the  Meth- 
odists retired  crest-fallen  and  defeated.     Mrs.  Vice  was  a  foe 
whose  prowess  he  could  not  meet,  he  could  not  withstand,  es- 
pecially in  that  community. 

About  1854,  a  series  of  Letters,  written  by  J.  E.  Graves,  an 
accredited  preacher  of  the  Baptist  Church,  issued  through  the 
columns  of  the  Tennessee  Baptist,  a  Newspaper,  at  that  time, 
edited  by  the  notorious  Graves,  and  published  in  the  city  of 
Nashville,  Tennessee.  These  Letters  were  soon  published  in  a 
book  entitled  "The  Great  Iron  Wheel;"  and  The  Great  Iron 
Wheel  received  unlimited  praise  and  unremitting  indorsement 
from  the  Baptists,  and  attained  an  extensive  circulation.  It  be- 
came notorious  not  by  reason  of  its  beauty  and  truth,  but  on 
account  of  its  repulsiveness.  That  book  so  highly  prized  and 
so  industriously  circulated  by  the  Baptist  fraternity  assaulted 
the  doctrines,  polity,  and  usages  of  the .  Methodists,  and  de- 
nounced that  people  as  destitute  of  piety,  integrity,  and  virtue. 
By  it  the  Methodist  Itinerancy  was  caricatured,  the  Methodist 
Episcopacy  denounced  and  reviled,  and  John  Wesley,  the 
Founder  of  Methodism,  defamed.  By  that  notorious  work  Mr. 
Wesley  was  represented  as  an  arrogant  mischief-maker,  a  tyrant, 
indulging  imperial  dictation,  and  usurping  authority  over  the 
consciences  of  his  parishioners,  a  rejected  suitor  avenging  his 
ire,  and,  at  last,  an  indicted  outlaw  fleeing  from  justice  under 


'722 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


cover  of  night.  Defamation,  exaggeration,  misrepresentation, 
and  vituperation  abounded.  The  Baptists  of  the  country  were 
jubilant,  and  seemed  to  think  that  the  Methodists  would  actu- 
ally pass  out  of  existence  under  the  blighting,  withering  stroke 
given  them  by  that  scurrilous  production.  About  the  time  the 
Great  Iron  Wheel  was  moving  along  with  its  greatest  velocity 
there  were  in  circulation  two  other  volumes,  fit  companions, 
which  had  been  sent  out  by  the  satellites  of  Graves,  a  sort  of 
fifth-rate  Novels,  which  discussed  the  subject  of  Baptism  in  the 
spirit  of  sectarian  bigotry,  the  one  entitled  *'  Grace  Trueman," 
and  the  other  "  Theodosia  Earnest."  These  two  volumes  were 
held  in  as  great  admiration  by  the  Baptists  as  the  Great  Iron 
Wheel,  and  these  three  books  were  with  the  Baptists  text-books 
from  which  they  received  their  instruction  and  drew  their  argu- 
ments with  which  they  plied  their  trade  of  proselyting  and  gath- 
ering recruits  to  their  Church.  Some  of  the  Baptists  in  Ala- 
bama, and,  perhaps,  in  other  States,  in  their  enthusiastic  appre- 
ciation of  these  volumes  and  their  authors,  named  their  children 
after  them.  To  the  boys  they  gave  the  name  Graves,  and  to  the 
girls  Grace  Trueman  and  Theodosia  Earnest. 

The  potency  of  the  books  herein  named  was  in  the  uncharita- 
ble assumption  that  Methodism  was  "the  mother  of  harlots  and 
abominations  of  the  earth,"  and  deserved  vials  of  wrath.  As 
ruinous  consequences  must  follow  treachery  and  the  vaultings 
of  unholy  ambition,  those  books  were  ominous  of  disaster.  The 
Great  Iron  Wheel,  judging  from  its  contents,  must  have  been 
conceived  in  bigotry,  and  worked  out  in  the  cause  of  mischief; 
must  have  been  the  spontaneous  product  of  an  evil  nature.  In 
that  book  fact  and  fancy  are  made  to  figure  in  such  manner  as 
to  despoil  justice  and  suppress  truth;  and  only  distorted  views 
can  be  obtained  from  its  pages.  In  that  book  gall  and  bitter- 
ness abound,  and  nat  a  ray  of  charity  or  a  scintillation  of  hu- 
mility, not  a  note  of  tenderness  or  an  echo  of  sympathy  can  be 
seen  or  heard.  All  the  moral  affinities  of  the  author  appear  to 
have  been  evil,  and  strife  was  congenial  to  his  mind  and  heart, 
and  through  his  evil  affinities  and  propensities  he  constantly 
created  the  strife  so  congenial  to  him.  Even  his  impulses,  judg- 
ing from  his  writings,  were  malignant,  and  his  very  energies 
were  expended  in  the  execution  of  unholy  purposes.  Nothing 
about  him  was  praiseworthy,  except  alertness,  and  diligence,  and 


Polemics, 


723. 


these  seem  to  have  originated  in  his  venom.  If  he  was  ever 
scrupulous,  it  does  not  appear  in  his  book.  He  had  no  aptitude 
to  discover  the  proper  limits  of  a  statement.  There  was  in  his 
nature  an  utter  destitution  of  everything  felicitous.  He  was 
endowed  with  a  propensity  to  circumvent  and  overthrow.  He 
was  apt  in  reviling  the  saints  and  accusing  the  brethren.  He 
seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  extreme  yanity  and  of  feeble  judg- 
ment, whose  mind  was  never  subjected  to  the  authority  of  con- 
science, or  even  to  the  common  instincts  of  religion,  though  he 
assumed  the  offices  of  the  Christian  ministry. 

A  Keply  and  Eefutation  of  the  Great  Iron  Wheel  was  writ- 
ten and  published  with  the  following  title:    "The  Great  Iron 
Wheel  Examined;  or,  its  false  Spokes  extracted,  and  an  exhibi- 
tion of  Elder  Graves,  its  builder.     In  a  series  of  chapters.     By 
William  G.  Brownlow,  Editor  of  Broicnlow's  Knoxville  Whig." 
The  Dedication  was  as  follows:  "To  every  honest  and  impartial 
reader,  who  loves  Truth  and  despises  Falsehood,  whether  per- 
petrated by  a  Priest  or  a  Levite,  for  the  sake  of  Fame  or  money- 
making:  To  every  Protestant  Christian,  wlio,  to  whatever  sect 
or  denomination  he  may  be  attached,  is  unwilling  to  see  a  sister 
Church  pulled  down  by  a  collection  of  tales,  fabrications,  and 
blackguard  insinuations,  which  a  decent  man  should  be  ashamed 
to  listen  to,  and  utterly  too  disgraceful  for  a  Minister  of  the 
Gospel  to  repeat  and  publish,  this  work  is  confidently  Dedicated 
by  its  Author:  Who  here,  most  respectfully,  as  a  local  preacher 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  apologizes  to  the 
Christian  public  for  the  seeming  severity  of  this  work,  in  some 
parts,  on  the  ground  that  he  has  performed  the  painful  task  of 
refuting  a  series  of  the  most  scurrilous  falsehoods,  and  a  collec- 
tion of  the  lowest  abuse  of  the  age! " 

The  Title  and  Dedication  pages  give  an  insight  into  the  char- 
acter, purposes,  and  authorship  of  the  book.  The  author,  the 
Bev.  William  G.  Brownlow,  residing  at  that  time  at  Knoxville, 
Tennessee,  was  well  qualified  for  the  work,  and  well  adapted  to 
it,  and  he  brought  his  talents  into-  requisition,  and  did  a  good 
work  in  exposing  the  fabrications  and  fallacies  of  the  Great  Iron. 
Wheel,  and  in  administering  to  the  relief  of  the  saints  who  had 
been  so  soundly  abused  and  so  vilely  slandered.  The  character 
of  the  great  Iron  Wheel  necessarily  involved  the  work  of  refu^ 
tation  in  some  phases  not  exactly  tothe  liking  of  a  refinedt  taste,. 


724 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


but,  distasteful  as  it  was,  better  service  was  never  rendered  to 
truth  than  Mr.  Brownlow  rendered  in  refuting  the  foul  asper- 
sions and  infamous  calumnies  heaped  upon  the  Methodists  by 
the  book  which  he  reviewed.  When,  unanswered,  the  Great  Iron 
Wheel  was  making  its  revolutions  over  the  southern  and  south- 
western sections  of  the  United  States  the  Baptists  were  expect- 
ing it  to  exterminate  the  Methodists,  and  it  was  avowed  by  them 
to  be  of  great  price,  but  when,  by  Mr.  Brownlow  it  had  been 
answered,  and  its  bolts  and  tires  loosened,  its  spokes  shattered, 
and  its  hub  bursted  asunder,  its  merits,  in  their  estimation,  de- 
preciated, and  like  Edgar,  in  King  Lear,  they  began  to  say: 
"Let's  exchange  charity."  They  soon  put  a  flag  of  truce  on  the 
field.  The  Baptists  then  put  the  two  books  in  the  same  cate- 
gory, and  insisted  on  relegating  them.  Then  they  would,  if 
they  could,  have  passed  them  to  oblivion.  They  suddenly  per- 
ceived that  they  did  not  appreciate  that  class  and  style  of  litera- 
ture. They  felt  themselves  that  damage  had  accrued  to  their 
cause  through  the  Great  Iron  Wheel. 

Upon  any  other  hypothesis  than  that  the  business  of  the  Great 
Iron  Wheel  was  to  indulge  malice  and  perpetrate  slander  its  at- 
tack upon  the  character  and  life  of  John  Wesley  is  inexplica- 
ble. Not  a  man  even  in  the  college  of  the  twelve  apostles  was 
of  nobler  mind  and  heart  than  Mr.  Wesley,  and  than  he  not  one 
of  them  committed  fewer  mistakes.  The  very  account  which 
Mr.  Wesley  himself  gives  of  his  troubles  at  Savannah,  Georgia, 
is  replete  with  integrity,  honesty,  and  truth.  He  abated  not  a 
tittle.  He  gave  a  statement  of  the  whole  affair,  even  the  views 
expressed  of  the  matter  by  his  prosecutors.  No  one  who  has 
any  measure  of  intelligence,  and  any  degree  of  insight,  and  the 
least  of  the  light  of  grace,  can  read  Mr.  Wesley's  account  of  his 
unfortunate  affairs  at  Savannah,  and  come  to  any  other  conclu- 
sion than  that  Mr.  Wesley  was  honest  and  without  guile;  a  man 
sinned  against,  rather  than  sinning. 

The  Eev.  Samuel  Henderson,  D.D.,  a  minister  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  the  Rev.  E.  J.  Hammill,  a  member  of  the  Alabama. 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  engaged 
in  a  controversy  on  the  Government  of  the  Methodist  Episcpal 
Church,  South.  The  controversy  was  carried  on  through  the 
columns  of  a  paper  published  at  Tuskegee,  Alabama,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Baptists,  and  edited  by  Dr.  Henderson.    Dr. 


Polemics, 


725 


Henderson,  on  his  part,  maintained  much  the  same  views  on  the 
subject  in  debate  as  that  entertained  in  the  Great  Iron  Wheel. 
He  charged  4he  Methodist  ministry  with  usurpation,  and  tyran- 
ny, and  asserted  that  the  Government  of  the  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  that  behalf.  He  made  a  virtue  of  appealing  to  what  he 
supposed  the  prejudice  of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  who 
had  adopted  for  themselves  a  Republican  form  of  civil  Govern- 
ment. In  1856,  the  papers  produced  in  the  discussion,  by  these 
two  men,  were  published  in  a  book.  The  discussion  intensified 
the  agitation  which  already  existed. 

In  1858,  the  Rev.  William  P.  Harrison,  then  a  member  of  the 
Alabama  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
published  "  Theophilus  Walton,  a  reply  to  Theodosia  Earnest." 
That  was  a  work  of  some  merit,  and  the  cause  of  Methodism  in 
Alabama,  as  well  as  in  other  places,  was  strengthened  by  it.  Dr. 
Harrison  had  a  number  of  oral  discussions  on  the  subjects  of 
controversy  through  the  bounds  of  the  Alabama  Conference. 

The  Rev.  Daniel  M.  Hudson,  one  of  the  best  scholars  in  Ala- 
bama, and  who  was  possessed  of  one  of  the  largest  and  most  se- 
lect private  Libraries  anywhere  found,  had  many  personal  de- 
bates with  Baptist  and  Campbellite  preachers.  He  discussed 
various  subjects  before  public  audiences  with  the  best  cham- 
pions the  opposing  denominations  could  marshal. 

Many  entered  the  lists  in  that  day,  and  the  public  debates 
were  occasions  of  great  interests  in  which  much  oratory  was  ex- 
pended and  much  scholarship  exhibited.  Sometimes  acrimony 
was  dominant,  but  often  wit  and  humor  prevailed.  He  who,  in  the 
debate,  could  maintain  his  equiblibrium,  and  exquisitely  goad 
his  antagonist,  generally  had  the  advantage.  Judges  were  often 
selected  to  act  as  umpires,  whose  business  it  was  to  keep  order, 
enforce  the  rules  of  debate,  and  award  the  judgment  to  the  suc- 
cessful disputant.  The  people  were  taught,  and  made  parti- 
sans. 

The  Methodists  of  Alabama  were  ever  ready  to  respond  to 
any  challenge  to  defend  their  doctrines,  polity,  and  usages;  and 
they  wrought  well,  and  did  not  spend  their  strength  for  naught. 
They  met  their  antagonists,  repelled  their  assaults,  and  con- 
quered a  peace. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Further  History  of  Education  in  Alabama  under  the  Aus- 
pices OF  Methodism. 

THE  Florence  Wesleyan  University  at  Florence,  Alabama, 
flourished  from  the  time  it  was  opened  at  that  place  until 
it  was  interrupted  by  the  War  between  the  States.  It  was 
filled  with  a  large  number  of  students  the  very  year  the  war  be- 
gan. 

Centenary  Institute,  at  Summerfield,  Alabama,  with  its  Male 
and  Female  Departments,  flourished  all  through  the  years  from 
its  first  opening  until  the  date  at  which  this  History  closes, 
though,  of  course,  it  was  under  more  or  less  distraction  during 
the  four  years  of  the  civil  War.  For  some  time  the  Eev.  E.  D. 
Pitts  had  charge  of  the  Male  Department,  and  then  for  some 
years  more  the  Kev.  D.  C.  B.  Connerly  had  charge  thereof.  Dr. 
A.  H.  Mitchell  was  President  of  the  Female  Department  until 
the  year  1857,  when  he  resigned,  and  was  succeeded  by  Joseph 
Montgomery.  The  Institute  improved  for  a  while  under  his 
presidency,  but  soon,  for  reasons  in  him,  declined.  Dr.  R.  H. 
Rivers  took  charge  of  the  Female  Department,  as  President,  in 
1861.  At  the  expiration  of  its  thirteenth  year  the  Centenary 
Institute  had  had  an  average  attendance  of  two  hundred  stu- 
dents a  year,  and  there  had  been  an  average  of  forty  conversions 
a  year  among  its  pupils. 

The  opening  dawn  of  a  brighter  day,  the  gathering  forces  of 
better  work,  the  splendors  of  accumulating  achievements,  for 
education  in  Alabama  were  everywhere  perceptible.  There 
was  an  increasing  interest  in  the  education  of  preachers'  chil- 
dren, as  well  as  the  children  of  others,  and  an  advance  upon  the 
old  state  of  things,  and  extra  efforts  were  being  put  forth  in 
that  behalf.  A  Convention  called  in  pursuance  of  a  Resolution 
of  the  Alabama  Conference  on  Education,  and  numerously  at- 
tended by  preachers  and  laymen,  met  at  Summerfield,  Alabama, 
July  15,  1848.  Robert  Daugherty,  of  Macon  County,  Alabama^ 
(726) 


Further  History  of  Education  in  Alabama. J27 


was  the  President  of  the  Convention,  Price  Williams,  then  of 
Sumter  County,  Alabama,  was  the  Secretary,  with  R.  H.  Powell, 
of  Macon  County,  Alabama,  as  Assistant  Secretary. 

The  Convention  did  a  good  work,  and  reviewed  the  whole  sub- 
ject. A  Committee  was  appointed  to  consider  and  report  the 
number  and  grade  of  Institutions  of  learning  to  be  established, 
and  the  extent  of  Endowment  to  be  secured.    The  following  was 

adopted: 

"Resolved,  That  this  Convention  recommend  the  Alabama 
Annual  Conference,  to  take  under  its  patronage  and  direction 
the  Institution  about  to  be  established  at  Oak  Bowery,  provid- 
ed that  they  shall  be  satisfied  that  the  buildings  and  grounds 
are  put  in  good  condition,  that  it  be  free  from  embarrassment, 
and  that  it  be  provided  with  a  suitable  endowment." 

The  Convention  also  declared  that  "  the  support  and  main- 
tianance  of  the  Literary  Institutions  depend  mainly  upon  the 
efforts  of  our  itinerant  ministers." 

The  Alabama  Conference  at  its  session  January  17-24,  1849, 
took  the  Oak  Bowery  Female  Institute  under  its  patronage  and 
control,  and  the  Institute  opened  the  second  Monday,  in  Febru- 
ary, proximo,  with  the  Rev.  G.  W.  Chatfield,  President,  and 
Miss  Emily  Baily,  Assistant.  John  W.  Joues,  Robert  Mitchell, 
James  F.  Dowdell,  Charles  Bilbro,  Henry  W.  Todd,  John  B. 
Glenn,  and  T.  J.  Williamson  were  the  Trustees,  to  which  were 
added'the  names  of  a  number  of  the  preachers  of  the  Confer- 
ence. . 

The  Oak  Bowery  Institute  closed  the  examination  of  its  tirsfe 

classes  August  2,  1849,  and  the  second  session  of  the  Institute- 
commenced  January  13,  1850,  the  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Russell,  late- 
of  South  Carolina,  President,  the  Rev.  G.  W.  Chatfield  and  Miss 
Emily  Baily,  assistants,  and  Miss  Mary  F.  Williams  in  charge 
of  Music  and  French.  During  1850  a  vigorous  appeal  was 
made  to  the  Church  for  money  to  aid  the  Institute  in  its  divine- 
ly appointed  work.  James  Maddux  and  W.  W.  Kidd  had  been 
confirmed  as  Trustees  of  the  Institute  at  the  session  of  the  An- 
nual Conference  January  8-15,  1850.  ^ 

In  September,  1852,  the  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Russell  resigned  the 
Presidency  of  Oak  Bowery  Female  College,  on  which  occasion 
Miss  Laura  Saddler,  in  a  neat  speech,  presented  to  the  retiring 

President  a  beautiful  Bible. 
47 


728 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


The  Eev.  W.  F.  Samford  succeeded  the  Kev.  Mr.  Kussell  as 
President  of  the  College,  and  he  had  the  Kev.  Alexander 
Means,  D.D.^  to  preach  the  Commencement  Sermon  at  Oak 
Bowery  in  the  summer  of  1853.  Mr.  Samford  retained  the 
Presidency  of  that  College  only  about  one  year.  He  had  the 
talents  and  the  learning,  sufficient  qualifications,  to  write  a 
creed  of  religion,  and  a  code  of  jurisprudence,  had  he  been 
minded  to  do  so,  but  he  could  not  guide  successfully  the  inter- 
ests of  the  College  in  the  village  of  Oak  Bowery.  The  Annual 
Conference  at  its  session  at  the  close  of  1853,  and  at  the  close 
of  Mr.  Samford's  administration,  reported  that  Oak  Bowery  Fe- 
male College  was  in  a  languishing  condition,  but  that  improve- 
ment was  anticipated  under  the  management  of  the  incoming 
and  new  President,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Speer,  and  who  opened 
its  next  session  January  1,  1854  At  the  close  of  1856  Oak 
Bowery  College  dropped  out  of  the  list  of  Colleges  under  the 
patronage  of  the  Conference. 

There  was  a  "  Macon  Female  Institute,"  at  Macon,  Mississip- 
pi, which  was  under  the  patronage  and  direction  of  the  Alaba- 
ma Conference,  at  least  from  the  beginning  of  1848  till  the  close 
of  1855.  The  Rev.  F.  G.  Ferguson  taught  in  it  one  year,  and 
the  Rev.  William  Wier  was  Agent  for  it  in  1852. 

In  December,  1852,  the  Alabama  Conference  organized  a 
*•  Ministerial  Education  Society,"  the  object  of  which  w^as  to  aid 
such  young  men,  in  limited  circumstances  and  with  limited  ed- 
ucation, as  gave  evidence  of  being  called  of  God  to  devote  them- 
selves to  the  work  of  the  itinerant  ministry,  in  obtaining  such 
an  education  as  would  enable  them  to  discharge  acceptably  the 
duties  of  the  sacred  office. 

The  Alabama  Conference  also  had  funds  for  aiding  the  sons 
of  the  preachers  of  the  Conference  in  securing  an  education. 
That  was  praiseworthy.  The  funds  were  used  for  a  while  at  La 
Grange  College,  and  were  appropriated  to  paying  the  board  of 
the  sons  of  the  members  of  the  Conference  who  were  there  as 
students. 

At  the  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  at  Tuskaloosa, 
Alabama,  December,  1853,  a  communication  from  the  Trus- 
tees of  a  projected  Female  College  at  Tuskegee,  Alabama,  was 
received  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Education.  The 
preliminary  steps  for  that  projected  College  were  taken  in  the 


Further  History  of  Education  in  Alabama. 


729 


autumn  of  1852,  and  the  enterprise  was  pushed  with  vigor  and 
with  good  success  through  1853.  The  Rev.  C.  C.  Gillespie, 
who  was  stationed  at  Tuskegee  for  1852  and  1853,  operated  the 
scheme  for  the  anticipated  College  with  great  efficiency,  and  at 
the  time  above  stated  of  the  session  of  the  Conference  twenty- 
six  thousand  dollars  had  been  subscribed  for  the  forth-coming 
College  on  condition  that  the  Annual  Conference  would  take  it 
under  patronage.  In  accord  with  the  conditions  of  the  sub- 
scription in  hand,  and  as  they  intended  to  increase  the  amount 
to  forty  thousand  dollars,  the  Trustees  desired  the  business 
with  the  Conference  consummated  at  once.  The  Annual  Con- 
ference acceded  to  the  proposition  of  the  Trustees,  and  engaged 
to  foster  the  College.  The  work  then  went  on.  The  General 
Assembly  of  Alabama,  by  an  Act,  approved  February  2, 1854,  in- 
corporated The  Tuskegee  Female  College.  The  Trustees  named 
in  the  act  of  incorporation  were:  David  Clofton,  Lewis  Alexan- 
der, John  B.  Bilbro,  Robert  F.  Ligon,  James  Dent,  James  M. 
Alexander,  Richard  H.  Powell,  Arnold  Seals,  D.  E.  Anthony,  J. 
Bedell,  Joshua  W.  Willis,  Job  Thompson,  Robert  H.  Howard, 
William  H.  Ellison,  and  Dow  Perry.  In  the  spring  of  1854, 
immediately  after  the  act  of  incorporation,  active  efforts  were 
made  to  get  forward  in  erecting  the  building. 

The  work  proceeded  without  ceasing,  and  in  due  course  the 
walls  were  completed  and  the  building  finished.  A  Faculty, 
with  the  Rev.  Andrew  A.  Liscomb,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  as  President, 
was  selected.  The  halls  were  thrown  open  for  the  great  work 
for  which  they  had  been  erected,  and  on  February  11,  1856,  the 
first  pupils  matriculated.  That  was  a  coronation  day  in  which 
a  dispensation  of  letters,  refinement,  grace,  elegance,  and  moral 
beauty  was  inaugurated  for  the  fair  daughters  of  Alabama. 
Before  a  twelve  months  had  elapsed  from  the  time  of  opening 
its  halls  one  hundred  and  ninety  pupils  were  arranged  under 
its  curriculum.  The  first  graduates  of  the  Institution  consisted 
of  four  young  ladies,  in  the  class  of  1856.  The  Rev.  Mark  S. 
Andrews  was  Agent  for  this  College  the  year  before  its  halls 
were  opened  for  the  work  of  instruction,  and  he  was  one  of  the 
Professors  in  the  College  during  its  first  session. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Armstrong  was  Agent  for  it  during  the  years 
1858  and  1859. 

In  1859  the  Rev.  G.  W.  F.  Price  succeeded  to  the  Presidency 


730 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


of  the  College,  and  continued  until  the  Trustees,  under  finan- 
cial pressure,  sold  the  College  to  the  Eev.  Jesse  Wood,  who  took 
charge  of  the  management.  In  1863  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wood  sold 
the  College  to  the  Rev.  C.  D.  Elliott,  an  old  teacher,  who  con- 
ducted the  College  until  1865,  where  this  history  closes.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Price  continued  as  one  of  the  Professors  in  the  Col- 
lege from  the  time  Mr.  Wood  took  control  until  1865. 

Tuskegee  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  towns  in  the  State  of 
Alabama,  with  a  refined,  liberal,  and  pious  people,  and  the  Tus- 
kegee Female  College  has  been  one  of  the  chief  ornaments  and 
principal  attractions  of  the  place. 

At  its  session  at  Talladega,  Alabama,  beginning  December  13, 
1854,  the  Alabama  Conference  adopted  measures  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Female  High  School  at  the  town  of  Talladega,  to 
be  called  the  "Talladega  Conference  Institute."  A  Board  of 
Trustees,  consisting  of  four  preachers,  J.  Hamilton,  James  S. 
Lane,  D.  Carmichael,  and  O.  R.  Blue,  and  five  laymen,  J.  G.  L. 
Huey,  John  M.  Moore,  J.  E.  Groce,  John  T.  Morgan,  and  A.  J. 
Cotton,  was  appointed,  with  powers  and  restrictions  usually 
conferred  upon  Trustees,  subject  to  the  supervision  and  control 
of  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South. 

The  Masons  of  Talladega  built  a  fine  edifice  for  School  pur- 
poses at  Talladega,  and  a  School  was  opened  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Masonic  Fraternity.  The  School  became  financially  em- 
barrassed, and  it  was  turned  over,  as  herein  stated,  to  the  Ala- 
bama Conference.  The  effort  was  made  by  the  Conference  to 
liquidate  debts  and  make  the  School,  under  the  management  of 
the  Church,  self-sustaining,  but  the  effort  failed.  First  the 
Rev.  James  S.  Lane  and  then  the  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Abernathy 
was  appointed  Agent  for  the  School.  The  Rev.  B.  B.  Ross  and 
the  Rev.  F.  M.  Grace  were  put  in  charge  of  the  School  as  offi- 
cers and  teachers,  but  success  was  not  achieved,  and  in  1858  the 
property  was  turned  over  to  the  State  of  Alabama,  since  which 
time  it  has  been  used  as  a  School  for  Deaf-mutes  and  Blind. 

At  that  same  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  at  Tallade- 
ga, a  resolution  was  adopted  concurring  with  the  Tennessee  and 
Memphis  Conferences  in  the  proposed  removal  of  La  Grange 
College  to  Florence,  Alabama;  and  also  a  resolution  was  adopt- 
ed avowing  the  purpose  to  retain  and  have  guaranteed  all  the 


Further  History  of  Education  in  Alabama. 


731 


original  rights  and  privileges  which  had  been  hitherto  enjoyed 
in  connection  with  that  Institution.  Vested  rights  and  privi- 
leges tenaciously  retained,  existing  compacts  and  contracts  dis- 
annulled to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  steps  were  taken,  at 
that  session  of  the  Conference,  looking  to  the  establishment  of 
a  Male  College  in  South  Alabama. 

The  subject  was  brought  before  the  Conference  by  a  memo- 
rial from  the  citizens  of  Auburn,  Alabama,  and  its  vicinity.  The 
whole  question  was  thoroughly  investigated  by  an  able  Com- 
mittee, and  the  Conference  espoused  the  cause  by  the  adoption 
of  the  following  Resolutions: 

"Resolved,  1.  That  there  should  be  a  Male  College  in  the 
bounds  of  the  Alabama  Conference. 

2  That  to  place  such  College  on  a  firm  basis,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  secure  in  good  subscriptions  the  sum  of  one  hundred 

thousand  dollars. 

3  That  the  Conference  appoint  a  Commission,  consisting  ot 
Lay  and  Clerical  members  from  each  presiding  elder's  District, 
who  shall  receive  propositions  for  the  location  of  a  College 
within  our  bounds  until  the  fourth  day  of  July  next,  when  they 
fihair  meet  at  Summerfield,  and  fix  the  location  of  said  Institu- 

The  Clerical  members  of  the  Commission  were:  T.  W.  Dor- 
man,  E.  Baldwin,  G.  Sheaffer,  J.  J.  Hutchinson,  C.  C.  Callaway, 
A  H  Mitchell,  C.  Strider,  James  S.  Lane,  O.  R.  Blue,  b.  t. 
Pillev  E  Hearn,  A.  S.  Dickinson.  The  Lay  members  were:  R. 
A.  Baker,  D.  W.  Goodman,  D.  B.  Tamer  BN  Glover  R  W. 
Foote,  A.  A.  Coleman,  J.  T.  Sharpe,  A.  B.  Chtherall,  L.  Q^C. 
DeYampert,  R.  N.  Harris,  W.  M.  Byrd,  Daniel  Pratt  J^L^Mc- 
Clanahan,  J.  E.  Groce,  William  Garrett,  N.  J.  Scott,  D.  Clop- 
ton,  E.  R.  Flewellen,  J.  H.  Miller,  J.  W.  Portis,  A.  C.  Ramsey, 
H.  V.  Smith,  J.  P.  Nail.  r      ^      .i,    .  A 

The  Commission  carried  out  their  work  under  the  terms  and 
authority  of  their  appointment,  and  the  subject,  under  the  forms 
which  it  assumed  in  the  on-going  of  affairs,  was  before  the  Ala- 
bama Conference  at  its  session  held  at  Eutaw,  Alabama,  De- 
cember 5-14,  1855.  t^i.    '  ^    A^ 

The  stipulation  for  bids  to  secure  the  location  of  the  intended 
College  induced,  as  no  doubt  was  intended,  great  rivalry,  and, 
during  the  time  allotted  for  submitting  propositions  and  stipu- 


732 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


lating  prices  in  the  premises,  strenuous  efforts  were  put  forth  in 
the  cause.  It  will  be  necessary  to  secure  in  good  subscriptions 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  That  was  the  manifesto  of  the 
Conference.  The  people  of  Auburn  and  vicinity,  with  whom 
originated  the  memorial  for  a  College,  firmly  believed  that  Au- 
burn would  furnish  the  site  for  the  College,  and  tilled  with 
genuine  enthusiasm,  and  moved  by  a  lofty  purpose,  they  put 
forth  herculean  efforts  in  behalf  of  their  cherished  ambition. 
All  East  Alabama  responded  nobly,  and  liberally.  They  clearly 
met  the  requisitions  officially  set  forth. 

The  people  of  Greenesborough,  and  vicinity,  entered  the  con- 
test  for  the  prize,  and  they  worked  with  dogged  persistence.  To 
begin  with,  Greenesborough  had  a  majority  of  the  Commission- 
ers on  their  side.  Strange  as  it  may  seem  the  form  of  the  Dis- 
tricts so  governed  the  selection  of  the  Commissioners  as  to  give 
a  greater  number,  who,  by  their  alliances,  were  in  sympathy  with 
the  interests  of  Greenesborough.  There  were  a  greater  num- 
ber of  strong  men  on  that  side.  Therefore,  notwithstanding  the 
people  of  Auburn  had  the  prestige  which  inured  to  them  by 
virtue  of  the  fact  that  they  inaugurated  the  enterprise  for  a  new 
College,  and  notwithstanding  they  had  made  a  splendid  canvass 
in  behalf  of  the  enterprise,  and  notwithstanding  they  had  se- 
cured subscriptions  and  had  formulated  stipulations  which 
could  not  be  discounted,  yet,  the  Annual  Conference  in  session 
at  Eutaw,  Alabama,  after  much  deliberation,  determined  to  es- 
tablish a  College  at  Greenesborough,  Alabama,  and  appointed  a 
Board  of  Trustees  to  manage  its  affairs,  and  a  Committee  to  pro- 
cure for  it  an  act  of  incorporation,  and  recommended  that  the 
name  Southern  University  be  set  out  in  the  act  of  incorporation. 
The  Rev.  C.  C.  Callaway  was  appointed  Agent. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Alabama,  by  an  act  passed  January 
25,  1856,  incorporated  the  Southern  University,  naming  in  the 
act  of  incorporation  the  following  persons  as  Trustees:  Robert 
Paine,  J.  O.  Andrew,  E.  Wadsworth,  T.  O.  Summers,  J.  Hamil- 
ton, A.  H.  Mitchell,  P.  P.  Neely,  T.  J.  Koger,  C.  C.  Calloway,  J. 
J.  Hutchinson,  J.  T.  Heard,  T.  Y.  Ramsey,  L.  Q.  C.  DeYam- 
pert,  John  Erwin,  R.  A.  Baker,  H.  W.  Hilliard,  J.  W.  Walton, 
T.  M.  Johnson,  Thomas  W.  Webb,  A.  A.  Coleman,  D.  W.  Good- 
man, Gideon  Nelson,  Gaston  Drake. 

Steps  were  immediately  taken,  under  the  direction   of  the 


Further  Histonj  of  Education  in  Alabama. 


733 


Trustees,  to  erect  the  University  buildings.  The  corner-stone 
was  put  in  place  June  11,  1856.  Finally,  the  buildings  com- 
pleted, and  equipped,  and  a  Faculty  selected,  the  halls  of  the 
Institution  were  opened  for  the  reception  of  students,  October 
3, 1859.  The  number  of  the  matriculates  in  the  University,  tak- 
ing  a  number  of  years,  did  not  average  very  high. 

The  Rev.  William  M.  Wightman,  D.D.,  was  Chancellor  of  the 
University  from  the  time  of  its  opening  till  he  was  elected  to 
the  Episcopacy  in  1866,  immediately  after  which  he  ^f^f'^^ 
The  members  of  the  first  Faculty  were:  The  Rev.  Edward  Wads- 
worth,  A.M.,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy;  Oscar  t. 
Casey,  A.M..  Professor  of  Ancient  Languages;  the  Rev.  J.  0. 
AVills' AM  Professor  of  Mathematics;  N.  T.  Lupton,  A.M., 
Professor  of  Chemistry;  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Reubett,  A.M.,  Professor 
of  Modern  Languages  and  Hebrew.  These,  except  peThaps, 
Mr.  Reubett,  continued  through  the  time  of  Dr.  A\ightmans 
administration  as  Chancellor,  and  after.  That  was  an  able  Fac- 
ulty: the  men  composing  it  were  worthy  of  commendation,  for 
both  their  mental  endowments  and  moral  qualities.  ^ 

It  has  been  estimated  that  in  1861,  the  Southern  University  had 
an  Endowment  of  over  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  Rev. 
C  C  Callaway  was  Agent  for  the  University  from  the  beginning 
of  1856  to  the  close  of  1861.  Much  of  the  original  Endowment 
was  in  the  form  of  subscriptions  and  notes,  and  was  never  col- 
lected It  has  been  asserted  that  Greenesborough  paid  for  the 
Southern  University  buildings,  and  furniture,  and  apparatu^m 
the  beginning,  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars.  1  he 
statement,  of  course,  includes  the  contributions  made  by  per- 
sons in  the  vicinity  of  Greenesborough  and  surrounding  coun- 

%he  Departments  of  the  University  were  never  all  opened. 
There  was  never  any  teaching  in  the  department  of  Law,  though 
a  Law  Faculty  was  organized.  This  History  of  the  Southern 
University  closes  with  the  close  of  the  War  between  the  States, 

^^The  session  of  the  Annual  Conference  at  Eutaw,  Alabama, 
continued  ten  days,  three  days  of  which  were  occupied  almost 
exclusively  in  debating  the  question  of  locating  a  College.  The 
Rev  O  R.  Blue,  possessed,  as  he  was,  of  courage,  coolness,  de- 
liberation, and  persistence,  great  elements  in  a  debater,  was  the 


734 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


master  spirit  in  that  great  discussion,  and  was  the  actual  and 
acknowledged  leader  of  the  party  who  advocated  the  claims  of 
Auburn  as  the  place  for  the  proposed  College,  and  he  held  the 
field  against  the  horde  of  antagonists  who  coufronted  him. 
While  he  could  not  induce  the  Conference  to  adopt  Auburn  as 
the  place  for  the  College,  he  could  detain  the  Conference  from 
and  arrest  action  favorable  to  Greenesborough.  Unable  to 
break  his  power,  the  Conference,  finally,  by  formal  action,  de- 
cided to  decline  all  propositions  on  the  subject  and  all  cogni- 
zance whatsoever  of  the  enterprise.  Upon  that  status  Blue 
changed  his  tactics,  marshaled  his  forces,  and  acceded  to  the 
proposition  to  establish  a  College  at  Greenesborough ;  immedi- 
ately the  Conference  rescinded  its  action,  and,  as  stated  on  a 
preceding  page,  determined  to  establish  a  College  at  Greenes- 
borough, Alabama.  That  final  action  of  the  Conference,  in- 
duced by  Blue,  though  against  Auburn  and  in  favor  of  Greenes- 
borough, anticipated,  and  meant,  a  College  at  both  places. 

That  discussion  on  the  College  question  was  fiery  and  excite- 
ful,  and  engendered  strife  never  allayed,  and  inaugurated  divi- 
sion never  arrested.  Dr.  A.  H.  Mitchell  was  on  the  side  of 
Greenesborough,  and  was,  no  doubt,  perfectly  sincere  in  all  he 
did  and  said,  but  was  injudicious  and  unwise,  and  he  made  ut- 
terances which  gave  mortal  offense  to  the  people  of  East  Ala- 
bama. He  taunted  the  people  of  that  section.  He  ridiculed 
their  claims,  stigmatized  them  as  paupers,  and  denounced  the 
idea  of  their  building  a  College  as  preposterous.  He  had,  at 
some  time,  made  a  journey  through  East  Alabama,  and  must 
needs  refer  to  that  pilgrimage,  and,  throwing  up  his  hands,  and 
assuming  the  attitude  and  tone  of  exclamation,  he  said:  "Every- 
where I  went,  i)overty  stared  me  in  the  face!"  The  people  of 
East  Alabama  never  forgave  him,  and  for  a  long  while  not  one 
of  them  would  have  experienced  any  special  pleasure  in  extend- 
ing to  him  even  common  hospitality.  Not  one  of  them  was  dis- 
posed to  put  poverty  under  contribution  for  that  purpose. 

To  every  people  there  comes  an  epoch,  a  period  remarkable 
for  events,  a  time  accumulative  of  events  which  will  have  great 
subsequent  influence.  Such  a  period  had  come  to  the  people  of 
East  Alabama,  and  they  were  at  the  crisis,  and  in  a  dilemma. 
They  had  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing,  in  their  midst,  a  lit- 
erary Institution  of  high  grade.    In  the  prosecution  of  their  com- 


Further  History  of  Education  in  Alabama. 


735 


mendable  ambition  they  had  aroused  their  latent  forces,  put 
under  contribution  their  energies,  and  called  into  requisition 
their  resources.     Manifestly  the  work,  in  its  inception  and  de- 
sign, in  its  outline  and  detail,  in  its  execution  and  progress,  was 
under  intelligent  guides  and  active  agents,  and  was  not  the  out- 
come of  day-dreams,  wild  reveries,  and  idle  rhapsodies.     Indus- 
try and  liberality  had  been  shown  which  merited  success,  and 
means  had  been  accumulated  which,  so  far  as  finances  were  con- 
cernedj  guaranteed  success,   and  they  had  with   them   moral 
force  and  popular  influence.     Withal,  they  had  contested  for 
the  prize  of  an  Institution  of  learning  in  their  midst,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Annual  Conference,  and,  according  to  the  letter 
of  the  action,  had  lost.     They  had  been  put  under  an  embargo, 
they  had  been  estopped.     They  had  been  rebuffed.     They  were 
to  be  pursued,  assaulted,  and  rebuked.     An  impetuous  crusade 
against  them  was  impending.     The  people  at  Greenesborough 
and  the  other  friends  of  the  college  to  be  built  at  Greenesbor- 
ough, claimed  chartered  and  exclusive  rights  in  the  premises, 
and  denounced  any  and  every  purpose  and  effort  to  establish  a 
literary  Institution   and  secure  patronage  at  any  other  place. 
A  constellation  of  circumstances  admonished  that  if  the  enter- 
prise was  persisted  in  there  would  be  severe  conflict  and  a  long 
struggle.     The  people  of  East  Alabama,  however,  had  been  driv- 
en from,  and  were  fully  detached  from  the  people  of  the  con- 
tending section,  and  were  united  among  themselves,  the  whole 
section  of  East  Alabama  stood  ready  for  the  enterprise.     Nor 
hard  speeches,  nor  adverse  decisions,  nor  rebuff,  nor  rebuke,  nor 
impending  crusade  could  abate  the  interest  of  the  people  of 
East  Alabama  for  a  College  in  their  midst. 

After  so  much  time  devoted  to  the  cause,  so  much  talent  de- 
veloped in  its  advocacy,  and  so  much  money  gathered  for  its 
use,  it  was  a  moral  impossibility  to  refrain  from  the  work.  The 
materials  so  copiously  gathered  could  not  be  abandoned,  and 
left  to  disintegrate  and  disappear.  The  day  for  caution  and 
procrastination  was  gone,  decision  and  promptitude  were  in  or- 
der. Loyalty  to  Conference  action,  so-called,  could  not  be  in- 
duced by  the  railings  of  prejudice  or  the  revilings  of  caprice. 
A  good  conscience  could  not  be  bound  by  the  requirements  of 
diplomacy.  Audacious  and  versatile  reiterations  about  pains 
and  penalties  to  be  visited  upon  devoted  heads,  cut  a  very  sor- 


736 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


ry  figure  in  arresting  purposes  born  of  pure  benevolence.     Hec- 
toring could  not  terrify  men  engaged  in  the  promotion  of  a  pub- 
lic benefaction.     Men  could  not  be  convicted  of  departing  from 
pure  doctrines   and   true  principles  because   they  declined  to 
unite  on  some  particular  enterprise  and  to  take  care  of  some 
special  local  interest;  enterprise  and  interest  upon  which  there 
could  not  be  infallible  pronouncements.     Fiery  assault  and  per- 
sistent crusade  advertised   the  cause  at  Auburn,  revealed  and 
developed  strength  in  its  behalf,  and  united  its  agents  and  abet- 
tors, and  made  them  persistent.     A  gale  of  enthusiasm  swept 
the  friends  of  the  College  for  Auburn  on  in  their  grand  work. 
The  taunts  which  they  received,  the  scoffing  allusions  made  to 
their  poverty,  helped  to  stir  the  humblest  plebian  among  them. 
The  friends  of  the  enterprise,  acting  in  accord  with  the  facts 
and  purposes  already  indicated,  moved  forward  with  the  work 
in  hand,  and  on  February  1, 1856,  just  seven  days  after  the  pas- 
sage of  the  act  incorporating  the  Southern  University,  an  act  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  Alabama  was  passed  incorporating  the 
"  East  Alabama  Male  College."     The  Trustees  named  in  the  act 
of  incorporation,  forty-nine  in  number,  were:   John  B.  Glenn, 
N.  J.  Scott,  A.  Frazer,  J.  M.  Carlton,  J.  B.  Ogletree,  W.  T.  Da- 
vis, Isaac  Hill,  C.  Raiford,  J.  F.  White,  F.  W.  Dillard,  John 
Darby,  J.  W.  Jones,  Wesley  WilKamsj  Simeon  Perry,  Edwin 
Reese,  W.  A.  McCarty,  O.  R.  Blue,  Mark  S.  Andrews,  Samuel 
Armstrong,  C.  D.  Oliver,  W.  B.  Neal,  F.  G.  Ferguson,  W.  H. 
McDaniel,  Lewis  Dowdell,  E.  J.  Hammill,  Daniel  Pratt,  J.  E. 
Groce,  William  Garrett,  E.  R.  Flewellin,  J.  F.  Dowdell,  Samuel 
Harris,  A.  A.  Lipscomb,  David  Clopton,  J.  AV.  Willis,  Robert 
Daugherty,  R.  A.  Baker,  Duke  W.  Goodman,  N.  B.  Powell,  W. 
H.  EllisoD,  J.  B.  Banks,  J.  Cunningham,  Arnold  Seals,  John 
McTyeire,  Frank  Gilmer,  John  B.  Tate,  John  P.  Nails,  Thom- 
as H.  Watts,  E.  G.  Richards,  and  J.  M.  Jennings. 

If  that  was  not  a  working  Board,  it  was,  nevertheless,  suffi- 
ciently large  to  contain  a  sufficient  number  of  working  mem- 
bers, and  was  evidently  intended  for  an  influential  Board. 

In  the  year  1857,  the  corner-stone  of  the  College  building  was 
put  in  place.  Bishop  George  F.  Pierce  was  the  orator  of  the 
occasion,  and  right  well  did  he  sustain  the  interests  of  the  hour. 
That  was  an  event  in  the  history  of  that  section.  The  condi- 
tions were  all  propitious,  the  circumstances  all  auspicious,  the 


Further  History  of  Education  in  Alabama. 


737 


incidents  all  inspiring.  It  was  a  time  of  benediction.  Every- 
thing was  radiant  with  cheer.  The  very  air  emitted  charming 
sounds;  the  atmosphere  was  full  of  music.  The  impulse  in- 
spired by  the  hour  lasted  through  the  struggle  made  to  com- 
plete the  building  and  furnish  the  outfit  for  the  literary  work 
anticipated.  As  those  benevolent  men  laid  in  the  corner-stone 
of  that  beautiful  building  which  they  had  designed  and  com- 
menced for  the  furtherance  of  sanctified  learning,  and  as  they 
contemplated  the  good  which  would  be  achieved  by  their  benefi- 
cence there  might  justly  come  to  their  minds  visions  of  "  The 
golden  crowns  of  life,  due  to  the  saints  '*  who  work  righteous- 
ness and  dispense  benefits. 

The  building  constructed,  even  complete  in  its  towers  and 
furnishings,  and  a  Faculty  selected,  the  youths  of  the  land  were 
invited  to  enter  the  halls  of  the  East  Alabama  Male  College, 
for  the  study  of  classical  and  scientific  lore  under  Christian 
auspices.  It  was  in  the  beautiful  autumn  of  1859  that  the  first 
persons  were  matriculated,  the  first  classes  formed,  and  the  first 
lessons  taught  in  that  College. 

The  session  of  the  Alabama  Conference  was  held  at  Eufaula, 
Alabama,  November  30  to  December  8,  1859.  A  long  session. 
The  Conference  assembled  with  the  prospect  of  a  fiery  discus- 
sion during  the  session.  The  Southern  University,  at  Greenes- 
borough,  and  the  East  Alabama  Male  College,  at  Auburn,  had 
both,  just  a  few  weeks  before,  opened  their  first  session.  That 
was  a  new  order  of  things  in  the  Church  in  Alabama.  The 
Southern  University  was  already,  by  formal  action,  under  the 
patronage  and  control  of  the  Annual  Conference.  The  East 
Alabama  Male  College  was  a  College  de  facto,  and  had  most 
flattering  prospects.  Perhaps,  no  College  in  the  South,  or  in 
the  whole  country,  had  ever  opened  with  so  large  a  patronage. 
Its  best  friends  were  surprised  at  the  unprecedented  numbers 
which  crowded  its  halls  immediately  upon  its  opening.  Its 
patronage  largely  exceeded  that  of  the  Southern  University. 
Its  Trustees  asked  the  Annual  Conference  to  take  it  under  the 
supervision  and  control  of  the  Conference.  That  proposition 
renewed,  in  a  different  form,  the  issue  between  Greenesborough 
and  Auburn.  The  proposition  was  before  the  Conference  in 
due  form  and  had  to  be  acted  on. 
The  special  friends  of  the  Southern  University  exerted  them- 


738 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


selves  to  prevent  favorable  action  on  the  proposition  to  foster 
the  East  Alabama  Male  College.     Speeches   countless,  if  not 
brilliant  and  beautiful,  were  made  in  the  Conference  on  the 
subject.     On  Friday  night,  the  last  night  of  that  prolonged  ses- 
sion, the  discussion  culminated  and  terminated,  and  the  issue 
was  settled  by  final  action.     That  evening  the  Eev.  Christopher 
C.  Callaway,  the  financial  Agent  of   the  Southern   University, 
who,  by  virtue  of  his  relation  to  that  Institution,  had  a  substan- 
tial reason  for  the  faith  which  was  in  him,  made  what  might  be 
termed  the  final  oration  on  the  subject.     His  speech  consumed 
one  hour  or  more  in  its  delivery,  and  was  as  full  and  strong  as 
he  could  make  it.     His  speech  was  really  a  homily  on  the  au- 
thority of  conscience,  the  inviolableness  of  contracts,  the  sacred- 
ness  of  plighted  faith.     He  maintained  that  the  Alabama  Con- 
ference was,  by  official  action,  voluntarily  taken,  committed  to 
the  exclusive  support  of  the  Southern  University,  and  that  con- 
science and  contract  prohibited  the  assumption  of  an  obligation 
to  foster  the  East  Alabama  Male  College,  and  that  it  must,  in 
fidelity,  be  denied  recognition  and  patronage,  and  that  it  should 
be  rebuked  as  an  arrogant  intruder  encroaching  upon  the  rights 
of  others.     His  was  the  most  persistent  effort  of  the  occasion, 
and  he,  and  others,  attaching  importance  to  his  speech,  expect- 
ed, of  course,  labored  and  lengthy  replies  to  it.     The  Confer- 
ence and  spectators,  the  moment  he  closed,  were  on  the  qui  vive, 
and  expectant.     A  long  and  labored  argument  in  response  was 
anticipated.     The  Kev.  O.  K  Blue,  the  friend  and  champion  of 
the  East  Alabama  Male  College,  arose,  and  said:  "This  Confer- 
ence can  keep  its  conscience  on  this  subject,  we  are  ready  for 
the  vote."     The  vote  was  immediately  cast,  and  the  issue  set- 
tled, and,  by  an   inspiring   majority,  the   East  Alabama   Male 
College  was  taken  under  the  supervision  and  fostering  care  of 
the  Alabama  Annual  Conference.     All  this  was  done  so  quick- 
ly, that  all  was  finished  before  the  echoes  of  the  Kev.  Mr.  Calla- 
way's voice  had  fairly  died  away.     Such  cruelty!  an  oration  in 
response  to  his  labored  effort  would  have  been  a  mercy  to  him. 
Never  was  a  speech  so  completely  punctured,  never  did  a  man 
so  thoroughly  collapse!     The  battle  was  now  ended,  and  the  Al- 
abama Conference  had  under  its  fostering  care  more  than  one 
Male  College;  and  why  not? 

The  Rev.  William  Jeremiah  Sassnett  was  the  first  President 


Further  History  of  Education  in  Alabama. 


739 


of  the  East  Alabama  Male  College,  and  he  was  President  down 
to  the  period,  when,  under  the  influence  of  the  distracting  and 
destructive  War  between  the  States,  the  College  had  to  suspend 
operations,  and  he  was  nominally  President  down  to  the  time  of 
his  death,  November  3, 1865,  at  which  period  this  History  closes. 
His  name  and  talents  made  the  College  popular,  and  enabled  it 
to  hold  the  large  patronage  with  which  it  commenced  until  the 
War  called  the  young  men  of  the  country  to  the  army. 

The  Rev,  E.  J.  Hammill  wa^  appointed  Agent  of  the  East 
Alabama  Male  College  in  1856,  and  continued  in  that  position 
without  intermission  until  the  close  of  1862.     He  was  as  com- 
petent an  Agent  as  ever  went  out  in  the  interest  of  a  cause.    He 
had  hope  in  his  cause,  the  hope  which  made  him  not  ashamed, 
and  he  was  diligent,  persistent,  and  devout.     It  was  said  that 
when  he  solicited  a  .contribution  for  the  College  and  the  per- 
son addressed  declined  to  give  to  the  cause  he  would  have  him 
kneel  and  pray  about  it,  and  he  would  lead  in  prayer,  and  when 
the  prayer  was  ended  he  would  zealously  press  the  claim  for 
a  contribution;  and  it  was  currently  reported  that  in  that  way 
he  did  succeed  in  securing  gifts.     He  was  thoroughly  conse- 
crated  to  his  work,  and  he  succeeded  most  admirably  until  a 
devastating  war  made  things  unpropitious. 

Tnskaloosa,  La  Grange,  Summerfield,  Athens,  Oak  Bowery, 
Huntsville,  Tuskegee,  Florence,  Greenesborough,  and  Auburn 
were  the  educational  centers  in  Alabama  under  the  auspices  of 
Methodism,  during  the  years  included  in  the  period  from  1825- 
to  1865. 


CHAPTER  XXXYIIL 


JFuRTHER  History  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church 

IN  Alabama. 

THE  history  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  in  Alabama, 
being  here  resumed,  shall  be  briefly  traced  from  the  mid- 
dle of  the  fifth  to  the  middle  of  the  seventh  decade  of  this  pres- 
ent century. 

There  were  in  the  bounds  of  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church  for  1845,  two  Stations,  eleven  Cir- 
cuits, and  four  Missions.  The  Stations  were:  Montgomery,  and 
Hayneville  and  Lowndesborough.  The  Circuits  were:  Mont- 
gomery, Mount  Jefferson,  Union,  Benton,  Kocky  Mount,  Ca- 
hawba.  Cedar  Creek,  Sumter,  Cotfeeville  and  Washiugton,  Coosa, 
and  Lowndes.  The  Missions  were:  Florida,  Pea  River,  Pick- 
ens, and  Talladega.  The  appointments  here  given  show  the 
sections  of  the  State  to  which  that  Church  was  mostly  con- 
fined. The  strongest  following  of  that  denomination  was  in 
Autauga,  Butler,  Coosa,  Dallas,  Lowndes,  Montgomery,  and  Wil- 
cox Counties.  The  whole  membership  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Conference  for  Alabama  for  that  year  was  tweiity-eight  hundred 
and  seventy-two  white,  and  eleven  hundred  and  fifty-seven  col- 
ored members,  and  fifty-three  itinerant  preachers.  The  preach- 
ers adhering  to  that  Church  in  the  State  of  Alabama,  so  far  as 
catalogued,  at  the  close  of  1845,  were:  W.  W.  Hill,  Peyton  S. 
Graves,  Benjamin  Dulany,  W.  Rice,  James  Holly.  John  B.  Per- 
due, Samuel  Oliver,  Sen.,  Jesse  Mings,  Samuel  Johnston,  John 
Jenkins,  James  Jenkins,  Zachariah  Williams,  O.  L.  Nash,  E.  My- 
ers, M.  E.  Murphy,  F.  Freeman,  James  Meek,  Samuel  M.  Meek, 
John  Steadman,  W.  C.  Marsh,  C.  Kelley,  A.  D.  Stewart,  J.  M.  D. 
Rice,  J.  W.  S.  Deberry,  O.  H.  Shaver,  Thomas  Shaw,  C.  S.  V. 
Jones,  J.  L.  Wright,  Stephen  Williams,  D.  B.  Smedley,  A.  Rober- 
son,  A.  A.  Lipscomb,  Mark  Howard,  T.  F.  Selby,  F.  W.  Moody,  B. 
S.  Anderson,  J.  L.  Clarke,  W.  A.  Bently,  W.  Mozingo,  A.  C.  Pa- 
tillo,  R.  P.  W.  Balmain,  J.  F.  Burson,  C.  F.  Gillespie,  J.  J.  Bell, 
(740) 


Further  History  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.      741 


W.  Coleman,  R.  F.  Perdue,  Luther  Hill,  W.  B.  Sims,  G.  W. 
Yest,  D.  A.  Murdock,  E.  W.  Sewell,  W.  J.  Stanton,  John  T. 
Mings,  W.  Luker,  J.  F.  Smith,  Luke  Brooks,  G.  Royster,  William 
Bowden,  W.  W.  Chapman,  Dempsey  Dowling,  D.  Henderson. 

As  related  in  another  place,  the  Rev.  Samuel  M.  Meek  died  in 
May,  1846;  and  as  related  on  another  page,  the  Rev.  Peyton  S. 
Graves,  after  notice  given  that  a  motion  would  be  made  to  expel 
him  from  the  Conference  was  given  permission  to  withdraw  on 
December  14,  1847,  and  he  withdrew  with  charges  pending 
against  his  moral  character.  The  Rev.  Dempsy  Dowling  was  re- 
ceived by  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  into  the  traveling 
connection,  November  24,  1845.  He  had  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  Rev.  James  Jenkins  died  in 
1849.  The  Rev.*  Benjamin  Dulany  died  in  1852.  The  Rev. 
John  Jenkins  died  in  1854.  The  Rev.  Zachariah  Williams 
joined  the  Baptists  in  1856.  The  Rev.  James  F.  Smith,  one  of 
their  most  zealous  preachers,  withdrew  in  1857,  and  united  with 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  aiid  during  that  same  year, 
the  Rev.  Oscar  H.  Shaver,  one  of  the  most  intelligent,  pious, 
and  useful  preachers  among  them,  died.  The  Rev.  John  Stead- 
man,  who,  when  about  twenty-two  years  of  age  joined  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  went  off  with  the  Seceders,  died  in 
1862,  having  passed  his  three  score  years. 

The  Rev.  J.  J.  Lazenby  was  received,  by  them,  as  a  preacher 
into  the  traveling  connection,  so  far  as  they  had  any  traveling 
connection,  in  December,  1846;  and  the  Rev.  John  W.  Skipper 
in  December,  1847;  and  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Howard,  the  Rev.  D.  J. 
Sampley,  and  the  Rev.  S.  N.  Graham,  in  November,  1849,  and 
the  Rev.  Samuel  E.  Norton  was  received  by  transfer  from  the 
South  Carolina  Conference  at  the  same  time.  The  Rev.  C.  C. 
Howard  voluntarily  surrendered  his  credentials  in  November, 
1855.  The  Rev.  Alexander  McCaine  was  received,  and  recog- 
nized by  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church,  upon  a  certificate  of  good  standing  from  the  South 
Carolina  Conference,  in  November,  1850.  He  was  a  man  of  note, 
and  he  died  in  1857.  In  November,  1850,  the  Rev.  Edwin  Bald- 
win, the  Rev.  D.  A.  M.  Ferguson,  the  Rev.  James  Lindley,  and 
the  Rev.  R.  F.  Perdue  were  received  as  itinerant  preachers. 

In  December,  1854,  at  Talladega,  Alabama,  the  Rev.  Edwin 
Baldwin,  an  elder  in  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  applied 


742 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


for  admission  into  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  and,  under  the  provisions  of  the  Dis- 
cipline, was  received.  He  remained  with  the  Methodist  Protes- 
tant Church,  as  a  preacher,  but  a  short  time,  and  for  the  simple 
reason  that  the  field  furnished  him  under  the  auspices  of  that 
Church  was  not  equal  to  his  gifts.  He  filled  the  first  Stations 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Alabama,  such  as  Mont- 
gomery, Mobile,  and  Selma.  He  was  a  native  of  Georgia,  and 
was  only  thirty-eight  years  old  when  he  died.  He  died  at  Selma^ 
Alabama,  January  9, 1866.  When  attending  the  ministry  of  the 
Eev.  Joshua  T.  Heard  and  the  Eev.  Josiah  Barker,  at  Hayne- 
ville,  Alabama,  he  obtained  justification,  and  immediately  en- 
tered the  ministry  under  the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Protes- 
tant Church.  In  the  organization  of  the  work,  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  ecclesiastical  afi'airs,  he  never  took  much  part.  He 
had  no  talent  for  such  work.  In  preaching  was  his  strength. 
He  was  not  famous  for  his  knowledge  of  the  Arabic,  and  the  Cop- 
tic, the  Sanscrit,  and  the  Syriac,  but  he  was  earnest  and  eloquent, 
brave  and  brilliant,  and  made  a  polished  use  of  the  English  lan- 
guage. He  had  a  purpose  in  all  his  work;  it  was  his  purpose 
to  irradicate  vice,  and  vindicate  virtue.  Direful  prospects  and 
melancholy  retrospects  never  affected  him  in  the  discharge  of 
duty.  Vicissitudes,  however  great,  and  battles,  however  san- 
guinary, never  daunted  him.  The  preaching  of  the  gospel  might 
irritate  the  weak  and  exasperate  the  wicked,  invective  might  be 
poured  forth  in  the  full  measure  of  folly,  but  he  moved  on  like 
a  warrior  bent  on  success  and  marching  to  victory.  He  main- 
tained a  virtuous  life,  and  a  spotless  character.  The  hospitality 
of  his  home  was  tendered  to  his  friends;  his  finances,  though 
limited,  were  expended,  in  part,  in  alms;  and  his  calumniators 
were  treated  with  the  silence  and  his  enemies  with  the  forget- 
fulness  which  their  deeds  merited. 

The  Eev.  E.  F.  Perdue,  mentioned  above,  left  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  as  an  itinerant  preacher,  in  December,  1869. 
He  continued  in  the  itinerant  work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  until  his  death,  March  10,  1875. 

The  Eev.  John  E.  P.  Cowart  was  received  into  the  pastoral 
work  in  November,  1851;  and  at  the  same  time  the  Eev.  S.  E. 
Hoagland  was  received  by  transfer  from  Illinois.     In  November, 


Further  History  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.      743 


1853,  the  Eevs.  W.  W.  Tupple  and  W.  F.  Bonham  were  accept- 
ed as  itinerant  preachers. 

In  November,  1854,  the  Eev.  F.  L.  B.  Shaver,  formerly  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Virginia  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church,  and  wJio  had  been  in  South  Carolina,  Missouri,  and  in 
Louisiana,  presented  himself  at  the  session  of  the  Annual  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  of  the  Alabama 
District,  and  was  received  as  a  member.  He  served  as  Presi- 
dent of  that  Conference,  much  of  the  time  he  was  eligible,  from 
November,  1857,  till  December,  1869,  when  he  left  the  Metho- 
dist Protestant  Church,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  South.  He  continued  in  the  itinerant  work  of  that 
Church  until  he  was  superannuated,  and  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Alabama  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  January  4,  1880.  He  died  at 
Fort  Deposit,  Alabama.  He  was  a  man  of  solid  attainments, 
and  of  pleasant  manners  and  was  useful  through  his  ministry. 
He  filled  prominent  places  among  the  Protestant  and  the  Epis- 
copal Methodists.  In  1870,  he  was  presiding  elder  of  the  La 
Fayette  District.  The  strength  of  his  years  was  given  to  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church.  Why  did  he  leave  the  Church 
of  his  youth  and  manhood?  Did  he  think  it  a  waning  Church? 
The  questions  are  suggestive. 

The  Eev.  Joseph  E.  Nix  was  received  into  the  Methodist  Prot- 
estant Church  as  a  traveling  preacher  in  connection  with  the  Ala- 
bama Conference  November  10, 1855,  from  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  South,  he  having  been  also  a  Baptist.  The  Eev. 
William  H.  Grace  was  accepted  that  day  as  a  traveling  preacher, 
and  the  Eev.  C.  C.  Howard  tendered  his  credentials  which  were 
accepted.  The  Eev.  James  W.  Harper  and  the  Eev.  George 
S.  Mouchett  were  also  received  under  the  stationing  authority 
two  days  later.  November  8,  1856,  the  Eevs.  John  Henning, 
James  M.  Scott,  William  C.  Norris,  J.  E.  Johnson,  A.  J.  Jenkins, 
and  James  S.  Jarratt  were  received  into  the  itinerancy.  On 
that  same  day  the  credentials  of  the  Eev.  W.  W.  Supple  were 
demanded,  by  the  Conference,  and  he  was  returned  to  the  ranks 
of  the  laity,  on  the  confessed  charge  that  he  had  been  intoxica- 
ted in  a  drinking  shop. 

The  Eev.  James  M.  Scott,  a  tall,  dark-skinned  man,  left  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church  in  December,  1869,  and  was  re- 
48 


744 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


ceived  as  a  traveling  preacher  into  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  and  appointed  to  the  Farmersville  Circuit,  in 
Lowndes  County,  ALabama,  a  better  Circuit  than  the  Church  he 
left  had  for  him.  He  was  an  efficient  preacher  on  a  Circuit  and 
a  good  man. 

The  Eevs.  James  Collins,  W.  J.  A.  J.  Hilliard,  E.  C.  Odum, 
J.  C.  Weaver,  and  Angus  K.  McDonald,  were  received  into  the 
itinerancy  in  November,  1857. 

The  Eev.  E.  C.  Odum,  a  pale-faced  man,  a  Christian  of  zeal, 
a  minister  of  much  usefulness,  left  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church,  in  which  he  was  brought  up,  and  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  December,  1869.  For  two  years, 
1870  and  1871,  he  was  appointed  to  Fayetteville  Circuit,  in  Tal- 
ladega County,  Alabama,  a  better  Circuit  than  the  Church  he 
left  had  for  him.  His  excessive  labor  on  that  Circuit,  labor 
self-imposed,  literally  wore  him  out,  and  he  died  there  in  1871. 
In  his  zeal  he  forgot  moderation.  He  was  a  good  preacher, 
and  was  only  about  thirty-seven  years  old  when  he  died.  He 
was  buried  at  Childersburg,  Alabama. 

The  Kevs.  G.  A.  McAllister,  James  Cisk,  W.  Smith  and  Ax- 
ford  were  received  under  the  stationing  authority  in  November, 
1858.  The  Revs.  William  Luker  and  James  Cisk  were  expelled 
in  1859.  The  Eev.  T.  W.  Matthews  voluntarily  surrendered  his 
credentials  to  the  Conference  November  10,  1859.  The  Eev. 
George  A.  McAllister  died  in  1859,  in  Pickens  County,  Alaba- 
ma. The  Eev.  George  H.  McFaden  was  received  by  the  Alaba- 
ma Conference  as  a  regular  transfer  from  the  Maryland  Confer- 
ence, and  recognized  November  11, 1859.  He  was  in  every  fiber 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.  However,  in 
November,  1888,  he  withdrew  from  the  Alabama  Annual  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and  in  a  short 
time  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  and 
was,  in  the  course  of  twelve  months,  recognized  as  a  local  elder 
in  the  Church.     He  lived  then  in  Autauga  County. 

Prominent  laymen  in  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  dur- 
ing the  period  from  1845  to  1865,  were,  to  name  them  alphabet- 
ically: M.  B.  Abercrombie,  B.  S.  Bibb,  James  K.  Benson,  E.  H. 
Cook,  C.  E.  Crenshaw,  Albert  Crumpler,  C.  W.  Dunham,  P.  P. 
Daniel,  A.  N.  Ellis,  Peyton  T.  Graves,  F.  M.  Gilmer,  Boiling 
Hall,  J.  H.  Howard,  Leonid  as  Howard,  E.  T.  Houser,  John  A. 


Furl  her  History  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.      745 

Houser,  C.  M.  Howard,  Edmond  Harrison,  Edwin  Jenkins,  Seth 
Little,  William  Little,  J.  J.  Little,  Abner  McGehee,  C.  Ma- 
thews, W.  A.  Oliver,  A.  F.  Posey,  L.  Eobertson,  S.  Bobbins,  E. 
Eobinson,  Eobert  Eussell,  D.  M.  Smith,  John  Steele,  D.  C. 
Shaw,  James  H.  Smith,  P.  B.  Smith,  J.  M.  Stoudenmire,  Ezekiel 
Salter,  T.  F.  Smith,  B.  J.  Saffold,  Benjamin  F.  Tarver,  A.  W. 
Townsend,  Daniel  Turnipseed,  William  Taylor,  E.  Watson,  Wil- 
liam N.  Williams,  B.  B.  Wilson,  H.  H.  Wlietstone.  There  were 
others  of  equal  standing  and  zeal.  A  few  names  of  the  honor- 
able women  who  labored  for  the  futherance  of  the  gospel  are 
found  on  the  EecorcL  Here  they  are:  Mary  McGehee,  Nancy 
D.  Long,  Sophia  L.  A.  Bibb,  Elizabeth  Eeese,  Eebecca  L.  Mel- 
ton, Mary  Smith,  Ann  Elmore,  Silvia  Stone,  Mary  L.  Peebles, 
Mary  Crenshaw,  and  Sarah  Crenshaw.  There  were,  doubtless, 
other  women  among  them  of  equal  virtue  and  fidelity. 

So  far  as  is  now  known,  these  men  and  women  here  named  were 
all,  without  an  exception,  persons  of  worth,  and  many  of  them 
were  possessed  of  wealth.  They  were  representative  persons  in 
the  communities  in  which  they  resided,  and  they  did  that  which 
was  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  shunning  the  abomina- 
tions of  the  wicked.  Some  of  these  have  already  been  named  in 
a  preceding  chapter. 

The  wealthiest  man  among  them  was  Abner  McGehee.  He  was 
warmly  attached  to  the  principles  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church,  and  in  the  support  thereof  he  made  frequent  and,  what 
was  considered,  munificent  donations,  and  consequently  he  was 
considered  by  his  brethren  a  man  of  piety  and  of  enlightened 
liberality.  In  1855,  being  venerable  in  years,  he  laid  down  his 
body  and  his  worldly  cares,  and  his  spirit  went  to  God  who 
gave  it. 

John  Steele,  James  H.  Smith,  William  Little,  Boiling  Hall, 
B.  S.  Bibb,  William  Taylor,  F.  M.  Gilmer,  Peyton  T.  Graves,  and 
John  Tipton  contributed  liberally  to  some  of  the  enterprises 
which  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  attempted;  though  it  is 
true  that  the  Church  never  enterprised  many  things  in  Alaba- 
ma, and  some  of  the  few  things  she  did  attempt  never  culmina- 
ted in  success. 

At  the  close  of  1851,  after  a  career  of  more  than  a  score  of 
years,  time  sufficient  for  reaching  from  birth  to  majority,  that 
Church  had  in  Alabama  eighty-nine  houses  of  worship,  and  two 


746 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


parsonages,  all  valued  at  thirty-one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  making  each,  on  an  average,  worth  three  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars.  The  house  of  worship  and  the  parsonage  in 
the  city  of  Montgomery  were  valued  at  eight  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars,  and  there  were  five  houses  of  worship  on  the 
Yellow  River  Mission,  all  valued  at  forty  dollars.  The  highest 
salary  paid  to  a  preacher  among  them  that  year  was  eight  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  the  lowest  salary  paid  that  year  was  thirteen 
dollars.  The  average  of  the  salaries  was  a  few  cents  less  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The  whole  collected  on  deficiencies 
in  the  entire  Conference  was  eighty  dollars  and  five  cents.  These 
statements  compass  the  entire  of  material  substance  in  the  whole 
realm  of  the  Alabama  District;  except,  that  there  was  in  existence 
a  subscription,  made  by  seventy  different  persons,  amounting  to 
four  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty  dollars,  for  a  nucleus, 
around  which  an  effort  was  being  made  to  gather  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars, for  what  was  called  the  Samaritan  Fund.  The  Samaritan 
Fund  was  to  be  used,  when  the  subscription  reached  ten  thousand 
dollars,  in  the  interest,  the  principal  remaining  forever  un- 
touched, in  supplying  the  deficiency  in  the  receipt  of  the  allow- 
ance of  the  itinerant  preachers,  and  in  the  support  of  superannu- 
ated preachers,  and  the  orphans  and  widows  of  deceased  preach- 
ers. 

A  permanent  move  in  providing  the  Samaritan  Fund  was 

made  at  the  session  of  the  Annual  Conference  in  December, 
1846.  At  that  session  the  Conference  determined  to  make  an 
effort  to  raise  said  Fund,  and  ordained  rules,  methods,  and 
agents  to  govern  and  accomplish  the  work.  The  subject  met  with 
favor,  at  least  from  a  few,  who  were  steadfastly  minded  to  go 
on  to  the  consummation  of  the  good  work,  and  while  it  was  a 
long  time  before  anything  was  accomplished  calculated  to  do 
much  good,  yet,  through  the  liberality  of  Abner  McGehee,  and 
B.  S.  Bibb,  there  was  accumulated,  in  the  on-going  of  things,  a 
Fund  sufficient  to  yield  a  measure  of  relief  to  a  few  deficient 
ministers  and  the  widows  and  orphans  of  deceased  preachers. 

Abner  McGehee  donated  to  the  Samaritan  Fund,  in  the  Mont- 
gomery and  West  Point  Bail  Boad  Stock,  ten  thousand  dollars, 
which  was  paid  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Fund  some  time  after 
the  death  of  the  donor.  B.  S.  Bibb,  about  the  same  tiifae,  do- 
nated to  the  Samaritan  Fund,  in  similar  Bail  Boad  Stock,  five 


Further  History  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.      741 


thousand  dollars.  Liberal  donations  to  the  Fund,  about  the 
same  time,  by  Mary  McGehee,  and  Sophia  Bibb,  and  others,  en- 
larged the  Fund,  so  that  in  November,  1857,  the  sum  of  it  was 
twenty-one  thousand  nine  hundred  fifty-seven  dollars  and  forty- 
five  cents.  The  interest  on  that  amount  would  yield  relief  in 
the  case  of  several  destitute  ones.  It  is  presumed  that  the  fif- 
teen thousand  dollars  in  Bail  Boad  Stock  evaporated,  finally,  as, 
in  after  time,  the  Samaritan  Fund  was  reported  to  be  less  than 
six  thousand  dollars. 

Outside  of  supporting  the  preachers  and  Missionaries  em- 
ployed in  the  State,  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  had  no 
benevolent  enterprises  in  Alabama,  down  to  the  period  at  which 
this  History  closes.  In  November,  1810,  under  the  influence, 
and  leadership  of  Boiling  Hall,  the  Annual  Conference  set  out 
a  declaration  in  favor  of  literature  and  science,  and,  in  further- 
ance of  the  same,  and  with  the  purpose  of  finally  establishing  a 
College,  authorized  the  establishment  of  a  Male  High  School,  at 
Bobinson  Springs,  Alabama,  and  clothed  with  authority  to  su- 
pervise the  Institution  a  Board  of  fifty-five  Trustees.  In  obe- 
dience to  the  action  of  the  Conference,  the  Board  of  Trustees 
went  to  work  immediately,  settled  such  questions  as  were  before 
them,  and  appointed  the  Bev.  O.  H.  Shaver,  Agent  to  secure 
subscriptions  for  the  contemplated  School.  At  the  next  session 
of  the  Annual  Conference  those  having  the  matter  in  hand,  re- 
ported that  "seventy-two  dollars  cash,  and  the  gross  sum  of 
seventeen  thousand,  nine  hundred  and  eighty-two  dollars,  in 
subscriptions,  as  also,  ten  thousand  dollars  Bail  Boad  Stock,  by 
Abner  McGehee"  had  been  secured.  The  parties  interested 
were  induced  to  believe  that  there  would  be  still  further  re- 
sponses, and  that  the  amounts  in  a  reasonable  time  would  be 
largely  increased.  A  certain  site  in  the  community  of  Bobinson 
Springs  was  recommended  as  the  permanent  spot  on  which  to 
locate  the  School.  It  had  been  determined  to  call  the  School 
The  Snethen  Institute,  but  it  was  recommended  to  the  Trustees 
to  change  the  name  to  McGehee  College,  as  a  memorial  of  grati- 
tude to  Abner  McGehee,  for  his  liberal  donation  in  aid  of  the 
cause,  and  for  his  zealous  advocacy  of  its  interest.  It  was  rec- 
ommended also  that  the  Georgia  and  Mississippi  Conferences 
of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  be  requested  to  co-operate 
in  the  building  and  equipping  a  College.     The  Annual  Confer- 


748 


Historii  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


ence  adopted  all  tlie  measures  recommended  in  the  premises, 
and  there  seemed  to  be  great  enthusiasm  on  the  subject,  but 
thrift  did  not  attend  the  enterprise.  At  the  Annual  Conference 
in  November,  1853,  held  at  Autaugaville,  Alabama,  it  was  re- 
ported that  the  project  of  building  a  College  at  Robiuson 
Springs,  did  not  entirely  meet  the  views  of  the  Conference,  and 
that  it  was  then  invested  with  such  embarrassments  as  to  ren- 
der its  prosecution  impracticable.  At  the  same  time  there  was 
before  the  Conference  from  the  citizens  of  Auburn,  Alabama,  a 
proposition  to  buikl  a  Male  College  at  that  place.  The  Confer- 
ence considered  the  proposition  with  favor,  and  there  was  insti- 
tuted a  contest  between  Auburn  and  Robinson  Springs.  The 
question  then  was,  will  the  friends  of  Robinson  Springs  still  ad- 
here to  that  locality,  or  transfer  the  subscriptions  and  the  en- 
terprise to  Auburn.  From  the  contest  inaugurated  distractions 
ensued.  The  burning  sands  of  a  desert  do  not  more  surely 
drink  up  the  streams  which  descend  upon  them  from  the  moun- 
tains, than  do  contests  dissipate  interest  in  public  enterprises. 
The  enterprise  utterly  failed,  as  did  also  the  project  of  build- 
ing a  Female  College  in  the  city  of  Montgomery,  Alabama,  in 

1859. 

Through  the  belligerent  spirit,  which  has  ever  been  peculiarly 
strong  in  the  adherents  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church, 
that  people  were  prompted  to  attempt  to  go  up,  and  cover  the 
earth  with  followers;  but  the  very  elements  which  gave  exist- 
ence to  that  tribe  limited  achievements;  and  while  that  Church 
had  in  Alabama  a  number  of  intelligent  and  enterprising  fami- 
lies, the  main  body  of  the  membership  thereof  were  not  of  that 
type,  and  there  were  never  in  Alabama  a  sufficient  number  of  in- 
telligent members  among  them  to  prosecute  any  large  benevo- 
lence to  a  successful  issue. 

The  Methodist  Protestant  Church  in  Alabama  suffered  no  lit- 
tle from  the  characteristic  weaknesses  of  its  adherents,  as  well 
as  from  the  weaknesses  of  its  cherished  principles.  It  is  the 
task  of  the  historian  to  record  such  items  of  detriment  and 
notice  such  elements  of  weakness  as  were  apparent,  and  such 
as  made  the  history,  and  of  which  the  leaders  of  the  Church 
themselves  complained. 

Much  damage  was  suffered  by  premature  and  injudicious  no- 
tice of  malicious  reports  involving  the  character  of  ministers 


Further  History  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,      749 


and  members,  and  so  extensive  was  the  evil  that  measures  were 
adoi3ted  and  committees  appointed,  by  the  Annual  Conference, 
to  arrest  it.  Much  detriment  was  incurred  by  putting  ministers 
and  members  on  trial  upon  charges  trivial  in  themselves  and 
notoriously  false.  That  evil  had  to  be  checked.  An  irrespon- 
sible and  an  untrained  membership  had  too  much  control  in  the 
administration  of  affairs. 

The  Annual  Conference  was  without  authority  and  without 
power  to  keep  the  preachers  at  their  legitimate  work,  and  make 
them  efficient  in  the  prosecution  of  their  divine  calling.  That 
fact  came  out,  ever  and  anon,  in  the  utterances  of  the  Annual 
Conference  from  time  to  time,  and  was  manifested  in  many 
ways.  There  was  constantly  a  list  of  unstationed  preachers; 
some  left  in  the  hands  of  the  President  of  the  Conference,  and 
for  whom  he  had  no  places;  and  others  were  left  without  ap- 
pointments at  their  own  request,  and  the  whole  order  origina- 
ting in  inefficiency.  Governed  by  the  peculiar  principles  which 
prevailed,  and  the  special  circumstances  which  existed,  and,  yet, 
goaded  by  the  desperation  which  could  not  be  ignored,  the  An- 
nual Conference  would  from  time  to  time  attemi3t  an  utterance, 
in  which  the  inefficiency  of  the  administration  in  the  reception 
and  control  of  the  preachers  of  the  Conference  would  be  de- 
clared in  more  ways  than  one.  A  Report,  made  by  a  Committee 
to  the  Annual  Conference,  at  Shiloh,  Autauga  County,  Alabama, 
November  17, 1849,  and  acted  on  two  days  later,  gives  testimony 
on  the  subject.  A  portion  of  the  Report  transferred  to  this 
page  is  as  follows:  "The  results  of  our  modified  itinerancy  in 
this  District,  are  too  obvious  to  escape  notice;  they  may  be 
summed  up  as  follows: 

1.  The  power  of  the  Conference  is  so  weakened  over  its  own 
Ministers,  as  to  be  incapable  of  proper  legislation  for  the 
Church. 

2.  A  large,  and  valuable  class  of  Ministers,  known  to  us  as 
unstationed  Ministers,  is  made  to  occupy  a  position  not  recog- 
nized in  the  Church  law. 

3.  The  regular  Itineracy  of  the  Church  is  so  affected  in  its 
operations,  as  to  be  but  partially  effective  in  its  legitimate  work. 

4.  The  wants  of  the  Church  are  not  met,  and  cannot  be  met, 
where,  in  arranging  ministerial  work,  so  many  in  their  fixed  re- 
lations to  home  and  business,  have  to  be  cousulted  and  suited. 


750 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama, 


Other  ejBfects  might  be  mentioned.  The  working  of  the  sys- 
tem is,  however,  known  to  us  all;  and  we  believe  there  is  a  gen- 
eral feeling  that  a  change,  by  returning  to  the  regular  plan 
prescribed  by  our  Law,  is  most  imperatively  demanded." 

When  the  Eeport  came  up,  two  days  after  it  was  read,  for 
final  action,  a  motion  that  "So  much  of  the  Eeport  as  relates  to 
the  Itinerancy,  be  laid  on  the  table,"  prevailed  by  a  vote  of 
thirty-three  to  thirteen.  On  a  subsequent  day  of  the  session  of 
the  Conference  twenty  of  those  who  voted  to  lay  the  paper  on 
the  table  felt  constrained  to  explain  their  vote  in  the  following 
composition: 

"  We,  whose  names  are  hereto  subscribed,  being  desirous  that 
our  votes  to  lay  on  the  table  so  much  of  the  Report  of  the  Com- 
mittee, appointed  by  last  Annual  Conference  to  prepare  busi- 
ness for  this,  as  relates  to  Itinerancy,  should  not  be  misunder- 
stood, beg  leave  of  this  body,  to  spread  the  fact  upon  their 
Journal,  that  our  vote  was  given  from  prudential  considerations, 
connected  with  the  subject  at  this  time,  and  not  from  any  ob- 
jection to  the  sentiments  of  the  Eeport." 

Wild,  profligate,  and  baleful  as  it  was,  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ences, in  many  instances,  ignored,  not  to  say  rejected,  the 
preachers  appointed  to  the  pastoral  charges  by  their  own  chosen 
Stationing  Committees,  and  employed  other  preachers,  and  gave 
the  employees  the  stipends  of  the  Church.  It  seems  that  a 
Committee,  composed  of  one  in  the  ordinary  grade  of  elder  and 
of  laymen,  and  elected  by  and  from  the  constituency,  for  sta- 
tioning preachers,  lost  its  enchantment  in  the  annihilation  of 
distance,  and  could  not  please,  in  all  instances,  even  the  liberty- 
loving  Methodist  Protestants.  The  practice  of  ignoring  the 
regular  appointees,  and  hiring  one  of  their  own  choosing  by  the 
Quarterly  Conferences,  became  so  prevalent,  as  to  endanger  the 
very  existence  of  one  of  the  very  few  things  in  the  system  of 
the  Fathers  of  Methodism  which  the  Methodist  Protestants 
would  have,  the  Itinerancy,  and  to  call  out  an  expression  of 
alarm  and  complaint  on  the  subject.  The  practice  was  too 
prevalent,  and  too  far  reaching  in  its  consequences  to  be  con- 
sidered immaterial,  especially  by  those  who  had  direct  interest 
in  the  treasure  involved.  The  matter  came  up  for  consideration 
in  the  Annual  Conference,  and  the  pious  and  the  sufferers  were 
sufficiently  numerous  to  give  a  majority  vote  in  rebuke  of  the 


Further  History  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,      751 

reckless  profanation  of  the  cause  of  liberty  and  stipends,  but 
the  vote  and  the  rebuke  could  not  dispel  the  reproach,  nor  alto- 
gether arrest  the  impolitic  practice. 

The  last  analysis  in  the  liberal  form  of  Church  government 
was  presented  in  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church  in  the  form  of  constant  complaints  that  the 
liberal  government  was  not  respected,  and  obeyed,  and  con- 
formity to  its  laws  maintained.  The  preachers  were  well-nigh 
hedged  out  from  any  participation  in  the  management  of  Church 
affairs.  They  could  scarcely  claim  authority  to  do  anything. 
By  law,  it  was  made  the  duty  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  to 
"appoint  the  advisory  Committee  to  the  Superintendent;"  and 
the  superintendent,  who  was  the  preacher,  or  the  minister  ap- 
pointed to  the  pastoral  charge,  had  to  obtain  the  consent  of  the 
"  advisory  Committee  "  before  he  could  preach  on  special  sub- 
jects; so  it  was  expressed  by  a  paper  adopted  at  one  of  the  ses- 
sions of  the  Annual  Conference.  By  law  provided,  some  of  the 
preachers  were  appointed  to  labor  under  the  direction  of  the 
Quarterly  Conferences.  The  freedom  of  the  divine  heritage 
from  ministerial  authority  was  so  carefully  guarded  that  the 
Annual  Conference  would  not  retain  a  Eesolution  authorizing 
ministers  to  attend  Camp-meetings  and  Protracted-meetings  in 
their  own  Circuits.  That  it  was  their  privilege  to  do  so,  was  the 
most  the  Annual  Conference  would  maintain  on  the  subject. 
The  members  of  the  Churches,  and  it  seems  to  have  been  the 
rule,  arranged,  and  carried  on  affairs  at  their  own  option,  ob- 
livious of  the  preachers  in  charge  of  the  Circuits.  The  power 
to  admit  persons  into  full  membership  was  vested  in  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Church,  and  not  in  the  preacher.  Such  was  the 
liberty  of  the  sons  of  men  in  that  communion. 

That  liberty  which  is  a  source  of  weakness  in  the  administra- 
tion of  human  affairs  may  be  rejected  as  no  liberty,  and  as  not 
a  whit  better  than  imperiousness.  To  deprive  one  of  making 
achievements  by  placing  over  him  arbitrary  power  is  not  any 
worse  than  preventing  the  achievements  by  placing  him  under 
inadequate  laws  and  inefficient  agencies.  Liberty  may  not,  un- 
der any  pretext,  be  contravened.  Liberty  may  not  be  circum- 
scribed, curtailed,  diminished,  restrained,  suppressed,  eliminated, 
transferred,  under  any  conditions,  by  any  laws,  for  any  purposes. 
To  deprive  a  man  of  doing  that  which  he  should  do,  or  of 


752 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


enjoying  that  which  he  should  enjoy,  or  to  make  him  do  that 
which  he  ought  not,  or  to  make  him  suffer  that  which  he  ought 
not  to  suffer,  is  evidently  oppression,  but  it  is  not  opj^ression  to 
demand  that  which  should  be  bestowed,  nor  is  it  oppression  to 
prevent  the  doing  of  that  which  ought  not  to  be  done.  Author- 
ity divinely  reposed  is,  as  all  must  admit,  rightful  autiiority,  and 
to  exercise  authority  so  reposed,  as  is  self-evident,  neither 
abridges  nor  annuls  liberty.  The  exercise  of  authority  and  the 
demand  for  a  recognition  and  maintenance  thereof  cannot  be 
considered  the  perpetration  of  tyranny,  any  more  than  the  de- 
mand for  redress  of  personal  injuries,  or  the  demand  for  resto- 
ration of  stolen  property  could  be  considered  striking  against 
the  divine  law.  To  take  and  carry  away  feloniously  in  order  to 
reimburse  one  who  had  been  robbed,  and  to  redress  injuries  by 
the  infliction  of  injuries  would  not  be  more  obnoxious  to  the 
divine  law  than  removing  authority  from  its  proper  deposit,  than 
taking  it  from  hands  where  by  divine  appointment  it  reposes. 
Tyranny,  oppression,  and  injustice  can  never  promote  good. 
That  which  impinges  the  law  of  God  is  not  liberty,  but  usurpa- 
tion. The  wise  and  prudent  should  not  make  the  fatal  mistake 
of  confounding  these,  as  they  should  not  make  the  fatal  mistake 
of  confounding  might  and  right,  and  as  they  should  not  make 
the  egregious  blunder  of  enthroning  might  as  the  supreme  ar- 
biter in  the  administration  of  human  affairs,  and  as  they  should 
not  perpetrate  the  error  of  supposing  that  private  liberty  and 
public  rights  antagonize.  Any  assumptions  concerning  liberty, 
or  conscience,  or  freedom  from  civil  or  soclesiastical  restraints 
which  tend  to  enervate  the  divinely  Cxiosen  agencies,  for  carry- 
ing forward  the  work  of  the  Kedeemer  must  be  false  and  perni- 
cious. "  Whosoever  resisteth  the  power,  resisteth  the  ordinance 
of  God,"  and  there  is  nothing  more  pernicious,  and  criminal, 
*'and  they  who  resist  shall  receive  to  themselves  damnation." 
No  one  is  endowed  with  liberty  to  work  evil  or  produce  mischief 
in  any  state  or  in  any  wise.  No  law  can  restrain  the  exercise  of 
liberty,  but  there  are  some  things  which  are  not  involved  in  lib- 
erty. Liberty  no  more  involves  the  right  to  indulge  passion, 
and  avenge  wrath,  or  impinge  justice,  than  truth  confers  the 
right  to  perpetrate  falsehoods.  Law  restrains,  but  it  does  no 
violence  to  liberty.  The  liberty  which  exists  under  the  law  of 
God  is  simply  the  right  and  power  to  act  the  part  of  a  moral  be- 


Further  History  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.      753 


ing.  Liberty  exists  and  acts  within  the  realm  and  limit  of  mor- 
al law.  That  is  no  more  a  restraint  upon  liberty  in  man  than 
the  impossibility  for  God  to  lie  is  a  restraint  upon  his  actions, 
and  a  limit  of  his  perfections. 

The  champions  of  ecclesiastical  liberty  in  Alabama  were  nev- 
er famous  for  literary  work,  or  literary  attainments.  They 
founded  no  Schools,  though,  as  related  above,  they  made  a  few 
free  efforts  in  that  behalf.  They  published  but  little,  and  that 
of  a  fugitive  complexion,  nothing  very  classical,  and  nothing  re- 
flecting any  special  credit.  In  literature,  learning,  and  erudition 
they  were  not  adepts.  In  poetry,  music,  and  the  fine  arts  they  were 
not  proficients,  and  they  were  not  skilled  in  things  profound. 
It  is  but  just,  however,  to  state  that  they  did  not  have  among 
them  more  than  their  just  proportion  of  those  who  consider 
learning  both  useless  and  pernicious.  There  is  certainly  a 
beauty  in  the  simplicity  of  Christianity  which  makes  the  frip- 
pery, pomp,  and  pageantry  of  gorgeous  ceremony  and  adventi- 
tious rites  revolting,  but  in  the  adoption  of  a  Ritual  so  inferior, 
this  sect,  which  had  removed  the  dazzlings  of  human  power  so 
far  away  that  the  suffrages  of  presbyters  and  people  were  sel- 
dom sought,  not  more  than  once  a  year,  surely  overdid  the  mat- 
ter in  getting  rid  of  ostentation,  and  ecclesiastical  embellish- 
ments. Men  who  made  a  pious  boast  of  rejecting  ecclesiastical 
adornments  would  not  be  apt  to  seek  personal  embellishments 
and  high  order  of  literary  refinements. 

The  Eev.  Alexander  McCaine  was  a  man  of  talents  and  attain- 
ments, and  he  did  some  literary  work,  work  which  made  him  no- 
torious, but  he  completed  his  literary  work,  or  most  of  it  at  least, 
before  he  came  to  Alabama,  and  he  was  in  the  State  of  Alabama 
only  a  brief  while,  and  that  in  age  and  feebleness  extreme. 

The  Eev.  Andrew  A.  Lipscomb,  who  had  conferred  upon  him 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Laws,  for  forty-five  years,  and,  perhaps,  for  a  longer  period, 
had  his  official  relation  with  the  Alabama  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church.  Though  he  was  out  of  the  State 
a  part  of  the  time,  for  many  years  he  was  intimately  associated 
with  the  work  of  his  Church  in  Alabama,  and  though  for  much 
of  the  time  he  was  on  the  unstationed  list,  he  was  for  some  years 
in  the  pastoral  work  and  the  active  ministry.  He  was  a  man  of 
good  talents,  excellent  scholarship,  and  of  unblemished  reputa- 


754 


History  of  Methodism  in  Alabama. 


tion.    Though  he  had  native  gifts,  and  though  he  acquired  learn- 
ing, he  was  by  his  temperament,  by  his  aptitudes,  disqualified 
for  distinguished  leadership.     No  one  who  knew  him   would 
have  selected  him  to  suppress  a  riot,  or  to  guide  a  revolution. 
No  one  would  have  chosen  him  to  issue  a  proclamation,  or  to 
formulate  a  Confession  of  Faith.     He  was  not  the  man  to  find 
and  touch  the  springs  of  public  life,  or  to  enterprise  matters, 
and  make  things  potent  and  illustrious.     There  was   nothing 
bold,  or  dashing,  or  aggressive  about  him,  he  was  not  capable  of 
impetuous  daring.     He  was  of  a  soft  mold,  and  gentle  disposi- 
tion, and  more  docile  than  vigorous.     He  was  not  the  man  to 
participate  in  stirring  events.     He  was  better  suited  to  tranquil 
times.     He  was,  by  nature,  disqualified  for  the  task  of  soldier 
or  surgeon.     It  is  judged  that  in  a  University  he  would  have 
been  more  in  place  as  a  Professor  than  as  a  Chancellor.    He  was 
as  free  from  artifices  as  he  was  destitute  of  the  positive  elements 
which  make  a  warrior  and  a  leader.     In  several  of  the  Institu- 
tions of  Learning  in  the  country,  he  had,  for  a  time,  place  and 
rank.     For  a  short  while  he  was  connected  with  the  University 
of  Georgia,  and  likewise  with^he  Female  College,  at  Tuskegee, 
Alabama,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church] 
South,  and,  then,  also,  with  the  Yanderbilt  University,  at  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee.    In  all  these  Schools  he     as  honored.    He  was 
an  author,  and  was  regarded  a  forcible  writer,  with  pleasing 
style,  and  classical  taste,  perhaps,  more  polished  than  profound. 
He  penned  prose,  invoked  the  Muse,  and  attempted  rythm  and 
rhyme.    His  poetry  was  printed  and  praised,  but  never  reached 
the  stately  and  sublime  heights  and  popular  plaudits  of  Pope's 
verses  and  Milton's  poems.     He  was  the  author  of  a  number  of 
Essays,  on  various  subjects.  Essays  of  merit,  though  none  of 
them  comparable  to  the  Essays  of  John  Locke.     A  book,  bear- 
ing the  title  "  Studies  in  the  Forty  Days  between  the  Resurrec- 
tion and  Ascension  of  Jesus  Christ,"  which  was  published  in 
1884,  six  or  eight  years  before  his  death,  was  considered,  by 
some,  his  most  valuable  production,  though  it  is  not  as  pro- 
found, nor  as  engaging,  nor  as  helpful  as  the  treatise  "  On  the 
Eule  and  Exercises  of  Holy  Living,"  by  Jeremy  Taylor.    Among 
all  the  Methodist  Protestants  in  Alabama  to  the  date  of  which 
this  History  takes  cognizance  Dr.  Lipscomb  stands  pre-eminent, 
if  not  alone,  as  an  author. 


Further  History  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.      755 


The  last  statistics  published  by  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church  in  Alabama,  prior  to  the  close  of  the  War  between  the 
States,  and  which  can  now  be  found  at  hand,  were  published  at 
the  close  of  1860.  Said  statistics  show  that  that  Church  had,  at 
that  time,  in  Alabama,  three  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixteen 
white  members,  and  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-five 
colored  members;  and  eighty-five  houses  of  worship,  and  three 
parsonages,  all  valued  at  ninety-one  thousand  three  hundred 
and  seventy-five  dollars;  and  ten  Sunday-schools,  with  forty 
teachers,  and  two  hundred  and  eighty-four  scholars.  There  was 
not  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  in  any  place 
in  Alabama  at  that  time  a  city,  except  Montgomery.  The  prin- 
cipal towns  in  the  State  at  which  there  were  any  members  of 
that  Church  were  Autaugaville,  Greenville,  Lowndesborough, 
and  Robinson  Springs. 


The  End. 


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